Two years ago when the iPad came out, there was nothing like it.  Even today, it’s still amazing to see what you can do with one.  My wife actually uses one for medical school and views hundreds of notes through an app that’s incredible to use.

While we really enjoy using our iPad, we’ve noticed a few other iPad alternative tablets that are much less expensive and have much of the same functionality as an iPad.

If you’re unable to spend $500 on a new iPad, you should consider these alternatives that can save you hundreds of dollars.  If you can’t shake the Apple addiction, you can always look for used iPads on Craigslist and eBay.  (We found our first generation iPad on Craigslist for $300.)

Amazon Kindle Fire

Amazon’s Kindle Fire was released in the fall of 2011 and has been very popular among users.  It’s lightweight and perfect for reading book – including the 800,000 free books that are out-of-copyright.  You can listen to songs, watch movies, and use apps like Netflix, Pandora, Words with Friends, and Angry Birds.  It’s 7” color touchscreen is compact enough so that the Fire isn’t bulky, but it doesn’t make you squint every time you use it.

Price: $199 (At this price, we’d recommend the Kindle Fire as the most frugal and most comparable alternative to the iPad.)

Samsung Galaxy Tab

Released in the fall of 2011, the Samsung tablet has a smaller screen and runs on the Android platform so that you have access to thousands of cool apps.  Its smaller size makes it nice for those who like to read on the go.  As for battery life, you can expect to see 8-10 hours depending on what activities you’re doing (i.e. watching a HD movie or checking email)

Price: $399

Asus Eee Pad

This tablet was just released in January 2012 and boasts a 10.1-inch wide-screen.  It has a front and rear 8 mega pixel camera that makes it ideal for video chatting and a camera backup.

It operates on the Android platform and also has an optional keyboard docking port available for about $100. The mini HDMI output makes it easy to share pictures directly onto your TV.

Price: $399

Sony Tablet S

The Sony tablet has a very clean look and ergonomic feel to it.  It has a 9.4-inch touchscreen, wifi, USB port and an SD card slot.  With two cameras, you can chat or take pictures.  Customer reviews give it 4.3 stars on Best Buy’s website and gave it high marks for its long battery life (8 hours).

Price: $399

Are you in the market for a tablet?  Which ones have you considered?

As fall begins to fade and hints of frost can be seen on the ground each morning, it’s time to think about winterizing your car.

Regular car maintenance can increase the life of your vehicle and save you a lot of money over time. Check out these four simple ways to ensure your car makes it through the next season of winter driving.

www.istockphoto.com/malerapaso

1. Snow tires

When preparing for winter driving, your first priority should be safety. Several independent studies have shown that snow tires offer significant performance advantages over all-season tires in snowy conditions.

Both accelerating and braking are positively affected by the snow tire’s ability to grab onto the icy surface of the road. If you live in an area that gets heavy snowfall, you should consider installing snow tires a regular step when winterizing your car.

2. Engine oil

A common misconception among motorists is that the “W” in motor oil ratings stands for ‘weight’ when it actually stands for “winter.” Motor oil ratings consist of two numbers separated by a “W.” You’ve probably seen 5W30 or 10W40 oil at your local gas station or auto parts store.

The first number refers to the oil’s viscosity at low, or “winter,” temperatures, while the second number refers to the viscosity at high temperatures. The type of car you have will determine which kind of motor oil you should use for winter driving, so check your owner’s manual or ask your mechanic to make sure you get the right one.

3. Battery

Since older car batteries are prone to performance problems in cold weather, have yours tested by a mechanic. You should also make sure that there is no visible corrosion on the battery terminals. If corrosion is visible, ask a mechanic whether it can be cleaned off, or if the battery should be replaced.

4. Tools

Having a collection of necessary tools and emergency safety items in your car at all times can help you avoid unpleasant roadside emergencies.

