Enough Bruno Mars! (and Personal Finance Links)

I got in the car with my wife yesterday and a Bruno Mars song was on the radio. I said to my wife, “You know there’s too much Bruno Mars on the radio. I liked his songs are first, but now they are now all over-played. What does he have, like 3 singles on radio now?” My wife responded, “It’s actually 5 or 6.” I named the three that I could off the top of my head and she filled in a couple more. Perhaps I’m just jealous that he’s cutting in my whole Lazy schtick.

However, within the next ten minutes, I was able to find two more of his songs. It’s not all jealousy on my part. His songs are over-played, right? If you are going to play a song, overplay his version of Katy Perry’s California Girls… it’s far better than anything else he’s done.

Moving on…

My wife had double foot surgery a couple of weeks ago. With her around the house a lot more, we’ve been making the most of the Netflix and Redbox. Redbox in particular has come in handy. Their movies cost a dollar to rent for a day. The last couple of times I went, they offered me a second movie for an additional 50 cents. The movies aren’t due until 9PM the next evening, so I get one for the current day and one for the next. With tax it comes to $1.64 for the two. Comcast should be afraid, very afraid.

One of the movies we got was a Ben Affleck one called The Company Men. You might have missed it in the theaters… it didn’t have much of an advertising budget. If you are planning to watch a movie in the next couple of weeks, I would highly recommend this one. The summary of the movie is that a company needs to increase their bottom line to maximize shareholder value. This translates to job cuts for the ship-building division. Ben Affleck’s character finds himself were many Americans have found themselves, without a job in a difficult job environment. I could, and very well might, write several articles on the movie in the future.

Before I get to the personal finance links, I want to warn you of an article that I hope to get out this week. Warn is the operative word. It is looking like it might top 6,000 words. The topic won’t be interesting to many of you, but for the few affected people it will probably be one of the most important articles they’ll ever read. I ask that you give me a little publishing license on this one and just move on if it’s not your cup of tea.

Money Writers:

• Brip Blap says these are the reasons why I spend.
• Digerati Life asks are you living below your means? Benefits of the minimalist lifestyle.
• Frugal Dad explores buying a new hybrid to save on gas: smart move or financial folly.
• Generation X Finance goes over expenses you are paying too much for.
• Million Dollar Journey explains how I graduated from university debt-free.
• Money Smart Life presents investing on a budget.
• My Dollar Plan wonders should you liquidate savings to pay off debt?
• The Sun’s Financial Diary shares the fall of Blockbuster: a lesson on keeping your business model current.

Top PF Posts:

• Free Money Finance shares a phrase to save you money.
• The Smart Wallet with how to make dishes out of leftover mashed potatoes.
• My Journey to Millions asks how much interest do you pay monthly?
• Dough Roller presents 5 alternatives to online savings accounts.
• Mighty Bargain Hunter writes concerned about where things are headed? Do something!
• Bill Eater posts on the tablet craze: what should you look for in a tablet?
• Financial Freedumb and Brownie with casual discussion with friends about how much they make…
• Free Money Wisdom says Google Wallet wants to eat your wallet.
• Scott on MONEY gives the 411 on credit checks and your score.
• Get Rich Slowly shares my first garden: what I’ve learned so far.