Here are some articles of note.
12 Step Program: Shopping Addiction? MLR (My Life ROI) offers an overview of a twelve-step program for overcoming an addition to shopping. What I really like about this post are the twelve ways to spot a shopping addict. People are notoriously inept when it comes to self-evaluation; perhaps someone you love is a shopping addict. Is it time to plan an intervention?
Spending Cash Is the Same As Borrowing If You Have Debts. The best point in this article by Four Pillars is that all cash should be treated the same. In his example, if you’re in “debt repayment mode,” as much of your cash should be put towards that goal as possible rather than setting aside a portion for fun — the fun you already had that landed you in debt.
Unfortunately, not all debt is a result of fun. And I certainly don’t agree that you should sacrifice a complete emergency fund to pay off debt — if an emergency arises, your only choice would be to go deeper into debt. But as an example of the first point I mentioned, in the past I tried to separate the income from my day job from income from my side activities. This worked well but only to a point. When I realized I had enough income to maximize my 401(k) contributions, I was doing so with a significant percentage of my salary. This resulted in having no choice but to pay for some living expenses from the side income.
What the Heck is a Money Quantum? On Tuesday, Consumerism Commentary will be launching a new community-focused website, in the style of social networking, for people whose life involves money. Mighty Bargain Hunter had an early look at the site, Money Quantum, and shared his thoughts in this article. I’m really excited about this new project. I’ll be sharing more details shortly, and will soon be letting readers know how they can obtain an invite during the “private beta” phase of the launch.
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About Consumerism Commentary
This article was written by Flexo in Administration. Add a comment.
Welcome to Consumerism Commentary! This website was one of the first blogs to focus on money from a personal finance perspective, and Flexo was the first blogger to share monthly financial updates, such as his net worth statement, with no restrictions. Consumerism Commentary is now a premier personal finance blog offering daily articles stemming from current events and events in the author’s own life.
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Vision, Mission, and Purposes
The Vision of Consumerism Commentary shall be to exist in a world where people live fulfilling and financially stable lives.
The Mission of Consumerism Commentary shall be to develop financially literate, capable, and successful human beings by sharing educational, entertaining, and engaging writing.
The Original Purpose of Consumerism Commentary shall be to hold myself accountable for my finances and my decisions.
The Five Purposes of Consumerism Commentary shall be
Consumerism Commentary is a personal finance blog. The writers are not necessarily financial professionals, so readers should not make any important decisions based on the information published here alone. If you want specific, personalized financial advice, seek a trained financial adviser.
A brief history
Flexo, known otherwise as Luke Landes, created Consumerism Commentary in 2003 in order to hold himself accountable for the state and progress of his own finances. “Although I had a rocky experience with my money following my undergraduate studies, by the time I started this blog I was on the path to being in decent financial shape. In order to take the next step, I believed starting a blog would help. My plan was to regularly publish my account balances and spending information so I could publicly track them over time and perhaps gain support from readers.”
Today, Flexo is back on his feet financially and his blog is one of the leaders of the now burgeoning financial blog community. Consumerism Commentary offers tips and reviews of financial products such as the best savings accounts and credit cards. Above all, it provides a community for individuals interested in improving their own finances.
Flexo’s commentary on personal finance is often cited in major publications and columnists and authors frequently seek his opinions.
Mainstream media and other popular online publications have featured stories about Consumerism Commentary. Notable mentions include the Wall Street Journal twice, Yahoo’s Ten Money Blogs Everyone Should Read, Money Magazine’s Best Web Sites, in addition to a number of others. Consumerism Commentary was featured in BusinessWeek Online and was named in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as a Must-Read Blog.
You can now subscribe to and read Consumerism Commentary on the Amazon Kindle.
In my own words
Here is a short list of interviews in which Consumerism Commentary participated (to the best of my memory).
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