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How to Love Cooking

This article was written by Forest in Frugality. 44 comments.

This is a guest post by Forest from Frugal Zeitgeist. Forest writes about frugality, finance, minimalism and lifestyle. In this article, Forest shares his experiences in the kitchen. Cooking great meals is a great way to save money and stay healthy, but it’s a skill that I haven’t developed for myself. Passion can boost motivation, though, and this article might help me find that passion about preparing meals.

When Flexo wrote about alternative financial resolutions he mentioned the idea of cooking more often at home. Cooking at home is often described as a way to save money. It will do that if you replace your dining-out habit, but it does much more than just improve your finances. Cooking can quickly become an enjoyable hobby, and when you get into the groove you can even use it to impress your friends. The health aspects cannot be overlooked, either. Replacing processed foods and restaurant foods with home-cooked versions, where you know the ingredients, will affect you and your family’s diet in a positive way.

But you can’t just expect to fire up the stove and produce an award-winning dish. Learning to cook takes time and patience. You will fail, and you will find that at times cooking isn’t as economical as you originally thought it would be. Investing in a stock of spices and speciality ingredients can quickly blow a shopping budget!

In this post I want to share my journey into the wonderful world of cooking at home and then hopefully convince you to make it a regular activity and a beloved hobby.

How I found my passion in cooking

Toast I never learned to cook anything as a kid. My kitchen wizardry stopped at being able to “cook” a perfect slice of toast and heat an egg in hot oil. Sometimes I would experiment, but I’ll skip the tales of my candy-bar sandwich and curry hot chocolate. When I moved out of my parents’ home at the age of seventeen, I sucked at cooking.

Luckily I had a corner store within twenty seconds of my house. I became a wiz at putting plastic-wrapped steak bakes and hamburgers into the microwave, and later I even progressed to turning on the oven to warm up a frozen pizza. Breakfast cereal was a favorite dinner of mine too. Cheerios for dinner! Yum!

This went on for quite some time. When I turned eighteen and started to throw regular pints of beer into the mix, my belly decided to grow big and round. Through the age of twenty, not much changed apart from my pants size.

Weight is easy to put on and reasonably easy to fix, but the bad habits had been affecting another aspect of my life, something not immediately apparent to most around me. As my belly grew, so did my overdraft. My money situation wasn’t going too well.

In addressing the cash flow problem, I knew I had to make all sorts of cut-backs. It wasn’t exactly a secret to me that my processed food habit was costing me a lot of money and I decided to tackle it by learning how to cook at home. This was also around the same time that I became vegetarian, which seriously reduced the selection of ready-made foods I could purchase at the corner store.

One of my first trips to the supermarket after the decision involved me stocking up on spaghetti, cans of tomatoes, dried basil, salt, pepper and lots of fruit.

I remember throwing myself head first into cooking, just like the way I refused to read instructions when I got a Transformer for Christmas. I didn’t read any cookery books.

For one of my first home cooked meals, I threw a few cans of tomatoes into a large wok with a little oil. I tossed in a load of basil, a little salt and let it simmer for quite a few hours. The result was better than you may think for a first attempt, and although the work was minimal, I enjoyed throwing some stuff in a pot and coming out with an edible meal. I was intrigued enough to learn more.

I continued to develop my “tomatoes and stuff in wok” speciality and would try adding different veggies and herbs. One important thing I did do was learn the basics. This included cooking eggs in their various forms, the basics about herbs, simple stir fry, fried rice, stews and chilis. Occasionally I would follow a recipe.

The big change for me came when I quit my job and moved from England to Canada. I found food to be even more expensive in Canada, and my budget was very thin. I had left behind a high-paying job in London and was now washing dishes in a pub kitchen. Of course being around cooking all day was part of my inspiration, but working out how the hell to feed myself on minimum wage was the real kick in the butt.

I started to buy a lot of raw ingredients and had moved in with my girlfriend. A student and a kitchen boy needed some entertainment and that was where Manjula came in! We enjoyed making dinner together, even though it was stir fry most nights. Cooking with your family and friends can be a lot of fun and a motivation to push yourself forward. We both enjoyed curry so we learned how to cook it properly. I started to search for recipes online, and I discovered Manjula’s Kitchen on Youtube. Manjula cooks a lot of great Indian dishes and her lackluster commentary creates a homey, “I can do this” vibe that I found quite warming. After my first Manjula curry I was hooked.

I was being reeled into this cooking thing.

When you make that great meal, something you never thought you could make, it’s like you finally get it. Cooking can be drudgery, especially when you have to cook for many and you just don’t enjoy it. I look at it like painting. Painting a house is boring as hell, and the outcome is nice, but nothing special. Paint a picture and you enjoy the whole process and the outcome immensely. If you approach cooking like painting a picture you’ll enjoy it very much.

