Highlights, Favorites, Deals, & Oddities – Week of 6-14-10

Well, it was a great week in my camp in that one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time is staying where he belongs – Tom Izzo is staying at Michigan State.

In other news, if you haven’t yet ‘liked’ the 20somethingfinance Facebook fan page, I don’t blame you. It has been deeply neglected. But I vow to make it up to all of you Facebooker’s and put more time into it. ‘Like’ it, and you won’t regret it. And don’t forgot the 20somethingfinance Twitter page either!

Here are the highlights, deals, and other oddities for the week:

20SomethingFinance Highlights:

On this blog, I wrote posts on:

• Turning a Layoff into a Business Opportunity – a neat story about a woman who was laid off from Boeing and within 2 years is making $60 selling fruit jellies/jams.
• Using 0% APR Balance Transfer Credit Cards – to pay off your credit card or other high interest debt. I highlight the benefits and risks, and a few good cards if you are going to use this method.
• Finding Happiness Along the Way to Long-Term Financial Goals – One of my favorite posts I have ever written – it served as a good reminder to keep financial goals in perspective – and a kick in the pants for myself.
• I also wrote a post for Mint.com – 10 Budget Calculators for All of Life’s Needs. I highlighted the best budgeting calculators I was able to find for unique life situations – start a business, having a wedding, raising a child, and choosing to be a stay-at-home parent.

Other Personal Finance Highlights from Around the Web:

• Restaurants that Let Kids Eat Free (Genxfinance) – Jeremy highlights restaurants that have ‘kids eat free’ nights. Of course, it’s almost always cheaper to eat at home, but sometimes, going out is a necessary indulgence – why not have those little squirts cost nothing?
• Retire South of the Border (Kiplinger) – A well-written piece on benefits, tax breaks, and other incentives that Latin and South American countries are offering retirees to woo them to retire there. Sounds pretty appealing to me!
• 25 Things to do with Old Jeans (Wisebread) – A super creative post on how to create a second life for those jeans that no longer fit. Making new things out of old is such a great way to save money and be environmentally responsible at the same time.

Other Great Posts from Around the Web (Oddities)

• Big Risk: $1.2 Quadrillion Derivatives Market Dwarfs World GDP (Daily Finance): A pretty comprehensive look at the unregulated, complex world of derivatives and how their market is now 20 times the size of the world’s economy! Scary stuff.

Deals of the Week:

• I still have 3 Ooma coupons left – they expire at the end of the month.
• OptionsHouse.com is offering 100 commission free trades (only $2.95 thereafter) within 60 days of funding a new account. You must enter promo code FREE 100.

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