Here’s a short list of things you should keep in the car in preparation for winter driving:

• Ice scraper/snow brush – Brushes and scrapers come in different shapes and sizes but they all do the same thing. Just stay away from cheap, flimsy scrapers.
• First aid kit – Typical first aid supplies should include antiseptic cream, bandages, scissors and medical tape.
• Blanket – If your car breaks down, you’ll need to keep warm while waiting for a tow truck.
• Mobile phone – Keep a mobile phone charger in the car so you can make emergency calls if needed.
• Spare tire – Check the spare tire’s air pressure periodically to make sure it’s fully inflated.
• Jumper cables – These should be in your car at all times. Jumper cables can get you out of a tight spot in any weather if your battery loses its charge.

No matter how well you’ve winterized your car, or how good your winter driving skills are, make sure to insure your vehicle against unexpected events.

You’ll find auto insurance reviews online that provide customer-generated ratings from various insurance companies to help you find the coverage you need to stay safe and secure this winter.

This is a guest post from Dale Cooper

Recently, Bible Money Matters posted an article about the Kindle Fire as an alternative to the iPad. In response to that article, a few Christian finance blogs decided put together a group giveaway, so now you have a chance to win a brand new Kindle Fire!

Here are a few cool features of the Kindle Fire:

• 7″ multi-touch display with IPS technology, 1024×600 resolution at 169ppi, 16 million colors.
• 14.6 ounces
• 8 GB internal memory, with unlimited cloud storage.
• Dual core processor
• Between 7-8 hours battery time.
• Wi-Fi – supports most common Wi-Fi networks.
• Amazon Silk web browser – cloud-accelerated browser that uses a “split browser” architecture to leverage the computing speed and power of the Amazon Web Services cloud.

How to Enter to Win

You have a couple of ways to enter the giveaway.

1. Like all five blogs on Facebook (1 entry)

These five blogs made the giveaway possible, so to enter, simply click the like button next to each blog. (You might even be a fan already and that’s great!)

After you click like for each blog, write this in the comments: “I like all five”

2. Follow all five on twitter (1 entry)

Follow all five blogs on twitter and tweet the following for an extra entry: I entered the Kindle Fire giveaway from @______________your blog’s twitter name_________. (Get tweet button here)

Click to follow:

@MoneyMatters

@FaithFinance

@FreeMoneyWisdom

@OneMoneyDesign

@RedeemingRiches

After you follow each blog and tweet about it, write this in the comments: “I follow all five”

Finance Books for 2^nd and 3^rd Place!

One winner will be selected to receive the Kindle Fire, but we won’t forget about 2^nd and 3^rd place. We’ll draw two additional names to receive the following personal finance books:

• 2nd – Root of Riches
• 3rd and 4th – Can I Retire

You can receive a total of 2 entries. Duplicate comments on the other five blogs will not be counted, so only leave your comments here on Redeeming Riches. I encourage you to check out the other blogs though as well!

Sweepstakes ends on November 21st, 2011 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. One winner will be randomly selected and will be notified via email. Good Luck!

I wanted to let readers know that I love hearing you.  You are the reason why this site has been successful, and why I love keeping it updated.

With that in mind, I wanted to let you know how you can connect more with me and with this site. So if you’ve got questions, let us know - don’t be bashful!

Below you will find several ways to connect with me and with Redeeming Riches:

How Can You Connect With Redeeming Riches?

1. Facebook

Recently I created and updated a Facebook page for Redeeming Riches.  I encourage you to check it out and give it a LIKE.

You can comment on posts, engage in conversations, and share articles with your friends.

2. Twitter

I love Twitter. It’s an easy way to share links, stories, and articles. Follow @RedeemingRiches on Twitter and get the conversation going that way!

3. Email

I love receiving emails from readers.  You can email me by using this contact form.

4. Blog Comments

One of the best ways you can connect is simply by commenting on articles and posts right on the blog. This can create a great dialogue.

I am trying to do a better job of responding to all comments on the blog as well.