Next up for me was my other favorite food, bread. I had a drunken conversation with a Mexican lady who convinced me tortillas were just flour and water cooked in a flat pan. I had flour and water at home so a day or so later I mashed them together into a dough, rolled them into tortilla-shaped discs using a Snapple bottle, and fried them in a hot pan. Like my very first tomato experiment, it worked again — not perfect, but within reach of being able to be called bread!

This put me on a bread kick and I turned to the internet for a real loaf. The first recipe I ever used is one I still use today, and variations on the dough are easy to experiment with. There is something calming about kneading dough and something very satisfying about eating it hot out of the oven.

Where I am today?

I cook almost every day. Cooking is a hobby and something I do almost without thinking. I’ll happily tackle any kind of cusine and challenge myself to new recipes on a regular basis. I’m not afraid to pick up something I have never seen before and experiment with it. I still make a lot of mistakes but that is half of the fun.

Along with my confidence, my knowledge of food sourcing and nutrition has increased. I try to buy in-season foods and balance my diet with meals that contain the right amount of carbs, proteins, good fats and all of that stuff.

I absolutely adore cooking. Food is something we all need, but good food is something we all love. The smugness and satisfaction from being able to match meals at your favorite restaurants is unbelievable. Cooking isn’t an art or skill that only a few people have, it can be learned. If you keep at it, you will learn. You’ll want to share your new-found love with friends, and they’ll get the bug too.

Tips to start cooking

Starting off any new endeavor that you hope to grow into a hobby can be tough work. If things don’t work out the first time, it is easy to give up. Often, fear of failure, poor early results and lack of time push people back to TV dinners and prepared meals. Like any feat you want to achieve, you need to go in knowing that you will fail, you will make terrible food, and your journey from a person who reads recipes to a full-fledged cook will not be linear.

Making failure part of the learning process will guard your self-esteem enough to help you get through the rough patches. Set goals and make time for cooking. Instead of going to the pub, stay home and follow a recipe, bake a cake for the family, or go shopping for a cook book.

I would suggest you set goals centered around being able to cook your favorite meal or a favorite meal for your family, learning to cook a few dishes of a certain cuisine, or replacing a regular store-bought item with a homemade alternative. The goal should be something that matters to you and keeps you focused. A solid option is baking bread that is better than the store variety. It’s not easy but a skill that is a lot fun — and messy — to learn.

As your cooking progresses something will happen. Your lack of confidence will subside and you’ll fall into the groove I mentioned earlier. For me, indicators of this were being able to add ingredients without measurement and being able to open anyone’s pantry and put together a meal without a recipe book. At this stage, you won’t be a master chef, but you’ll be competent and confident enough to take on any recipe.

Experimentation is very important and is key to discovering the joy of cooking. If you think chocolate and chili pepper would be good on pork, try it. If you are bored at home, just grab some random ingredients and see what you can cook up.

Make cooking social

Keeping cooking a lonseome pursuit could stop it from progressing into a full-fledged hobby, so it’s important to share. Sharing the cooking and eating experience with friends and family is one of the best parts.

I remember baking cakes as a young kid with my grandma, and I think baking and cooking with kids is a great learning tool. I wish cooking with my parents had been a part of my whole life. Cooking with your partner also brings in a new intimacy to a relationship and shares a responsibility that is often left to one person, most often the woman.

Expanding beyond family, it’s great to host potluck meals or host a dinner party on rotation. Friends of mine set up a little club where four couples set four Saturday nights aside. Each Saturday night, the eight people would all visit one house, and the hosts would cook a three-course meal. The result was that it pushed everyone in that group to try to up their cooking game, and it was somewhat competitive. The dinner parties were successful enough that they have all improved their cooking skills.

Get started

Asparagus I hope I have you convinced to give it a try and I hope you have overcome any apprehension. You may not even enjoy cooking at first, but you’ll enjoy the challenge. Here are some tips to help you get started. Please come back to let us know how it went.

Cook a basic flat bread that can be used for lunches, side dishes and more.
Bake a real loaf of bread. This is the very first basic bread recipe I ever used, and it’s good.
Find an online video recipe for your favorite restaurant meal and try to make it.
Use the ingredients in your pantry and create a random meal. It doesn’t matter if it turns out bad, just mess around!
Try another favorite dish or two from another part of the world.
Invite a friend over for dinner and you cook. They can bring the wine.

Good luck with your new money-saving, healthy hobby.

Please don’t hesitate to ask any questions, or ask for any resources, ideas or anything that comes to mind. If you love cooking, what inspired you to start?

Photos: John McClumpha, jeffreyw, woodleywonderworks

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7 Independent Personal Finance Blogs You Can Trust

This article was written by Flexo in Link Sharing. 31 comments.

