Welcome to the Carnival of Personal Finance #410.

There was no carnival last week, so you’re likely to see more submissions today than usual. I must admit that I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the articles. What’s happening guys?

This is the summer plans edition!

I wanted to take a occasion to publicly out line some of my plans for this summer since it’s finally upon us (well, not according to the calendar).

Editor’s Picks…

Enter more races/challenges.

In May I entered a 5k and 10k run, with no experience or training. I just showed up. I wanted to see if I had it in me. It took me 27 minutes to complete the 5k in the heat, and 58 minutes to complete the 10k in the freezing cold the next week.

I want to enter more random challenges and races to see what I’m made of and for the fun. I have a mud run coming up soon. Any other suggestions?

Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents How to Simplify Your Life to Make It Better, and says, “We are encouraged to buy this, go there, do that and the result is that many of us are living lives that just don't measure up to what we want. Here are some ideas to help you simplify your life to make it better.”

Big Cajun Man from THE Canadian Personal Finance Blog presents The Seduction of Spending, and says, “Why do we keep spending when we know we cannot afford the things we are buying?”

Lindsey from Cents & Sensibility presents Advertising Tricks: How being afraid is profitable, and says, “This article is more about our spending choices than any of the other categories mentioned above. It talks about how advertisers motivate us to buy their products to feel secure. Also highlights how advertisers learn how to short-circuit our brain’s higher functions so we can’t think clearly when we buy.”

Economy.

Release quality content/try new ideas.

Last week, I released an article with another video in it. I covered how to drink without going broke. I plan on trying out different ideas on here and my other sites over the summer. The warmer temperatures just motivated me to work harder.

Don from My Dollar Plan presents Is There a Student Loan Crisis?, and says, “For the first time ever, the total amount of student loan debt has surpassed the $100 billion mark. Does this mean a crisis is looming?”

Pete from Intelligent Speculator presents 21st Century Retirement Is Not What It Used To Be, and says, “What has changed with retirement.”

Neal Frankle from Wealth Pilgrim presents Should You Buy A Bigger House?, and says, “Even though many people are buying less expensive housing these days, you might be very tempted to buy a bigger house. I can understand that. Interest rates are ridiculously low and real estate prices seem to be just bottoming out. I recently wrote a post explaining that most people are far better off buying real estate rather than renting. I believe that with every cell of my body. If that is true, wouldn't it also be true that owning more real estate (in the form of a larger house) is better than owning less? The argument has merit.”

Darwin from Darwin’s Money presents What's a Stay at Home Mom Worth?, and says, “What is a stay at home mom worth? It’s a tough question to answer and this recent study thinks they have the answer. I beg to differ. Weigh in on how you’d value moms.”

Investing.

Go camping more.

Don’t ask me why but I enjoy camping. I know that we conquered nature, but it’s fun to go back to it. I only went camping once last year and regret not going more often.

Lenny from Best Money Saving Blog presents Top 5 Ways to Make Your Student House a Home, and says, “Cheap and easy ways to make your student home more friendly.”

Investor Junkie from Investor Junkie presents 9 Investment Advantages of Building Your Own Business, and says, “If you're in a higher income occupation, you can make good money from working at a job. But when it comes to making money for investment purposes, it's hard to beat the advantages that come from having your own business.”

PK from Don’t Quit Your Day Job… presents The Curse of Success(ful Investing), and says, “If you’re going to make an attempt to beat the market… don’t do it by emulating mutual funds. Here’s the case for reducing diversification in your quest for alpha.”

Pauline from Reach Financial Independence presents Cattle investment part III: they are all gone, and says, “I invested in livestock and for the past two years have held up to 110 heads of cattle at a time. Now that I just sold my last 56 heads, I go back on the investment and returns.”

Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents Why would I not sell dividend stocks even after a 1000% gain?, and says, “In a previous article I wrote on when to sell dividend stocks, many investors were absolutely furious that I would not even think about selling after a stock I own goes up 1000% in value. The reality is that this would depend on the circumstances, but since I am a long-term investor, I expect that at least some of the stocks I purchase today would become tenbaggers over the next 30 years or so.”