5. Subscribe to Redeeming Riches

You can subscribe by email or your favorite reader. This is a great way to stay updated with new articles whenever they come out (generally about 3 times per week).

What Should You Connect With Me About?

You can connect with me about anything you’d like, but here are some things to get you thinking:

1. Questions

Have a burning faith or finance question? Let me know, I’ll do my best to answer it for you.

2. Topics

Have a topic in mind that you’d like to see get covered at Redeeming Riches? Send it over!

3. Stories

Have a great story how you overcame great odds to get your finances in order?  Or, do you have a story of something that went wrong financially and you’d like to share with others on how to avoid the mistakes?

Share your stories and get featured in a Redeeming Riches post!

4. Tips

Have a money-saving tip that you’re dying to share?  Let me know and I may feature it on this site!

5. Comments

General comments about an article. What you liked, disliked, agreed with or disagreed with.

I recently had the great opportunity to read and review Randy Alcorn’s new book Managing God’s Money.  Randy is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries and the author of over forty books, including The Treasure Principle and Heaven.

Managing God’s Money deals with the whole spectrum of Christian stewardship, and addresses issues like insurance and inheritance, gambling, saving, investing, giving and debt. And, in true Alcorn style, the theme of stewardship is woven throughout the book.

What I Liked About Managing God’s Money

1. This book makes sure the proper foundation is laid for good financial planning.  That foundation, of course, is our understanding that nothing we have is ours.  Our money is really God’s money. As such, we need to understand how we should handle what the Master has entrusted to his stewards.  This book helps you get that mindset firmly rooted in Scripture.

2. Alcorn offers some very challenging words throughout the book on fighting against our culture of materialism.  He cleverly calls materialism the disease of “affluenza”.

3. I particularly liked the back of the book, which provided some common sense answers to questions about debt, retirement funds, investing, and leaving an inheritance. I thought his words on giving money now compared to leaving it to good causes when we die provided a good challenge and great clarity.

4. There’s been a response recently to materialism within some Christian circles that has to do with creating a simple lifestyle.  Randy provides a great distinction between a simple lifestyle and a strategic one:

Simple living may be self-centered. Strategic living is Kindgom-centered.

If I’m devoted to “simple living,” I may reject a computer because it’s modern and nonessential. But if I live a strategic lifestyle, the computer may serve as a tool for Kingdom purposes.

How You Can Benefit from Managing God’s Money

This book will help you establish a good foundation for financial planning. What it won’t do is provide a practical, step-by-step guide on the “How To’s”.

What the book will do is challenge your paradigm, challenge your heart motives, and offer a clear description of what the Bible has to say about the way we handle our money – as stewards.

You will particularly find Section V helpful, which deals with questions on debt, savings, retirement accounts, gambling, investing, and leaving an inheritance.

You will also enjoy the practical examples of how to teach your children about money in Section VI.

Get Your FREE Copy Today!

The folks at Eternal Perspective Ministries were kind enough to give 3 Free Books to readers of Redeeming Riches!  Here’s what you need to do to win:

1. “Like” Redeeming Riches on Facebook
2. Share this on Twitter, or on Facebook by hitting the “like” button below
3. Leave a comment below and include a valid email address.

Entries will be taken up until 11:59 pm EDT on Wednesday, July 27.  Winners will be randomly selected on Thursday, July 28 and notified by the email left in the comments. Winners must respond within 48 hours of notification or we will select another winner.

Eternal Perspective Ministries provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review

Happy Independence Day!

It’s a great day to celebrate the costly sacrifice of so many heroes who have gone on before us, and those modern-day heroes who are fighting for our freedom even today.

I was reminded over the weekend at church that we are freed not only from the political tyranny of any government, but more importantly, as Christians, we are freed from the bondage of sin, death, and earning our salvation because it is for freedom that Christ has set us free!