In just the past few years, there has been an explosion of personal finance blogs, a niche that was vacant eight years ago. Those eight years feel like a generation or two, considering the way the Internet has changed since then. Now some might argue that the blog form is on its way out as the primary means of social communication online, with more efficient or sophisticated methods like Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr taking charge. Nevertheless, what started out as a small niche community several years ago is now a thriving but noisy bazaar with more marketers and salespeople than good, old-fashioned information.

I’m not being judgmental. You see advertising here at Consumerism Commentary, and it’s allowed me to earn a living. I hope, though, that regular readers don’t come away with the feeling that I’m trying to sell them something, whether a product or my “brand.” In all that I do, I try to be genuine and authentic, so even if I’m writing about a credit card offer, I do so with readers in mind.

I like reading personal stories or articles with a certain “voice” — something that reminds me that there is a person inside, and that person is intelligent, thoughtful, and not maintaining a website just because she could earn a lot of money by publishing articles with certain keywords. I don’t like gurus, motivational speakers, or writers who assume their audience either needs a lecture or is stuck at a fourth-grade reading level. I don’t like being sold something when I read an article, even if the article was witty or helpful. I choose when I speak to a salesperson; I don’t like surprises.

I’m not normally a negative person, so that’s enough of what I don’t like. I do like knowing that the opinions and thoughts described in articles are not significantly influenced by commercial enterprises, even if they are earning money from the website. I prefer blogs that are still operated by their original owners, because there is a sort of passion that a blog often loses when its founder sells, if he or she doesn’t take special care.

I’d like to share seven blogs that I think, today, feel right for me as a reader. I’m excluding a few of the bigger excellent blogs that you may already have on your list or are now part of a larger corporation. The websites listed below are all, to my knowledge, still owned and operated by their founder. I’m also leaving out some great blogs written by financial columnists and authors, going for the truly independent, non-professional-writer voice, though I suspect one of the anonymous writers below moonlights as a professional financial columnist.

If you read other blogs about personal finance, feel free to leave comments about your favorites or disagree with my picks.

These are in no particular order.

Read the full article →

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Podcast 9: Penelope Trunk from Brazen Careerist and Leo Babauta from Zen Habits

This article was written by Flexo in Podcast. 2 comments.

Penelope Trunk and Leo Babauta are today’s guests on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast. Penelope Trunk is the author of Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success and founder of the career advancement website Brazen Careerist. Tom Dziubek and I speak with Penelope about maintaining careers in today’s recession and she presents a number of tips for finding jobs right now.

Our discussion with Leo Babauta, author of The Power of Less and creator of Zen Habits, centers around the concept of minimalism and how this philosophy can improve your personal financial situation.

To listen, use the player above (Adobe Flash required), download the podcast here, subscribe to the podcast RSS feed, or use the iTunes link. Note: open links in a new window (Ctrl-click or Command-click) to avoid interrupting the podcast.

[00:00] Introduction from Flexo
[00:48] Interview with Penelope Trunk
[01:35] — The economy’s effect on the job market
[02:45] — Generation X versus Generation Y
[05:52] — Applying for jobs online is not enough, hire a resume writer
[08:14] — Standing out among a large pool of applicants
[09:30] — Cover letters
[11:15] — Personalizing the job search with social media
[14:15] — What Brazen Careerist offers career seekers
[16:50] Interview with Leo Babauta
[17:35] — The definition of minimalism
[18:48] — How minimalism is related to personal finance
[19:40] — Minimalism versus frugality
[21:49] — Applying minimalism to buying a house and car
[24:51] — Small changes to spending in line with minimalism
[26:48] — Gradually shifting to minimalism
[28:27] — Minimalism helps you lose weight
[30:15] — Applying ten healthy dieting principles to debt elimination
[35:05] End

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Consumerism Commentary Podcast

This article was written by Flexo in . Comments Off

The Consumerism Commentary Podcast is a weekly personal finance show, hosted by both Tom Dziubek, a former podcaster with the Wall Street Journal, and Jay Frosting, who started his first podcast in 2005 for fans of novelty rock music. Each week, the show offers commentary about money management, getting out of debt, budgeting, consumer issues, investing, and the economic issues that touch individuals in the United States and all over the world.

Tom and Jay are occasionally joined by Flexo, the founder of Consumerism Commentary.

You can subscribe to the Consumerism Commentary Podcast by adding the podcast RSS feed to your audio device or RSS reader. You can also subscribe and download the episodes from iTunes.

Interested in advertising on the Consumerism Commentary Podcast? We are accepting a limited number of targeted, relevant advertisers. More information can be found here.

Here are the latest episodes of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast, with a list of guests and an overview of the topics covered, starting with the most recent:

Episode 161: May 20, 2012. Topic: My Mother Was a Mail Order Bride

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Episode 160: May 13, 2012. Topic: The Rich and the Rest of Us

More about episode 160.

