The Carnival of Personal Finance for Jan. 5 was hosted by Clever Dude. Now, you’ll want to click on the carnival link because this is a “clever” presentation. In the meantime, here are some of the posts you’ll find on all things financial:

• Personal Finance Analyst presents Reports of Capitalism’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated: “The one predictable thing about a volatile market is that it will encourage otherwise sane people to make wildly exaggerated statements with a straight face.” Yes, this post is a bit more scholarly than what I usually link to. But it’s very well written, and what a great lead!
• Destroy Debt presents What to do if you get laid off: “You’re odds of being able to switch departments is generally much higher than being hired at a new employer.  You already know how the company works, so the company saves on training time, severance and saves face.” I previously worked for a corporation where it was very easy to be transferred to a job in another city. This provided a wonderful range of opportunities for those who were willing to relocate.
• Momma’s Blog presents No more sharing with strangers: “The moral is, be grateful for gifts, even small ones. Nobody owes you anything in life. So, when they offer you something unsolicited, it’s just ugly to ask for even more.” Her point is even more important to remember when dealing with friends and relatives than it is with strangers.
  

The Festival of Frugality for Jan. 6 was hosted by The Dough Roller. Here are some of the posts you’ll find on frugal living concepts:

• Good Financial Cents presents Just Married – Financial Planning for Newlyweds: “If you don’t know, it’s not too late. Just ask. Your debt is her debt and vice versa.” Whether you put the savings and debts in joint name or keep them in individual names, it’s the overall financial picture that will have an impact on your family’s overall standard of living.
• Value for Your Life presents My 25 percent grocery savings rule in action: “The bottom line is that I use the bulk of what is already on sale at the stores that week with what I have at home to create great meals.” This is a very detailed post with specific to-do steps. Yes, you do need to adapt the blogger’s technique to your store’s sales cycles. But this outline is basically the same procedure I follow. I save the grocery and drugstore fliers throughout the week, take note of any coupon matches I can do, and build my shopping list with that information.
• Think Your Way to Wealth presents Mastering frugal living – Becoming more self-sufficient: “If you are in debt, or not where you want to be financially, it is probably a good idea to try to do as many things yourself as you possible can.” The conventional wisdom has long been that those who work for a living will always have the money to pay for time-saving conveniences. This is not true! Working poor families have always been short on both cash and time. Now a lot of middle class families are caught in that sandwich.
• Modern Gal presents When frugal means forever: “I found it much easier to move to a different state and live in a new neighborhood rather than to scale back my expenses where I was.” You don’t have to travel across the state line to notice the differences. Example: Those of you who live on some of Monroe County’s rural roads probably do need to drive a sport utility vehicle rather than a less expensive sedan, in addition to considering drive time and gas money if you want to go shopping or run errands. But I live in the city and therefore don’t have those challenges.
• Monroe on a Budget presents A budget-friendly make over of your makeover kit: “I am certainly aware that lipstick and nail polish are frequently “on the spot” purchases. But they don’t have to be.” Another tip: if you stick to the classic colors that have always looked good on you, there’s no need to waste money on the trendier, glam colors.