Links: Back in Boston Edition

This week I’m taking a vacation and seeing family and friends in Boston. I had gotten to the point where I really liked the San Francisco area. I didn’t realize how much I missed Boston. I got very emotional driving down the Mass Pike… seeing Fenway Park… seeing the gun safety advertisement on Landsdowne. I’m torn between two coasts.

Here are some links from The Money Writers and beyond:

• Million Dollar Journey presents saving strategy: ask for a discount with some great examples and a tagline you should always keep in mind – “Is that the best you can do?”
• Invest in what you know Brip Blap style, discusses payments for large money tickets like cars and mortgages. If you have the cash, should you pay in full upfront? What would you do?
• If you like Digerati Life are self-employed you might want to read I’m self-employed! Retirement plans, insurance and tax considerations are afoot . DL talks about health care, employer and employee taxes, and the new self-employed tax. It’s worth checking out.
• All week at Generation X Finance posts were about food and saving money at the grocery store, especially on your meat purchases. In spam sales on the rise, common sense at an all-time low there’s a list of real meats versus the price of spam. The key here to healthy eating on a budget is looking out for the sales.
• I never understood why spending exorbitant amounts of money on a wedding was necessary. In it’s wedding season! Tips to keep the costs down by My Dollar Plan there are a few simple ideas and a normal US wedding budget breakdown.
• Rejuvenated and ready to rock: 10 steps for getting back on track over at NCN is all about getting over the mid-year slump. The best advice here is to revisit your financial goals.
• Sun’s Financial Diary post save money on gas by changing driving habit talks about two money saving driving tips: cruise control and turning the A/C off. Now some of you probably live in places where it’s hot and muggy or hot and dry and that’s not really an option and even if you don’t why would you want to get sticky and do more laundry?
• Why shopping around for car insurance is a good idea over at Free Money Finance this week is right. It can save you money. In fact a friend of mine just saved two-hundred a month by switching from one insurance company to another.
• Talking finance for the first time (or at any time) with your (future) spouse is tough, but you should do it or you might end up like the poor bloke in Money Smart Life’s story listed in financial secrets in marriage could lead to a divorce of debt .

And if you are still reading… I’d like to send congrats to Manny on #500.