Episode 159: May 6, 2012. Topic: The 7% Solution

More about episode 159.

Episode 158: April 29, 2012. Topic: Kimberly Palmer, Palmer’s Planners

More about episode 158.

Episode 157: April 22, 2012. Topic: Credit Card Application Fees

More about episode 157.

Episode 156: April 15, 2012. Topic: Financial Intelligence

More about episode 156.

Episode 155: April 8, 2012. Topic: The Work Revolution

More about episode 155.

Episode 154: April 1, 2012. Topic: The Psychology of Wealth

More about episode 154.

Episode 153: March 25, 2012. Topic: Life Happens

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Episode 152: March 18, 2012. Topic: LearnVest.com

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Episode 151: March 11, 2012. Topic: ValueMyStuff.com, Double the Difference

More about episode 151.

Episode 150: March 4, 2012. Topic: The Big Retirement Risk

More about episode 150.

Episode 149: February 26, 2012. Topic: Trends in Financial Planning

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Episode 148: February 19, 2012. Topic: Capital One merger with ING Direct.

More about episode 148.

Episode 147: February 12, 2012. Guest: Steve Repak, author of Dollars and Uncommon Sense.

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Episode 146: February 5, 2012. Guest: MD, founder of the personal finance website Studenomics, talks about buying a house in your early 20s.

More about episode 146.

Episode 145: January 29, 2012. Guest: Jenny Kerr from The Jenny Pincher talks about how married women can better prepare themselves financially for a divorce.

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Episode 144: January 22, 2012. Guest: Andrea Woroch talks about the smartest things to shop for in Winter.

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Episode 143: January 15, 2012. Guest: Kathy Pickering of H&R Block’s Tax Institute dicusses tax law changes for last year and this year.

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Episode 142: January 8, 2012. Guest: Flexo, founder of Consumerism Commentary, talks about New Year’s resolutions.

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Episode 141: January 1, 2012. Guest: Carl Richards, author of The Behavior Gap.

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Episode 140: December 25, 2011. Guest: Rudy DeFelice, founder of Kidworth.

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Episode 139: December 18, 2011. Guest: Jonathan Zschau, author of Buying and Owning a Mac: Secrets Apple Doesn’t Want You to Know.

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Episode 138: December 11, 2011. Guest: Scott Gerber, co-founder of Gen Y Capital Partners.

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Episode 137: December 4, 2011. Guest: Dr. James Roberts, author of Shiny Objects.

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Episode 136: November 27, 2011. Guest: Paula Pant, founder of the website Afford Anything, talks about being a landlord.

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Episode 135: November 20, 2011. Guest: Dinah Sanders, creator of Discardia.

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Episode 134: November 13, 2011. Guest: Ryan Bales, Founder and CEO of Budgetable.

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Episode 133: November 6, 2011. Guests: Chris Camillo, author of Laughing at Wall Street: How I Beat the Pros at Investing (by Reading Tabloids, Shopping at the Mall, and Connecting on Facebook) and How You Can, Too.

More about episode 133.

Episode 132: October 30, 2011. Guests: Kristen Christian, founder of Bank Transfer Day.

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Episode 131: October 23, 2011. Guests: Sarah of, The $60K Project.

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Episode 130: October 16, 2011. Guests: Richard and Linda Eyre talk about their book, The Entitlement Trap.

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Episode 129: October 9, 2011. Guests: Phillip Taylor (PT Money) and Flexo talk about the Financial Blogger Conference; Jon Stein from Betterment talks about their new goal-based financial planning tool.

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Episode 128: October 2, 2011. Guest: Robert Steven Kaplan and Bryan discuss the three questions any organization needs to ask itself before it can succeed, and the best ways to coach the people on your team.

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Episode 127: September 25, 2011. Guest: Mike Egan details several popular myths about social security, saving, and investments, and then explains the truth about each one, giving the reader solid knowledge and formulas about how much to save for retirement.

More about episode 127.

Episode 126: September 18, 2011. Guest: Truett Cathy, the founder of Chik-fil-A, discusses amassing wealth and giving it away.

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Episode 125: September 11, 2011. Guest: Credit.com’s Gerri Detweiler talks about options for people with underwater mortgages.

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Episode 124: September 4, 2011. Guest: Deloitte Consulting’s Deron Weston talks about their survey on first-time credit defaulters.

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Episode 123: August 28, 2011. Guest: Mint.com’s Aaron Forth discusses Mint’s new bill reminder feature.

More about episode 123.

Episode 122: August 21, 2011. Guest: Clark Howard discusses some of the 250+ ways to save from his new book Living Large in Lean Times.

