photo credit: rofltosh

However, not all of my experiences shopping for holiday gift items were bad last week. I had a very nice experience at my favorite store - CVS - shopping for many free products they had over the holiday. I didn’t see any other CVS shoppers fighting over shampoo! My wife and I also actually enjoyed a peaceful setting at Kohl’s and didn’t even have to wait in line. It was nice for us, but I took this as a sign that the department store will be hurting really bad in their bottom line when earnings come out. We also went to Target which wasn’t too bad except for their electronics department. Finally we ended up at Toy’s R Us which was more of a controlled chaos compared to Walmart.

Carnivals
November 26, 2008 - I was fortunate enough to have an editor’s pick in the 40th Money Hacks Carnival hosted by Steadfast Finances. I would like to thank Steadfast Finances for thinking my post - Helping our Homeless was editor’s pick quality.

Articles I liked this week
Sticking with the theme, I am listing my favorite articles posted with the topic of Black Friday or holiday shopping. Here are some of my favorites from the past week -

1 - Amateur Asset Allocator gives an opinion on whose to blame for the Walmart Black Friday Violence. I completely agree with the view from this article and am still shaken up over my own experience shopping at Walmart last Friday.

2 - Tight Fisted Miser tells us to save money and don’t shop on Black Friday. I agree that most people purchase items on this day that they really don’t need.

3 - Frugal Dad gives us some ideas for shopping on Cyber Monday that will help prevent going to the stores on Black Friday.

4 - Chasing the Bull tells us how to have a debt free holiday season.

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: Nrbelex

• Write for a personal finance blog
• Have written at least 100 articles for a minimum of 6 months
• Continue to post at least 3 times per week
• Add The Finance Blog Network logo to your blog

I choose to join this network for a couple of reasons. First, I was looking to expand my network of readers and thought this was an excellent way to start. I really don’t do a lot of promoting on social networking sites, so I thought that this was a nice opportunity to attract fellow personal finance bloggers. Secondly, I was interested in the group writing projects that we participate in. I participated in my first group writing project which focused on Advice For President-Elect Obama. There are some really good points of view by other members you should check out! I find that participating in these types of activities will expand my writing skills and ideas. I probably would have never written an article about President-Elect Obama if it were not for this group project. I actually enjoyed writing this article and look forward to more group projects in the future.

Carnivals
November 24, 2008 - I had an article included in the 180th Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by Living Almost Large. I would like to thank Living Almost Large for including my post - Should we let General Motors fail?.

November 19, 2008 - I participated in the Money Hacks Carnival #39 hosted by Moolanomy. A very special thanks to Pinyo at Moolanomy for hosting this carnival in an emergency and for including my post - Save Money Through Plant Propagation.

November 18, 2008 - I participated in the festival of frugality #152: affected by recession edition hosted by Financial Wellness Project. A very special thanks to Financial Wellness Project for including my post - Turn Frugal Behaviors into a Game.

November 17, 2008 - I had an article included in the Carnival of Debt Reduction #166 hosted by SimplyForties. A very special thanks to SimplyForties for including my post - If I had an Extra $1,000.

Articles I liked this week
Sticking with the theme, I am listing articles posted by members of The Finance Blog Network that I really liked. All of these articles were written by members and associate members of the network. Here are some of my favorites from the past week -

1 - Curt from PennyJobs writes about our nations need for a new generation of leaders who can dream big and follow through on those dreams! I think this is so important with the economic crisis we are facing.

2 - Saving to Invest discusses how much money bloggers actually make from their sites.

3 - Amateur Asset Allocator provides us with some reasons to roll your 401k over. Everyone I talk to these days is worried about their 401k because of the poor economy.

4 - The Stock Talk gives us thoughts on why we should let The Big 3 fail. As most of you know, I have some strong interest in this topic.

5 - Bridging The Gaap gives us a list of 3 things everyone should have for financial peace of mind.

6 - Money Hacks posts about our trillion dollar deficit which doesn’t give you a warm feeling.

7 - Rich Credit Debt Loan shows us how to end paycheck reliance, which I hope to do someday!

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: Olivander

One new and exciting passive income stream that I have been focusing on is writing articles on eHow. I believe that writing articles on eHow provides another opportunity to create residual income. It is more in line with my long-term income generation goals, when comparing it to SocialSpark or PayPerPost. I currently have 12 articles on eHow, but am planning to increase my output in the near term.

