A Healthy Meal Option For Guys Who Can't Cook - Boca Veggie Burgers

By MoneyBlueBook

There seems to be a trend among online finance and frugality commentators to share their personal frugal meal solutions. Some have gone so far as to post step by step instructional guides on how to put together simple peanut butter sandwiches, or compiled detailed cost analyses of the ham and cheese brown bag lunch making process. I think these simple and frugal lunch plans are excellent how-to's for people like myself who are clumsy clowns in the kitchen. Single guys such as I are notoriously bad cooks. I think my lack of any real cooking ability simply is a byproduct of my single man laziness prowess, lack of hand skills when it comes to culinary creations, and overall personal opinion that cooking for one is too inefficient to even bother with. Thus far I've tried supermarket salad bars, Chinese carry out, Thai food take out, prepackaged frozen meals, microwave TV dinners, and the occasional home made steak, but my options always seem to boil down to eating ready made food or dining out (a particularly expensive habit). While I do try to find ways to save money by utilizing restaurant credit cards to earn cash back and rebate discount rewards when I dine out, the reality is that eating out is almost always more expensive and usually less healthy than preparing your own food at home.

Cooking and Preparing a Meal At Home Isn't Easy For Busy Single Guys (Or Gals) On The Go Who Lack Speedy Cooking Skills

While I'm

By MoneyBlueBook

Instant Approval Credit Cards

These days, with the emphasis towards quicker and more convenient methods of transacting business (contact-less radio frequency credit card scanners, for example), credit card companies are constantly researching ways to improve the speed of credit transactions and the expediency at which they acquire new customers. Currently, most standard online and paper credit card applications take upwards of 2 weeks to a month or longer to get reviewed and approved. For the vast majority of people, this is no big deal since most people are usually not in any particular hurry to get a new credit card. Most people apply for credit cards because they want the long term purchase convenience that they offer, or they want the ability to save money on ordinary purchases by earning credit card rewards and rebate discounts. But there are consumers who simply don't like to wait weeks to find out whether their credit applications were approved or denied. For those who intend to use their new revolving credit account to pay down debt as soon as possible or make an emergency balance transfer, having to wait up to 4 weeks or longer is often a pretty significant inconvenience. For those types of people, choosing to go with an instant approval credit card offer may be the way to go.

Generally, instant approval credit cards benefit those with exceptional credit scores and credit histories the most. For credit cards that offer or advertise the instant approval option, once the online

By MoneyBlueBook

I recently read a very interesting online article from an English (United Kingdom) website today called the Times Online (I know it's a well known site for British people, but I've never heard of it before). While the views expressed seem to come from a European perspective, with some interesting but different English terminology used in the comments section such as "blokes" and "birds" (translation: "guys" and "gals"), much of the opinion piece is also applicable to the American experience. The article addressed the familiar but sometimes complicated question of why today's modern men seem reluctant, burdened, or feel socially awkward when it comes to talking about their moms or when it comes to actually calling them on a regular basis.

Today was Mother's Dayso I did manage to contact my mother who lives overseas with my dad to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. Of course she was quite surprised but happy to hear my message (she is my mom after all), but I think she mostly enjoyed the rarity of it all. I can't remember the last time I ever gave her a present or anything on Mother's day (during elementary school maybe), but I think on some level she understands that grown up sons at some point in their lives must exercise that desired financial and social independence from their parents, particularly from their moms. While I do love my mom to death, it is true - there is also something very unattractive and rather unhealthy

By MoneyBlueBook

Here are select blog carnivals and blog festivals I participated in over the last few weeks. Apologies for the delay in getting these out (extra curricular duties have been occupying most of my free time). Other than my own article submissions, there are definitively a lot of good finance and frugality articles in the mix worth reading as well. I've listed the website links where the carnivals were hosted and the articles I've mine that were submitted. At least one was selected as an Editor's Pick. Take a look!

Carnival of Personal Finance

• Alpha Consumer featured How To Make Money From Balance Transfer Credit Cards
• Lazy Man and Money featured Arguments For And Against Using Multiple Reward Credit Cards
• The Happy Rock featured Using Form 1040X To Correct A Tax Mistake or Error
• Gather Little By Little featured The 6 Best Credit Cards According to CNN Money

Carnival Of Debt Reduction

• Broke Grad Student featured How To Get A Free Fico Credit Score

Carnival Of Money Stories

• Free From Broke featured Get Free Extended Service Warranty By Purchasing With A Credit Card

Festival of Frugality

• Sound Money Matters featured One Great Potential Benefit Of Higher Gas Prices - Less Traffic! (Editor's pick)
• Rather Be Shopping featured Always Pay By Credit Card To Protect Against Airline Travel Bankruptcy

By MoneyBlueBook

Most investors are familiar with superstar investment guru and easy going philanthropist Warren Buffett. How could you not? After all, he's the single richest billionaire in the entire world and one of the most influential value focused investors. While the wealth snapshot order has swapped places a few times, at least on this recent Forbes ranking of the world's richest billionaires, Warren Buffett is seated at the very tip of the money stacked totem pole, surpassing even Microsoft uber-geek and fellow billionaire, Bill Gates. But to label him a mere superstar investor would seem to dilute the sophistication of a man who spent a life devoted to a uniquely patient and value minded, get rich slowly type approach to building long term wealth. Warren Buffet is not your typical get rich quick financial motivator, but one who regularly preaches patience, with a keen eye for the undervalued potential of possible long term investments. The Oracle of Omaha, as Buffett is often fondly referred to today, is also the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the corporate manifestation of his immense and massive self made wealth, despite otherwise living and practicing a life of true humility and frugality.

Despite his tremendous wealth, Warren Buffett is also one of the most generous financial figures in the world in terms of how much he has contributed and donated back to society through charitable causes. A few years ago, he gathered up the bulk of his $40 something billion fortune (at the time), and made the

By MoneyBlueBook

My online messaging routine was doing fine for a while. Every morning I would check my Yahoo e-mail account for messages, and then go about my regular work day, periodically checking back for personal and business related messages. Since I forward and consolidate all of my personal, work, and blog business related emails to one account with Yahoo, I have one easy point of access to my messages - essentially one well oiled emailing machine. Of course, there was always the occasional spam, but that was usually manageable - until now - until the Nigerians struck, and struck hard.

Spammers and Scammers Are Relentless And They Can Afford To Be - Sending E-Mail Lures With Scam Bait Doesn't Cost A Thing

Starting very recently, I've been receiving nearly 20-30 spam related messages everyday. I have no idea how they are effectively evading my spam filters, but they are. These spam messages are driving me absolutely crazy and are irritating to say the least. But one can't help but find some amusement from the content of these desperate messages. These spam letters that flood the web are mostly from the poor African country of Nigeria - sent by notorious computer users who run well documented Nigerian 419 scam operations. You know when you receive one of these classic Nigerian 419 spam letters as they are pretty recognizable. Usually the Nigerians use very flowery, British style English comprised of exaggerated legalese-type terminology to make the content appear more legitimate. However, oftentimes their lame use of the English language borders