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Episode 121: August 14, 2011. Guest: Credit.com’s Adam Levin discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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Episode 120: August 7, 2011. Guest: Bryan J Busch discusses the impact of canceling cable.

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Episode 119: July 31, 2011. Guest: CPA Leslie Dawson explains the IRS’s “innocent spouse” relief.

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Episode 118: July 24, 2011. Guest: Andrea Woroch explains the consequences of extreme couponing.

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Episode 117: July 17, 2011. Guest: Yaron Samid, founder and CEO of BillGuard, discusses the BillGuard service.

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Episode 116: July 10th, 2011. Guest: Kevin McKee tells us what it takes to become a thousandaire.

More about episode 116.

Episode 115: July 3rd, 2011. Guest: LaFoy Thomas discusses his book Generational Wealth.

More about episode 115.

Episode 114: June 26, 2011. Guest: Steve Rosenstock, EEI, discusses summer cooling tips.

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Episode 113: June 19, 2011. Guests: Scott and Bethany Palmer, also known as The Money Couple.

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Episode 112: June 12, 2011. Guest: Megan Wurm, Money Matters ambassador.

More about episode 112.

Episode 111: June 5, 2011. Guest: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, also known as The Money Coach.

More about episode 111.

Episode 110: May 29, 2011. Guest: George Hobica, president and founder of Airfarewatchdog. More about episode 110.

Episode 109: May 22, 2011. Guest: Dr. Maggie Baker, author of Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices and What To Do About It.

More about episode 109.

Episode 108: May 15, 2011. Guest: Donna Freedman, columnist for MSN Money and staff writer for Get Rich Slowly. Donna also writes for her own blog, Surviving and Thriving.

Bryan, Donna, and Flexo discuss extreme couponing. More about episode 108.

Episode 107: May 8, 2011. Guest: J.D. Roth, author of How to Build a Better Budget. More about episode 107.

Episode 106: May 1, 2011. Guest: Kate Levinson, author of Emotional Currency: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Money. More about episode 106.

Episode 105: April 24, 2011. Guest: Paul Puckett, author of Investiphobia. More about episode 105.

Episode 104: April 17, 2011. Guest: Kim McGrigg, Manager of Community and Media Relations for Money Management International (MMI), which is sponsoring Financial Literacy Month. More about episode 104.

Episode 103: April 10, 2011. Guest: Geneen Roth, author of Lost and Found: Unexpected Revelations About Food and Money. More about episode 103.

Episode 102: April 3, 2011. Guest: Tom Dziubek. More about episode 102.

Episode 101: March 27, 2011. Guest: Dr. Guy Winch, author of The Squeaky Wheel. More about episode 101.

Episode 100: March 20, 2011. Guest: Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, President of The Charles Schwab Foundation, which is sponsoring the National Financial Capability Challenge. More about episode 100.

Episode 99: March 13, 2011. Guest: Preeti Vissa, Community Reinvestment Director of the Greenlining Institute. More about episode 99.

Episode 98: March 6, 2011. Guest: Mark Brundage, co-founder of Adaptu. More about episode 9.

Episode 97: February 27, 2011. Guests: Dr. Doug Hirschhorn, author of 8 Ways to Great: Peak Performance on the Job and In Your Life. More about episode 97.

Episode 96: February 20, 2011. Guests: Tod Marks, senior project editor at Consumer Reports, and Nico Willis, author of Death of the American Investor (The Emergence of a New Global eShareholder). More about episode 96.

Episode 95: February 13, 2011. Guest: Tom Dziubek, frequent host of this podcast and a recent customer service representative at one of the U.S.’s ten largest savings banks. More about episode 95.

Episode 94: February 6, 2011. Guest: Liz Weston, author of The 10 Commandments of Money. More about episode 94.

Episode 93: January 30, 2011. Guest: David Bach, author of Debt Free for Life. More about episode 93.

Episode 92: January 23, 2011. Guest: Carmen Wong Ulrich, author of The Real Cost of Living. More about episode 92.

Episode 91: January 16, 2011. Guest: Aaron Patzer, creator of Mint.com and Vice President of Intuit discusses Mint’s partnership with Scholastic. More about episode 91.

Episode 90: January 9, 2011. Guest: Stuart Diamond, author of the book Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World. More about episode 90.

Episode 89: January 2, 2011. Guest: Flexo discusses the concerns and challenges invovled with self-employment. More about episode 89.

Episode 88: December 26, 2010. Guest: Leigh Mutert, CPA and Community Manager at H&R Block, discusses the new tax laws. More about episode 88.

Episode 87: December 19, 2010. Guest: Jane Honeck discusses topics from her book The Problem With Money? It’s Not About the Money! More about episode 87.

Episode 86: December 12, 2010. Guests: Andrew Buckley and Jay Sheehan, members of the Hit and Run History documentary team discuss the costs involved with making a documentary. More about episode 86.