With Costly Freedom, Comes Great Responsibility

Remember the first time your parents gave you the car keys after you received your license? If they were like my parents, they gave you the “responsibility speech”. You know, the one about how you’re now driving the car by yourself, which means you need to be very responsible with how you handle that freedom.

In a similar way, as Americans we have a great responsibility to use our costly freedom  with wisdom. We should not abuse our freedoms, thereby cheapening the costliness of the sacrifice of many Armed Services heroes.

And as Christians, we have a great responsibility to not cheapen the costliness of the ultimate in sacrfice – Jesus on the cross.  Christ has set us free from the slavery of sin, however, our freedom doesn’t give us license to sin when we want.

Here’s what 1 Peter 2:16-17 says:

For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.  Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.

So today, on this great Fourth of July day, let’s remember the costly sacrifice of  our American heroes who fought for our freedom.

Let’s also remember our Supreme Hero, the Great Rescuer, the one who purchased our freedom on the cross by taking our place, so we could have true freedom.

And remember the great responsibility we now have because of our freedom!

Recently I had the chance to chat with Chuck Bentley, the CEO of Crown Financial Ministries, and host of the MoneyLife radio program.

Chuck is a great guy, with a passion for seeing others master their money under the Master’s guidance as you’ll see from my interview below:

Jason: How did you get your start at Crown Financial Ministries? What were some of the circumstances that led you to get involved in Christian personal finance?

Chuck: First, thanks for the interview Jason!  I got involved in a Crown Bible Study through my church. At that time I was an “Internet millionaire” on paper, before the public offering of stock for the company I founded. I was very busy and preoccupied with getting rich. My wife would call that an understatement!  The Bible study caused me to begin reading God’s Word, which radically impacted my life. From there I became a local volunteer for Crown and joined the staff in August 2000.  I was particularly drawn to Crown because of the connection between daily, personal financial decisions and my spiritual growth. The more I applied God’s principles, the more I grew to love Him. I wanted to share this experience with everyone I met!

Jason: Your new book is called The Root of Riches; can you give us an idea of what readers can look forward to when the book comes out? 

Chuck:  My goal in writing the book is to take the readers to a deeper level than transformation of their finances. Anyone can help you get your finances in order, but only God can transform your life.  I think we are drifting towards “Christian humanism” when it comes to financial teaching and have neglected the importance of guarding our minds. By making the connection between our beliefs and our behaviors, I share how the reader can learn and apply God’s truth to their financial decisions and become rich on God’s terms.

Jason: What inspired you to write about this topic at this time?  Why do you think this message is so important in today’s culture?

Chuck: I have made just about every financial mistake and sought solutions in all the wrong places. As painful as that was, I came to recognize that my biggest mistake was my private conviction that more money was always the solution to my financial problems. This desire to always have more essentially controlled my life. Breaking free of that was so difficult, yet life transforming. This life lesson inspired me to be transparent about my mistakes but also share the non-negotiable lessons of doing it right.

My hope is that this message is helpful to anyone who wants to become truly rich. In a world that continues to position money as the ultimate metric of success, I believe many will find great joy in shifting their focus away from pursuing the world’s riches and finding hope in God’s riches. 

Jason: What do you think could happen if Christians in America began to learn and apply solid biblical truth about money to their lives?

Chuck: Revival on the spiritual, emotional and economic levels! Church attendance would skyrocket because people will have their treasures invested there. Missions would flourish here and abroad. Evangelism would increase through the infectious joy that believers would be sharing in their homes, neighborhoods and communities. Prescription drugs for stress and emotional challenges would decrease. Relationships would improve across the board, including business partnerships, marriages and between parents and children. The economy would improve dramatically because people would have far greater financial stability and capacity. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. I would love to see us give it a try in America or anywhere else! 

Jason: I love the infographic at rootofriches.org.  I noticed one of the pictures says, “Correct beliefs will produce the behaviors that make you truly rich.” I don’t know about you Chuck, but unfortunately even though I know what’s right, I don’t always do what’s right. Can you explain what you mean?  How do we truly overcome our negative money habits?