Investor Junkie from Investor Junkie presents 3 Ways Investing Is Like Riding a Bicycle, and says, “There are a lot of similarities between investing and riding a bike, and a few lessons you learn that can carry over to investing. Below are three ways investing is like riding a bike.”

Jon from Novel Investor presents The 5 Best Short Term Investments Right Now, and says, “When you invest money for a short term goal, taking extra risk is like playing with fire. The best short term investments preserve your money.”

Peter from Bible Money Matters presents Peer to Peer Lending: Loving Your Neighbor with Your IRA, and says, “Companies like Lending Club and Prosper are wonderful new platforms that connect people who need loans to people with money to lend, and the vast majority of these loans are for people trying to get out of debt.”

Hadley from Epic Finances presents 3 tips for the Beginner Investor, and says, “There really are only 3 rules that you need to follow when investing.”

Eric from Narrow Bridge Finance presents Should I Pay Off My Low Interest Loan?, and says, “I recently refinanced my loan from 4.25% to 2.875% and lowered my loan time from 29 years to 15 years. While my monthly payment went up a bit, I am saving thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan. With such a low interest rate, it makes me wonder if I should try to pay off the loan early or invest my extra funds?”

Matt from Budget SNOB presents Banking Tips to Help You Save Money at any Bank-Part 1, and says, “Don’t waste money at your bank. Read on for some great tips.”

Roger Wohlner from The Chicago Financial Planner presents Investing: Even Indexing Takes Work, and says, “The benefits of low-cost index mutual funds and ETFs are all over the news. They were front and center in the recent PBS Frontline Special The Retirement Gamble. Index funds are a great tool for investors of all ages; in many cases these passively managed funds beat the majority of their actively managed peers within the same investment style. However, investing in index funds takes work, especially with the proliferation of new index products that continue to hit the marketplace.”

Michael from Financial Ramblings presents Investing With a Three Fund Portfolio, and says, “Interested in maintaining a bit more control over your money and/or avoiding the fees associated with an investing service or financial professional? Here’s how to get started investing on your own.”

Debt/Credit.

Instant classic nights.

What’s the summer without some classic birthday parties and wild nights?

Philip from PT Money presents What Happens to Your Debt When You Die?, and says, “Handling a loved one’s debt after they die can be tricky. Make sure you know what to expect and that all the necessary preparations are made to keep things easy.”

Catherine Alford from Money Life and More presents What Does It Feel Like To Be Totally Debt Free?, and says, “I am the type of person who really loves having goals and something to look forward to. When I was in the process of paying off my credit card debt, I was so incredibly motivated. It was actually fun to throw money at it every month. I loved seeing the numbers dwindle and eventually go to zero. It was almost like a game, like the ultimate challenge to myself.”

Amy from Money Mishaps presents How to Save Money and Eat Healthy Part 1, and says, “There are affordable healthy foods available.”

Glen Craig from Free From Broke presents What is a Credit Score, and says, “What is a credit score, why it is important, how it is calculated, and some tips to improve your credit score. Your credit score is a crucial financial number to keep track of.

Career.

Make concrete plans for the fall.

My lease expires in September and I hope to have some concrete plans for the fall. Will I travel? Will I look for work? Who knows?

Rob from Dough Roller presents 25 Tips and Resources for New Grads on LinkedIn, and says, “25 tips for recent college graduates to get the most out of LinkedIn.”

Mike from The Financial Blogger presents 5 Little Known Factors That Are Killing Your Business, and says, “Are these factors bringing you down?”

Green Panda from Green Panda Treehouse presents Why You Should Attend a Professional Conference This Year, and says, “Why I go out of my way to attend conferences.”

Money Management.

Amanda from My Dollar Plan presents Financial Moves to Make As Newlyweds, and says, “There are several things you will need to do for a smooth financial transition after your honeymoon so make sure to read this!”