Recently, there have been many discussions between fellow bloggers debating which is a better investment of your time - Writing articles for eHow vs. Writing articles on your blog. Check out the comments over on Smart Passive Income. It seems that most people commenting are leaning towards writing articles on eHow, but there are many different reasons why. I also had several comments to a recent post of mine called - eHow - A Passive Income Stream. Several bloggers also questioned why I would write articles on eHow when I could have more long-term success writing these articles on my blog. Here are a few of the comments -

Curt wrote - If you are planning to write consistently, then blogging is by far a much better way to make money because you can build a larger and larger reader base.

Blogging Banks wrote - …You are correct that ehow will probably get you more exposure in the short term. But then with your own blog you have much more control over advertising methods compared to ehow. For example if you used a CPM type ad network where you are paid $1.00 for every 1000 page views in addition to adsense while still getting the number of page views you might have made more $$….

I agree with both Curt and Blogging Banks in their comments. I believe that long-term, writing articles on my blog instead of eHow is a much better opportunity. Where I disagree with these comments is that I can write articles that are not related to personal finance on eHow. For example, I recently wrote an eHow article called - How to Make Allergen Free Pumpkin Bread. My oldest son has severe food allergies and I have a recipe that I wanted to share to other parents who are in a similar situation. This is a post that I would not include on PFI, but am using eHow as the medium to deliver this information. That is where I find eHow useful for writing articles.

Another benefit of writing for eHow is the page ranks it gets within search engines. Take my article mentioned above for making allergen free pumpkin bread. A few weeks ago, I did a search on Google looking for the following key words - ’allergen free pumpkin bread’. I was looking for someone else who may have had this recipe. I really didn’t find a lot, but found a recipe that we altered with allergen free products and I submitted my post to eHow. Today, if I type in the following key words - ’allergen free pumpkin bread’, or even ’allergen pumpkin bread’, I have the top rank on Google. If I wrote this post on my own blog, I don’t believe I would have gotten the same rank as quickly. Please note, I don’t believe I would ever get rich or even make a penny off of this post as it only appeals to a small niche of readers.

Carnivals
November 17, 2008 - I had an article included in the Carnival of Personal Finance #179 - Smile Edition hosted by MoneyNing. I would like to thank MoneyNing for including my post - Top 10 Reasons we are NOT Frugal.

November 13, 2008 - I participated in the 22nd finance fiesta! the catching up edition hosted by Financial Wellness Project. A very special thanks to Financial Wellness Project for including my post - Balancing your time vs. Saving Money.

November 12, 2008 - I participated in the Money Hacks Carnival No. 38: Aviation Month edition hosted by Taking Charge. A very special thanks to Taking Charge for including my post - Identifying a Bad Financial Habit.

November 11, 2008 - I participated in the Festival of Frugality~The Veteran’s Day Edition hosted by On a Quest To Be Debt Free…. A very special thanks to On a Quest To Be Debt Free… for including my post - Balancing your time vs. Saving Money.

eHow articles I liked this week
I thought I would change things up here this week and provide a list of eHow articles I found that I really liked. All of these articles were written by some of my eHow friends. Here are some of my favorites from the past week -

1 - TFMiser (aka - Tight Fisted Miser) wrote How to Recieve the Wachovia Bank $25 Referral Bonus.

2 - Abigail, eHow Guide writes - How to Convert a Recipe into a eHow Article.

3 - Julie Mayfield (aka - The Family CEO) wrote - How to Earn Money by Doing Your Christmas Shopping Online. I always love to find new ideas on making money!

4 - WriterGig writes - How to Take Inexpensive Family Vacations.

5 - TheWriterGuy (aka - Smart Passive Income) writes - How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts.

If you have an eHow account, or decide you may want to open one up, come over and add me as a friend. My eHow name is - pfincome.

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: jdurchen

Speaking of extra income, several of my established alternative income streams have been decreasing recently. The most obvious is the stock market downturn and its impact on selling covered calls and dividend yielding stocks. In addition, the number of available sponsored posts on PayPerPost and SocialSpark have become limited. I am not sure if this is a trickle down effect of the economy or not. Finally, as I recently pointed out, I am starting to see some loans from my Prosper.com lending account go into bankruptcy or charge-off status. I am not discouraged by these events but have become more motivated to build and grow these income streams along with new opportunities that may come along in the future!

Carnivals
November 10, 2008 - I had an article included in the Fierce Financial Tips: The Carnival of Personal Finance #178, Struwwelpeter Edition hosted by The Digerati Life. I would like to thank The Digerati Life for including my post - 4 Free Holiday Gift Ideas.