Chuck: In the book I make the case that we are controlled by our beliefs. The distinction is that while we may know what to do, unless we truly believe it, we will not put that belief into action. Example – If I told you that tomorrow you could reduce your gasoline costs by $3.50/gallon by adding a quart of water and a tablespoon of sugar to your gas tank each day, would you do it?  Of course not! But suppose I tell you that you can reduce your vehicle operating  costs by keeping your tires properly inflated. That one is true, but most people don’t take it seriously. Professional truck drivers take it seriously, though. They believe it and act upon it because they know it makes a difference. Negative money habits can be traced to the root issue of our false beliefs. Once those are corrected with biblical truth that we genuinely believe, we will put that truth into action.  A practical example is debt. The Bible warns us that it leads to slavery. Many people may know that, but only those who really believe it will avoid going into debt.

Jason: We know that Jesus spoke often about money in His teachings. Why do you think that is?

Chuck: Jesus spoke often about money because it is so dangerous. It is an issue related to our hearts and one we hide or keep silent about. I like to say, “Get the heart of the man and you have the entire man….If you don’t get the heart, you have little else.” It’s important to understand that becoming rich is related more to what we love than what we own; otherwise, we spend our lives trading our affection to gain nothing but money and by the way, money does not love you. God wants us to love Him and avoid being deceived by His chief competitor….gold, silver and paper with numbers printed on it in colored ink.

Jason: Do you think church leaders today need to speak up more about this critical topic?

Chuck: Yes! I think God’s perspective of money needs to be talked about in direct proportion to the percentage of verses it’s given in the Bible. That’s beyond the comfort level of most pastors and it’s one of the reasons Crown is a friend to the Church; we help get this critical work accomplished outside the pulpit.

Jason: Are there practical pieces of financial advice in The Root of Riches, or is your primary aim to focus on exposing the root issue of money problems? What one piece of advice would you give others looking to gain control of their money?

Chuck: I wrote an entire chapter called, Financial Practices of the He Tree. I share some very practical advice and tips on managing your finances. The chapter starts with this great quote by Charles Dickens,

 Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen and six, result happiness.

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.

Once our hearts are transformed and our minds renewed, we must act upon God’s advice to live on less than we earn. That is the quickest method to gain control of our finances, reduce stress, increase our joy and become prepared for God to fully use us. For those that struggle with making this a reality, I give some practical tips and helpful advice.

Jason: What one or two important lessons has God taught you through the writing of this book?

Chuck: First, God compares each of us to a tree and He expects us to live in such a way that His fruit (not ours) is produced in abundance. When we die, that is the essentially the only metric that will matter. That was sobering because I can’t produce good fruit through self-effort. I must have my roots transformed for this to occur, roots meaning my heart and mind.

Next, I learned that money can become a stronghold. Satan takes people captive by their false beliefs about money. When we experience riches on God’s terms, we break the stronghold of financial bondage and encounter success, significance and security on God’s terms, not man’s.

Finally, I learned that writing takes a lot of time! Because I invested so much time writing the book, I’m praying that the Lord will be pleased to multiply the book’s impact exponentially!

Thanks for having me Jason. Great to meet you and I appreciate your blog. Keep up the good work!

Jason: Thanks Chuck, it was a pleasure meeting you!

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of Winter this year!  I live in the Chicago-land area, and we’ve been bombarded with snow since December.

Last month alone, we came close to setting the all-time record for February snow-fall with 26.2 inches!  I have never been more ready for Spring to spring!

I’m looking foward to walks in the neighborhood, playing with my kids at the park, and of course breaking out the golf clubs.

But Spring isn’t here yet!  Just this weekend we got another 1 1/2 inches – I almost cried!   So for now, as I wait for the last remaining snow to melt, join me in reading through the top ten posts of the week:

10. Flexo presents Advantages of Buying a House With Cash posted at Consumerism Commentary.  Loved this post, since I’m a big fan of getting rid of a mortgage early and de-leveraging as much as possible.