Episode 85: December 5, 2010. Guests: Nate St. Pierre, founder of the community building website ItStartsWith.Us, and Budgets Are Sexy founder J. Money talk about their new micro-giving endeavor, Love Drop. More about episode 85.

Episode 84: November 28, 2010. Guest: Stew Langille, Director of Marketing for Intuit Personal Finance Group talks about Mint’s new real time consumer spending tracking website Mint Data. More about episode 84.

Episode 83: November 21, 2010. Guest: Laura Rowley, columnist at Yahoo Finance and author of the book Money and Happiness: A Guide to Living the Good Life. More about episode 83.

Episode 82: November 14, 2010. Guests: Adrian Nazari, founder and CEO of the online credit & loan analysis tool Credit Sesame and Jon Stein, founder and CEO of the online investing service, Betterment. More about episode 82.

Episode 81: November 7, 2010. Guest: Adam Baker, author of the Sell Your Crap series of guides. More about episode 81.

Episode 80: October 31, 2010. Guest: Farnoosh Torabi, author of the book Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life. More about episode 80.

Episode 79: October 24, 2010. Guest: Bob Meighan, VP of Consumer Advocacy at TurboTax talks about potential income tax changes. More about episode 79.

Episode 78: October 17, 2010. Guest: Kimberly Palmer, author of the book, Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back. More about episode 78.

Episode 77: October 10, 2010. Guest: Pam Lassiter, author of the book The New Job Security: The 5 Best Strategies for Taking Control of Your Career. More about episode 77.

Episode 76: October 3, 2010. Guest: Tara-Nicholle Nelson, from the real estate website Trulia, discusses Trulia and price reduction trends for houses that are listed in the U.S. More about episode 76.

Episode 75: September 26, 2010. Guest: Fred Williams, author of the book Fight Back Against Unfair Debt Collection Practices: Know Your Rights and Protect Yourself from Threats, Lies, and Intimidation talks about how consumers can protect themselves against debt collectors. More about episode 75.

Episode 74: September 19, 2010. Guest: NBC “Today Show” editor Jean Chatzky talks about her National Money Talk Night event and her new book, Not Your Parents’ Money Book: Making, Saving, and Spending Your Own Money. More about episode 74.

Episode 73: September 12, 2010. Guest: Consumerism Commentary founder Flexo talks about his tips on saving money while at college. More about episode 73.

Episode 72: September 5, 2010. Guest: Steve Siebold, author of the book How Rich People Think, talks about how “world class” people think differently than “middle class” when it comes to finances. More about episode 72.

Episode 71: August 29, 2010. Guest: Zac Bissonnette, author of the book Debt-Free U, talks about going to college without going into debt. More about episode 71.

Episode 70: August 22, 2010. Guest: Michael Gikas, Senior Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports, talks about tips to avoid cell phone bill shock. More about episode 70.

Episode 69: August 15, 2010. Guest: Keri Buster, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Communications, World Service at American Express, talks about her company’s recent survey about customer service. More about episode 69.

Episode 68: August 8, 2010. Guest: Carol Fabbri, co-author of the book Personal Investing: The Missing Manual, discusses multiple topics related to investing. More about episode 68.

Episode 67: August 1, 2010. Guest: Ramit Sethi, author of the bestselling book I Will Teach You To Be Rich, discusses the importance of earning more money. More about episode 67.

Episode 66: July 25, 2010. Guest: Richard Rosso, CFP and financial consultant at Charles Schwab, discusses his tips on how to prevent a natural disaster from becoming a financial disaster. More about episode 66.

Episode 65: July 18, 2010. Guests: Aaron Patzer, founder of Mint and Rob Garcia, Director of Product Strategy at Lending Club talk about Mint’s new “Goals” feature, then Tom Dziubek and Flexo discuss ways to save money at a ball game. More about episode 65.

Episode 64: July 11, 2010. Guest: Flexo talks about his recommended steps for people to take control of their personal finances. More about episode 64.

Episode 63: July 4, 2010. Guests: Landy Ung, co-founder of coupon and deal-finding website 8Coupons talks about her site’s services and Flexo discusses factors homeowners with extra money should consider when deciding to invest in the stock market or to pay down their mortgage. More about episode 63.

Episode 62: June 27, 2010. Guests: Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, talks about Charles Schwab’s 2010 Families & Money Survey and Jim Kelly, COO of ING Direct, talks about bank overdraft fees. More about episode 62.

Episode 61: June 20, 2010. Guest: Flexo, founder of Consumerism Commentary, talks about money saving tips for the summer. More about episode 61.

Episode 60: June 13, 2010. Guests: Mary Hines, Vice President of ZYNC Product Management at American Express, talks about the company’s new ZYNC charge card. Also, SmartyPig executives Bob Weinschenk and Mike Ferrari talk about their company’s recent affiliation with BBVA Compass Bank. More about episode 60.