November 5, 2008 - I participated in the 37th Carnival of Money Hacks: Wonders of the World hosted by Living Almost Large. A very special thanks to Living Almost Large for including my post - eHow - A Passive Income Stream.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - On a Quest To Be Debt Free gives us some tips on budgeting for the holidays. I will be looking to use some of these for our upcoming gift purchases.

2 - Dividend Growth Investor provides some analysis on the top 5 performing dividend stocks this year.

3 - Free From Broke discusses how eating out less has made their family better. While saving money made the list, there were several other excellent points that every family should consider!

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: yaquina

Carnivals
November 3, 2008 - I had an article included in the Carnival of Personal Finance No. 177 hosted by The Sun’s Financial Diary. I would like to thank The Sun’s Financial Diary for including my post - 25 Ways to Save Money on Utility Bills.

October 29, 2008 - I had an editor’s pick in the Money Hacks Carnival #36 – Scary Finances Edition hosted by Free From Broke. A very special thanks to Free From Broke to consider my post - Frugal Birthday Party Tips, editor’s pick material!

October 28, 2008 - I had an article included in the Festival of Frugality #149: Monster Mash Edition! hosted by Living Well On Less. I would like to thank Living Well On Less for including my post - Frugal Decorating with Tropical House Plans.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure gives us a tip on frugal entertainment. Since our entertainment budget is basically $0, this may be a nice idea to check out. I always prefer using the local library to rent free movies for the family.

2 - The Simple Dollar provides us with a list of ways to winterize your home to save on your heating bill. For additional money savings tips – check out my eHow article How to save money on utility bills

3 - Free From Broke gives us a run down on understanding how the Federal Funds interest rate affects your savings.

4 - Almost Frugal posts some frugal tips on creating your own wrapping paper. I think I am going to let my 4-year old son do this for the upcoming holiday season.

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: _StaR_DusT_

In addition to writing for eHow, I have been continuing to generate some alternative income from writing sponsored posts for PayPerPost and SocialSpark. I have also added a new resource to the mix with SponsoredReviews.com. I continue to write these paid articles to build my cash position in these tough economic times. This extra cash can then be used to purchase high quality dividend yielding stocks or to use in case of an emergency. Adding several sponsored post sites to my portfolio allows me to pick and choose the articles that fit best with the theme of PFI!

Carnivals
October 27, 2008 - I had an article included in the Carnival of Personal Finance – Financial Armageddon Edition! hosted by Master Your Card. I would like to thank Master Your Card for including my post - The Sacrifice of Frugal Living.

October 23, 2008 - I had an article included in the Finance Fiesta – Blackjack Edition! hosted by Master Your Card. I would like to thank Master Your Card for including my post - My Coke Rewards.

October 22, 2008 - I had an article included in the 35th Money Hacks Carnival – The 1925 Railroad Edition hosted by My Two Dollars. I would like to thank My Two Dollars for including my post - 529 Savings Plan.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - Frugal Dad posts a list of 7 ways that could help your family avoid a financial crisis.

2 - Dividends4Life discusses a strategy to handle stocks that freeze their dividend.

3 - Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure talks about how using CFLs are helping to reduce her electricity budget.

4 - The Family CEO provides some feedback from attending the first ever eHow Community Gathering. It sounds like there is a lot of room for growth with eHow and the opportunities are endless. This really could be an excellent source of passive income.

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: Stitch

Carnivals
October 20, 2008 - I had an article included in the 175th Carnival of Personal Finance - ‘Jokey McJokester’ edition! hosted by Budgets are Sexy. I would like to thank Budgets are Sexy for including my post - Best Gas Credit Cards.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - Bible Money Matters gives us a new idea for creating passive income by writing product reviews at ciao!com

2 - LuLuGal at HowISaveMoney.net talks about how her money saving habits makes her co-workers mad. My wife and I have run into this many times over the years with friends, family, and co-workers.

3 - Blogging Away Debt discusses a possible source of extra income by signing up for an account on iStockPhoto.com.

4 - Frugal Dad discusses how to talk with your children about the economic crisis. I can relate as my 4-year old son came to my wife and I the other day with his bag of coins. He told us we could have it if we needed money. He overheard us talking about cutting back our spending for a while and thought we were not going to be able to buy any food. Amazing what kids pick up!