9. Wise Bread presents While Waiting for Rates – IBonds posted at Wisebread.  Great post explaining a few interest-rate scenarios and how it will effect bonds.

8. Neal Frankle presents Teach Kids About Money?The Free Guide posted at Wealth Pilgrim. Neal gives us a great post on teaching kids about money, which is often a difficult proposition.

7. Darwin presents Yield Curve Explained – MBA Mondays posted at Darwin’s Money.  Darwin does a great job presenting difficult topics in easy-to-understand ways on his MBA Mondays – this was no exception.

6. The Amateur Financier presents Encouraging Entrepreneur Children posted at The Amateur Financier.  Continuing the theme of teaching kids about money, this was a great post to get your kids thinking like an entrepreneur.

5. Ramsay presents 6 Networking Ideas to Improve Your Career posted at MoneyedUP.  Loved the angle of volunteering to network.  Do some good while you’re waiting to improve your career.

4. Michael presents 5 Fun Ideas For the Newly Retired posted at The Dough Roller.  Volunteering and teaching your hobby are great ideas for retirement!

3. Suba presents VRBO, homeaway.com scams : How to avoid a vacation rental scam? posted at Wealth Informatics.  I can definitely relate to this post, I had a very bad experience with a vacation rental home!  Although it wasn’t through homeaway.com

2.  Ryan @ CML presents Teaching Your Children About Money posted at Cash Money Life.  Taking the opportunity to capitalize on teachable moments when discussing money with your kids is a great way to help them understand how to manage finances!

And the #1 article for the week belongs to:

1. BWL, who presents 10 Ways To Make Money Writing Online posted at Christian Personal Finance.  This was a fantastic post highlighting sites to make additional money through writing articles!

So there you have it, the 1o best articles of the week in personal finance!!  Here’s wishing you a bright and sunny Spring-like day!

I didn’t get a chance to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday – but that was mainly due to the fact that we were hosting our first Turkey Day celebration, and of course, we were a little busy.

I’m glad to say that 1) We survived, and 2) It turned out to be a very enjoyable day with the family. 

Although our turkey required us to cook for an extra hour, our guests were patient, and the food turned out delicious!

One of the traditions we have in our family is that we go around the table and each say a few things we are thankful for this year.  It’s cool to hear about all the blessings that we’ve received throughout the year.

Here’s what I’m thankful for:

• A great wife, who loves me and supports me, she’s a great help mate.  AND 6 years of remission from Hodgkin’s Disease!
• Two fun and beautiful kids who keep us on our toes, but bring us so much joy.
• The Gospel – the fact that God would love a person like me, with all the stains, spots, and blemishes; and would send His Son to take my place to live the perfect life that I never could, and die the death that I should have.

So, I know it’s a day late, but Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

5 Simple Things Review

Occassionally, I will get requests from authors to review their books and write a post about it.  About a month ago, I received an email from someone at Porch Step who informed me they had their first book published, called 5 Simple Things.

It’s a short book, but a very good one.  And it’s very appropriate I highlight this book around Thanksgiving.  Here’s why:

Author John Tolsma begins the book with a story about his vacation at the beach with his family.  Instead of having a huge to-do list (like he usually did during work weeks), he only had five things to get done.

His tw0-year-old daughter helped him create the list, which boiled down to things like playing princesses and pirates, to going to the beach, and swimming in the pool.

After that vacation, John began to ask, “What if everyday’s tasks could be poured into five simple buckets?”  No sub-lists, no lists of lists, just five main things to get done every day.

John brainstormed and came up with five simple things that he focuses on to help folks find meaning in life and measure accomplishment on a different platform.