Episode 59: June 6, 2010. Guest: Donna Freedman, personal finance columnist at MSN Money, discusses topics such as microsaving and emergency funds. More about episode 59.

Episode 58: May 30, 2010. Guest: Richard Lewins, founder of the LewinsLaw legal practice and author of the book, How to Keep From Going Broke with a Broker. More about episode 58.

Episode 57: May 23, 2010. Guests: Gerry Cuddy, President and CEO of Beneficial Bank talks about Beneficial’s two new education-themed banks in NJ. More about episode 57.

Episode 56: May 16, 2010. Guests: Preeti Vissa of the Greenlining Institute talks about bank overdraft fees and Atakan Cetinsoy, Vice President of Corporate Development and Personal Finance Products at the personal financial management website, moneyStrands discusses his company’s website. More about episode 56.

Episode 55: May 9, 2010. Guest: Kimberly Palmer, senior editor at U.S. News & World Report and author of the upcoming book, Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, talks about tendencies of the typical Generation Y consumer. More about episode 55.

Episode 54: May 2, 2010. Guest: Schwark Satyavolu, co-founder and president of the service comparison website BillShrink, talks about how to save gas and money during the summer months. More about episode 54.

Episode 53: April 25, 2010. Guest: Flexo discusses his tips on how to explore the art of photography without taking a hit to your wallet. More about episode 53.

Episode 52: April 18, 2010. Guest: Adam Baker, creator of the Man vs. Debt website, discusses his new e-book, Unautomate Your Finances. More about episode 52.

Episode 51: April 11, 2010. Guest: Kara McGuire, personal finance columnist at the Minneapolis Star Tribune, discusses several topics relating to money and parenting. More about episode 51.

Episode 50: April 4, 2010. Guest: Cate Williams, Vice President of Financial Literacy at Money Management International, discusses several topics about financial literacy in honor of Financial Literacy month. More about episode 50.

Episode 49: March 28, 2010. Guests: Stacy Johnson, author of the book Life or Debt 2010, discusses ways to overcome debt and Murali Subbarao, founder and CEO of Billeo talks about charitable giving trends that his company has observed. More about episode 49.

Episode 48: March 21, 2010. Guest: Robert Pagliarini, the author of The Other 8 Hours, discusses how to eliminate wasteful activities from your life and better utilize your spare time. More about episode 48.

Episode 47: March 14, 2010. Guest: Lou Scatigna, The Financial Physician, discusses his book and his financial advice. More about episode 47.

Episode 46: March 7, 2010. Guest: J.D. Roth, author of Your Money: The Missing Manual, discusses his new book and how he went from blogger to published author. More about episode 46.

Episode 45: February 28, 2010. Guest: Gary Belsky, author of Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them, discusses the aspects of behavioral economics. More about episode 45.

Episode 44: February 21, 2010. Guest: Bob Meighan, VP of Consumer Advocacy at TurboTax, discusses income tax tips related to major life changes such as getting married and buying a home. More about episode 44.

Episode 43: February 14, 2010. Guest: Sam, founder of personal finance website Financial Samurai, discusses the Samurai Fund, retiring after 20 years, and the Samurai Codes of Honor. More about episode 43.

Episode 42: February 7, 2010. Guests: Jeff Bartlett, Autos Deputy Editor at Consumer Reports, discusses recent Toyota recalls and Flexo later discusses money saving tips for Valentine’s Day. More about episode 42.

Episode 41: January 31, 2010. Guest: Samir Kothari, co-Founder of BillShrink, discusses credit card issuers’ compliance with the Credit CARD Act of 2009. More about episode 41.