5 - A post on Moolanomy points out how to manage your 401k during these rocky economic times.

photo credit: ninjapoodles

Updates
I am continuing to follow the steps I laid out to prepare for a financial crisis by writing more sponsored posts. I am working to increase my cash position that can be used in an emergency or to purchase some high quality dividend stocks that have been beaten down. I am also starting to ramp up writing articles for eHow. I have written six articles so far and have started to see a little residual income trickle in. My eHow articles include the following -

• How to sell covered call options
• How to secure a loan from Prosper
• How to save money on your grocery bill
• How to properly store wine
• How to drink wine for beginners
• How to read wine labels

As you can probably tell, I have two current themes that I am writing about. Outside of personal finance, I like to write about wine. While I fell short on my September goals of having ten eHow articles written, I am planning to ramp things up in October.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - Dividends4Life posts some lessons on when to sell a dividend stock after a company cuts their dividend. Wish I would have followed some of these lessons a few months ago!

2 - Bible Money Matters provides us with an excellent list of things you shouldn’t do in an economic crisis.

3 - Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure gives us some tips on frugal landscaping.

4 - Online Dividends discusses if you should own your own domain or use a free one when starting a blog.

5 - Scott at The Passive Dad gives us an option for a passive income stream by renting out garage or driveway space in areas where parking is limited. I always love to hear new ideas for creating income!

Have an excellent week!

Welcome to PFI and the weekly updates. The markets continue to remain highly volatile and the global economy is slowing. Many people believe we are heading for a deep recession or even a depression. I think the depression talk is a little overdone but I hear a lot of people talking about it. I believe we are in a deep recession already and it will worsen over the next year. On a positive note, I am really looking forward to purchasing gas for under $3 per gallon! Even with cheaper gas, our family is continuing to follow steps put in place to cut back on energy consumption. We are also going to keep working on our plans for preparing for a financial crisis. I am still a firm believer of freeing up cash right now so it can be used for an emergency situation or to purchase stock in some great companies that have been taken victim from the economic downturn.

PFI Updates & News
AdSense - I am finally breaking down and will be testing out adding some AdSense ads to PFI. I had originally opposed adding any AdSense ads for personal reasons but have decided to give it a shot. If I am able to generate any sizable income from using AdSense, I plan on donating a portion of it to charity. I was reading an article last evening from Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure where she felt it was still very important to include charitable donations in your budget. I have always told myself that I would eventually ad donations to my budget when I had more money. That is selfish and I decided that I need to start giving something back. I am looking for some good quality charitable organizations so please let me know if you have any suggestions. I also plan on donating a percentage of the income I will be earning writing articles on PayPerPost.

Blogging Group - I recently joined the Blog Traffic Group created by Compounding Dividends. This is a Yahoo! group that was formed to help fellow bloggers increase traffic to their site through Stumbles and Diggs. I submitted one article to the group last weekend which was Stumbled. As a result, last Sunday was my highest traffic day ever with a 75% increase from my previous highest day. I was actually very surprised it jumped that high with only a few members. If you are interested in increasing your traffic, I suggest you head over to Compounding Dividends to check it out!

Contest - There is still time left to compete in the $250 dollar giveaway going on over at Compounding Dividends. There are several cash prizes available where you earn points from commenting on the site or by writing on your site about the competition.

Have an excellent week!

photo credit: vgm8383

Carnivals
September 29, 2008 - I had an article included in the Carnival of Personal Finance #172: Meltdown Edition hosted by DebtKid. I would like to thank DebtKid for including my post - Citi Cards – Thank You!.

September 25, 2008 - I had an article included in the Finance Fiesta, buzzer-beater edition carnival hosted by Mighty Bargain Hunter. I would like to thank Mighty Bargain Hunter for including my post - Profit in tough financial times.

September 24, 2008 - I had an article included in the Money Hacks Carnival #31 – Crisis And Bailout carnival hosted by Pinyo over at Moolanomy. I would like to thank Pinyo for including my post - The upside of a late loan.

September 22, 2008 - I had an article included in the Investing Carnival #14 hosted by Disciplined Approach to Investing. I would like to thank Disciplined Approach to Investing for including my post - Wachovia Covered Call Contracts.

Articles I liked this week
Here are some of the articles I enjoyed reading over the past week -

1 - Dawn at Fighting Foreclosure tells us the importance of hainvg an emergency fund from first hand experience. With the economic crisis at hand, I think it is even more important to be working on your emergency fund.

2 - Dividend Growth Investor gives us a list of income producing stocks to keep an eye on in this tough economic climate.

Have an excellent week!