Danielle from Saving Without A Budget presents The Best Ways to Sell Your Stuff, and says, “Spring clean and make some money at the same time.”

Bob from Dwindling Debt presents Choosing the right Bank and Account for You, and says, “There are so many banks. How do you choose the right one?”

SB from One Cent at a Time presents 21 Income Ideas for Senior and Retired Persons, and says, “This is a list of 21 income ideas for retirees. Senior and elderly who do not have enough retirement savings may have to find jobs even during retirement, this is a guide for them. This is a research based article written by searching through internet forums, blogs, news articles and interviewing people I know.”

harry campbell from Your PF Pro presents 5 Ways to Save Money at Amusement Parks: Sea World San Diego, and says, “For some reason, the April showers haven't quite hit San Diego like they normally do and the weather has been fantastic lately. Warm days and a nice breeze are why I love living in Socal and this past weekend I decided it would be a good time to take my sister(age 5) to Sea World. Even though it wasn't too crowded, there was still a ton of people there and I couldn't help but think about how much money everyone was spending.”

Gen Y Finance Journey from Gen Y Finance Journey presents Why is it So Hard to Get Ahead?, and says, “We all know we should be saving money, but why do so many people have such a hard time doing it? This post examines some of the obstacles to saving and provides advice to get around those obstacles”

Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Which Is More Dangerous? Cash or Credit Cards?, and says, “I got in to a debate with my friend last week about whether cash or credit card encourages it's user to spend more money.

My stance is that cash does – definitely! I find that the second cash enters my pocket, it's gone in 60 seconds.”

Ray from Squirrelers presents Easy Steps and Obstacles to Building Wealth, and says, “Building wealth really involves just a few basic steps, and application of simple principles. Yet, it can be very challenging for many people. This post discusses some of the obstacles we should watch out for.”

TTMK from Tie the Money Knot presents Making a Financial Rebound, and says, “Nobody is perfect, and sometimes we make mistakes. Quite often we can rebound from financial mistakes, even though it can be tough. This post shares thoughts on how to help make it easier.”

Andrea Travillian from Take A Smart Step presents Debt Pay off or Retirement Savings: Are You on the Right Track?, and says, “What to do first: pay off debt or save”

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey from My Personal Finance Journey presents Fedex, UPS, or USPS – Which is the Best Option for Mailing Packages?, and says, “This post discusses some details to the comparison of the three big players in today’s package-shipping market, Fedex, UPS (United Parcel Service), and the USPS (United States Postal Service), in an effort to determine which is the best option and which can get you the most bang for your buck.”

Emily from Evolving Personal Finance presents No Summer Plans Yet, and says, “By this point of the year we normally have some summer trips planned. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding my husband’s graduation date and next job, we don’t want to make plans and can’t justify spending on a vacation at this point.”

Dorethia Conner from The Money Chat presents Cash Advance Loans: It CAN Wait Until Pay Day!, and says, “Payday loans wreak havoc on your personal financial goals and money management. Here are some reasons to rethink before you get a payday loan. ”

Philip from PT Money presents 10 Ways to Meet Minimum Spending Requirements for Credit Card Bonuses, and says, “Do you have a new credit card that requires minimum spending in order to get a great rewards bonus? Here are 10 great ways to meet the requirement without wasting your money.”

Mrs PoP from Planting Our Pennies presents What To Do With A Car Accident Settlement?, and says, “The PoPs recently settled a car accident with the other party and are trying to figure out how best to invest the money to help take care of future health care costs.”

Other.

Oscar from Money is the Root presents 5 Travel Saving Secrets to Get you Through the Winter, and says, “I know you aren’t thinking about winter now, but if you are planning to vacation this winter you must read.”

Sean from One Smart Dollar presents Benefits of Growing A Vegetable Garden, and says, “By properly setting up an maintaining a vegetable garden you can help save money on your grocery bill.”

It’s your turn: what are you summer plans?