And he made them into a simple list that’s easy enough for a two-year-old to memorize:

1. 5. Thank (5 Things for which I am thankful)
2. 4. Do (4 Things I want to accomplish today)
3. 3. Reach Out (3 People with whom I want to connect)
4. 2. Believe (2 Things to strengthen my faith and family)
5. 1. Love (1 Random act of kindness)

The book takes a page or two to describe each one of these (which is a total of 16 pages).  John ends the book with a 30-day challenge.

The Challenge

John asks readers to take thirty days and write down these things every day. 

“If you do” says John, “I bet that you will have the same experience I’ve had.  I’m more aware of and thankful for the little things in life.  I get more out each day.  As I’ve reached out, new friends and old have come out of the woodwork.  I find myself growing in my faith and my family, and I’m laughing more as I watch random acts of kindness blossom.”

The remaining 70 pages of the book provides places for you to write these things down each day.

So, I decided that as of yesterday (Thanksgiving Day) I’m going to take the next 30 days to write these things down and take the challenge.  I encourage you to do the same.

Hopefully I’ll post an update around Christmas with some of my learnings.

What I liked about the book

• It was a short read
• Loved the challenge idea
• John gave spots to write in your ideas, so this book becomes sort of a journal.
• Love the premise of reaching out, strengthening your family, being thankful etc.

What I didn’t like

• It was almost too short
• I would’ve liked more stories and anecdotes from John regarding his journey through this challenge
• The design was simple (to go along with premise of the book), but almost too simple – it didn’t have author or title listed on the cover at all, just the #5.

To learn more, go to porchstep.com/5simplethings

Disclaimer: I did NOT get paid to review this book, however, I did receive a free copy.  If you purchase the book through the link above, I do receive a small percentage of the sale.

To make things a little more fun with Round Ups, I’m trying a new format for my posts!

Each time I post one of these Round Ups, I will choose one post as the feature!

I will also try to make a little movie about the post with Office Guy!

Xtranormal.com is a Text-to-Movie format where you can type in your text and animations, and your characters will become actors in your movie.

I first found out about Xtranormal when a friend sent me this hilarious movie called How to Invite Your Co-Worker to Church!

My first movie is here.

This Week’s Featured Post

This week’s featured post is Tacky or Thrifty, from Free Money Finance. This post was actually put up a couple weeks ago, but I am just getting to the Round Up now.

This post asks the question:

Is it considered tacky or thrifty to use a coupon on a first date?

Since I’m married, this is purely hypothetical, but a coupon on a first date seems a bit tacky.  I think it’d be great to do on later dates, but probably not first one.

Check out these other great posts from around the web:

• Requiring Your Kids to Earn Their Allowance via MattAboutMoney
• Free Money Finance shares with us How to Have God Reward You
• Out of Your Rut discusses the American Dream.
• Coupon Sherpa shares the history of Black Friday.
• 10 Quick Tips When Starting a Home-Based Business from Ready to Be Rich.
• Should You Get a Second Job to Pay Off Debt from Christian PF.
• 3 Ways to Save Money on Your Car from Financial Samurai on Currency
• Bible Money Matters offers up the Great Big List of 75 Frugal Gifts You Can Give This Christmas!
• 4 Things You Shouldn’t Pay For from KNS Financial – Faithful With a Few
• Personal Finance by the Book offers us How to Accomplish More by Doing Less

Check out the Yakezie network. This is a network that includes some of the best personal finance blogs around (and mine too!)

Thank you to all who have helped to drop my Alexa ranking to 131,454!  It’s kind of like golf, so the lower the number the better.  If you’d like to help drop my ranking, just install the Alexa toolbar, make R2 your homepage (if you want) and visit my site often!

Check Out R2 Around the Web

• 7 Deadly Sins of Personal Finance – Get Currency
• Your Taxes Are Going Up! 4 Ways to Prepare – Get Currency
• 3 Tips to Find/Create a Side Job – Christian PF
• What are Required Minimum Distributions – Christian PF