Earlier episodes of the Consumerism Commentary Podcast

Episode	Original Airdate	Topics and Guests
S02E16 #42	Feb 7, 2010	Toyota Recalls (Jeff Bartlett, Consumer Reports) Saving money on Valentine’s Day (Flexo)
S02E15 #41	Jan 31, 2010	Credit CARD Act (Samir Kothari, BillShrink)
S02E14 #40	Jan 24, 2010	Start Over, Finish Rich (David Bach)
S02E13 #39	Jan 17, 2010	Get Financially Naked (Manisha Thakor)
S02E12 #38	Jan 10, 2010	Eliminating Holiday Debt, (Peter Pham, BillShrink)
S02E11 #37	Jan 3, 2010	Financial Foul-Ups (Brian Scheur, My Next Buck)
S02E10 #36	Dec 27, 2009	Making the Most of Your Money Now (Jane Bryant Quinn)
S02E09 #35	Dec 20, 2009	Pay It Down!: Debt-Free on $10 a Day (Jean Chatzky)
S02E08 #34	Dec 13, 2009	Giving Stocks as Gifts (Dan Greenshields) and Kelly Whalen
S02E07 #33	Dec 6, 2009	The Complete Identity Theft Guidebook (Terri Cullen)
S02E06 #32	Nov 29, 2009	Gift Cards (Jim Sharvin, CPA) and Financial Reform (Heather Booth)
S02E05 #31	Nov 22, 2009	Peer to Peer Lending (Renaud LaPlanche and Rob Garcia) and Target Date Funds (Flexo)
S02E04 #30	Nov 15, 2009	Ask the Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job (Nick Corcodilos)
S02E03 #29	Nov 8, 2009	How to Live Well and Save Money (Sharon Harvey Rosenberg, The Frugal Duchess)
S02E02 #28	Nov 1, 2009	The Smartest Retirement Book You’ll Ever Read (Dan Solin)
S02E01 #27	Oct 25, 2009	War against debt, frugal traveling (Adam Baker, Man Vs. Debt)
S01E26	Oct 18, 2009	MAKE Magazine, Do-it-Yourself, Credit.com (Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing)
S01E25	Oct 11, 2009	Sandra Hannah (Smart Cookies) and Neal Frankle (Wealth Pilgrim)
S01E24	Oct 4, 2009	Path to becoming a millionaire (Jen Smith, Millionaire Mommy Next Door)
S01E23	Sep 27, 2009	Negotiating and bargaining (Herb Cohen, presidential adviser, and Teri Gault, author)
S01E22	Sep 20, 2009	Intuit’s Acquisition of Mint (Aaron Patzer, Mint) and Roth IRA conversions (Bryan Olson, Charles Schwab)
S01E21	Sep 13, 2009	How to survive on a teacher’s salary (Danny Kofke)
S01E20	Sep 6, 2009	You Need a Budget (Jesse Mecham) and PocketSmith (Francois Bondiguel and Jason Leong)
S01E19	Aug 30, 2009	Giving yourself a raise (Matt Jabs, Debt Free Adventure)
S01E18	Aug 23, 2009	Snap financial decisions (David Adler, Snap Judgment) and the PowerCost Monitor (Peter Porteous)
S01E17	Aug 16, 2009	Buying and owning a home in today’s market (David Crook, WSJ Complete Home Owner’s Guidebook)
S01E16	Aug 9, 2009	Financial planning (Jeff Rose, CFP) and Cash for Clunkers (Jeff Bartlett, Consumer Reports)
S01E15	Aug 2, 2009	Credit CARD Act (Dr. Robert Manning) and tips for dealing with layoffs (Flexo)
S01E14	Jul 26, 2009	We, the Savers (Jim Kelly, ING Direct) and Feed the Pig (Mackey McNeil)
S01E13	Jul 19, 2009	Tips for graduating seniors (Flexo) and Cash for Clunkers (Bob Meighan, Intuit)
S01E12	Jul 12, 2009	Myths of personal finance (Ramit Sethi, I Will Teach You To Be Rich)
S01E11	Jul 5, 2009	SmartyPig (Jon Gaskell) and new Consumerism Commentary contributor (Jeff)
S01E10	Jun 28, 2009	Frugal grilling (Jim Wang, Grillmaestro) and successful entrepreneurs (Erica Douglass)
S01E09	Jun 21, 2009	Maintaining careers in a recession (Penelope Trunk, Brazen Careerist) and minimalism in personal finance (Leo Babauta, Zen Habits)
S01E08	Jun 14, 2009	Yowza! and TalkAboutIt.org (Greg Grunberg)
S01E07	Jun 7, 2009	Quicken Online (Barron Ernst) and 10,001 Ways to Live Live Large on a Small Budget (Linsey Knerl)
S01E06	May 31, 2009	397 Ways to Save Money (Kerry K. Taylor)
S01E05	May 24, 2009	Following your passion to earn income (J.D. Roth, Get Rich Slowly) and a family budgeting system (Bryan J Busch)
S01E04	May 17, 2009	Financial advisory website Thrive (Matt Wallaert)
S01E03	May 10, 2009	Credit scores (Ken Lin, Credit Karma) and the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights (Liz Weston)
S01E02	May 3, 2009	Recession-proof your relationship (Dr. Bonnie Eaker Weil) and Mint’s new features (Aaron Patzer)
S01E01	Apr 26, 2009	Recession tips (Flexo) and shrinking your bills (Peter Pham, BillShrink)

BusinessWeek Online: Best Blogs for the Young and Broke

by Flexo

By Karyn McCormack August 11, 2006 Should you be clipping coupons or should you just stop buying “crap?” Here are some blogs to help you get real about money. Figuring out whether clipping coupons is worth the time and money saved at the grocery store may not be your cup of tea. According to many ... Continue reading this article…

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