Man the weeks are really just flying by, it just seems like yesterday I did my first Required Reading segment, and here we are again with another one. As I visit other blogs and expand the network of sites I read, I’m really finding some great stuff that I enjoy and can utilize in my own life. There’s no question that it’s been one of the best aspects of my blogging experience. Here are some articles that I particularly enjoyed this week.
Trent at The Simple Dollar had some outstanding advice for those just starting in the workforce to try the 50% solution. I really wish I would have taken that approach when I first started working, and I’m paying for it now. You never want to be tied down to a job so much that you don’t have options. A lot of us nowadays are in that position since we’ve led a certain lifestyle and want to maintain it. By accumulating debt and not saving enough, we’re setting ourselves up for a high dependence on our jobs. I’m definitely feeling the pain of that in my life now, and wish I would have had this advice years ago.
Madison over at My Dollar Plan had a fantastic article outlining some financial strategies for infants and young children. The amount of information and depth of the article really makes it a must read for anyone with kids. It’s definitely one that you want to bookmark and go back to later as you progress through all the steps. There’s a lot of good stuff there that we’re looking into doing for our son.
Over at My Money Blog, there is a great article about test driving the financial life you want. It basically talks about the possibility of living off of one income in order to help position yourself for life events such as having a child, quiting your day job, etc. This is a great idea if you’re contemplating a big change where one of your steady incomes might be going away, and something that my wife and I are going to look at in hopes of being able to work on Know The Ledge full time.
Although it’s somewhat of an older article, I just read Courtney Tuttle’s article on starting a blog that isn’t a time-sucking money pit. The sheer length of the article is impression, but what I really liked the most was the timeline sections that outlined expected traffic and subscribers at different intervals of your blog’s life. This is really great information that can help you gauge where you are in relation to others. Obviously everybody’s situation is different, but as a general guide it really helps out.
The article on building successful alternative income streams at Moolanomy is a nice introduction to the basics needs of building successful streams of income for yourself. We talk a lot here about aligning your work with your passions, and a lot of that premise is present on this list. It just reiterates the importance of loving what you do. The more you love it, the less it feels like work.
That’s it for this week, everybody have a great (and safe) holiday!
