Hi there, Mrs. 1500 today, asking you who else do you read?
But first, let’s recap some of the amazing answers I got from last week’s question, What is your idea of cheap family fun?
I had told my oldest little 1500 that I was going to ask that question for the blog, and she immediately piped up with some of her own responses. Go on a family bike ride! Go swimming! Go for walks! We could play Hi Ho Cherry-o! (And oh, have we played Hi-Ho Cherry-o! We found it in a box we were unpacking last week, and it is now the favorite of the littlest 1500. Good family fun, but that game, coupled with my cherry tree in the front yard becoming ripe, I am about DONE with cherries! Although I DO have an awesome cherry pie recipe to share with you later in the week, so stop back…)
And since these were very good ideas, many of you had the same. Mrs. Frugalwoods loves to hike, and also suggested the local library for their many summer programs. FI Pilgrim seconded the library idea, and added a picnic at the riverfront park. We don’t have a park on our riverfront right now (historic flooding last year wiped away most things next to the river) but we do have lots of lovely parks dotted across the city. Even Steven Money lives in Chicago and takes advantage of their beautiful lakefront frequently.
Debt Debs agreed with the hikes and bikes, and added made-up plays, where the kids would make up plays for the parents. We have made-up fashion shows over here, where fancy rules. But instead of them putting on clothes, they just describe what they are wearing in their head. Kind of fun!
Lots of suggestions for camping, which we just did this past weekend up in the mountains. Big Guy Money just discovered a place about 25 miles away from his house with free camping. Nice. Allie from Allie’s Everyday Adventures has a camping trip planned for this summer, and also suggested board games like Ticket to Ride, which has been recommended to us numerous times, so looks like I am getting that game soon. Also, we were at a local brewery, and they had a game called Tri-ominoes, which is like Dominoes, but triangle shaped pieces with 3 edges to match. The girls LOVED that game, so we are currently on the hunt for it. I haven’t had much luck with finding it in thrift stores, so I may have to (gulp) pay retail for it!
Justin from Root of Good had a list of suggestions, and he expanded that to an entire post right here
Walks through the neighborhood or to the park (free)
City parks and rec water park ($2 per person when you buy a 15 admission punch pass for $30)
Big nature reserves with waterfalls, trails, etc (free except for $2 in gas)
Riding the downtown circulator bus downtown (free)
Art museum, science museum, history museum, state capital tour, walking architecture tour (free plus $1 in gas and $2-3 for parking on weekdays)
Arboretum or botanical gardens (free +$1-2 gas)
Watching rec league sports (baseball, soccer, softball, etc) – free
Library story time, arts, crafts – free
Toddler play time at the community center gym – free
Roller skating on Dollar Night ($4/person including skate rental; $1/person if you bring your own rollerblades or skates)
Biking on greenways (free)
Playdates (free)
Playing with cardboard boxes (free)
Walking to the grocery store to get a half gallon of ice cream to eat at home ($2)
Bryan from Income Surfer reminded us of Redbox, and their dollar movie rentals. We do pizza and movie night every Friday, and when the library doesn’t have anything worth watching, we head on over to Redbox.
Davey Pockets from Best Financial Freedom Blog also had a nice list of suggestions. He claims they are all free, but #7 will cost me a lot, every single time… I do like #5 a whole lot, though.
1. Walk in park/beach
2. Play basketball/football/Frisbee
3. Family game night
4. Watch movies or TV shows
5. Make a list of questions to ask one another. Use rating scales 1-10 ask about goals and dreams.
6. Turn on music and sing/dance!
7. Go to yard sales
8. Go to local art gallery
9. Bookstore/library to read
10. Attend festival
Thank you for all the great suggestions. I won’t have to pay anything for entertainment this whole summer!!!
And now for this week’s question, who else do you read?
Recently, someone posted a question over on Mr. Money Mustache‘s forum about other personal finance blogs, asking for recommendations. Some very lovely person mentioned us, and we have gained some new readers just from that one comment. (Thank you, very lovely person for your kind words!)
There is no shortage of personal finance/financial freedom blogs out there. There is an entire convention now in its 4th year devoted to financial blogs. Every one has a different voice, and a different way of looking at things. We love to discover new blogs, and we like to share new blogs with you. (See our 10 questions and a pizza place series most Saturdays…) So, who do you read, besides us?
In the real estate arena FI Fighter (http://www.fifighter.com/) can’t be beat. On the business side of things, I always find value in the Tropical MBA guys (http://www.tropicalmba.com/)
-Bryan
Income Surfer recently posted…We Turned Down Work…….Are We Crazy?!
Thanks for the suggestion, Bryan. I am going to check him out!
Thanks for the rec Bryan! Much appreciated!
FI Fighter recently posted…Immerse Yourself In Discomfort
I’m a big fan of Brian’s work over at Luke1428.com, it’s thoughtful and practical at the same time. I always like finding blogs by people with families who are working towards financial freedom (like you guys!) and not using their extra expenses as an excuse not to try.
FI Pilgrim recently posted…The Worst Job I Have Ever Had
This is another blog I had not yet discovered. I will have to start reading more, I see…
I’m a big fan of FIFighter.com and had a chance to meet up with him a little while ago when he was visiting NYC.
Of course, MadFientist, MMM, Root of Good, Johnny Moneyseed, Afford Anything are some of the tried-and-true blogs that are top-notch!
More and more, I am getting into podcasts. I am making my way through Pat Flynn’s Smart Passive Income back catalog. I’ve got many hours of listening ahead of me on that one!
Dave @ The New York Budget.com recently posted…Dabbling in Peer-to-Peer Lending with Lending Club
Another vote for FI Fighter. I will definitely check him out. Thanks!
Mr. Frugalwoods and I enjoy reading Root Of Good, MMM (of course), FI Fighter, Living A Fi, The Goblin Chief, Frugaling, Cashville Skyline, The Frugal Farmer, Club Thrifty…there are so many great resources out there! Frugal Hound likes to read about why greyhounds are awesome and also, How to Catch Squirrels 101.
Mrs. Frugalwoods recently posted…Help Us Choose The Next Frugalwoods-mobile!
Wow, this FI Fighter has really made an impression…
I’m a big fan of J.Money over at Budgets are Sexy. I also like some of the other big ones like Get Rich Slowly and Mr. Badassity (Money Mustache) and Money Ning. There are hundreds of good blogs out there and I enjoy reading most of them.
Aldo @ Million Dollar Ninja recently posted…Why You Need an Emergency Fund
They, thx man! Appreciate it 🙂
Lots of great blogs on everybody’s list for sure… I’d throw in FrugalFrings.com and AffordAnything.com too – some of my faves.
J. Money recently posted…Challenge Everything
I, too am a big fan of J. Money. I haven’t heard of Money Ning, but I know the other two. MMM introduced us to the possibility of early retirement.
A few I enjoy:
http://www.createmyindependence.com/
http://www.ourfreakingbudget.com/
http://grumpyandannoyed.com/
http://cashcowcouple.com/
Others were mentioned above. Some new ones from the list too. There is no shortage of good reading out there.
Wade recently posted…Do you carry cash money?
I have read Grumpy and Annoyed and Cash Cow Couple. I am going to check out those other two.
Dividend Mantra, Living a FI, All About Interest, and Accumulating Assets are a few I really enjoy. These guys are fighting hard to reach financial independence!
My Dividend Pipeline recently posted…Weekly Sharebuilder Purchases
I know very little about dividend investing, so I should probably start checking out those with the word Dividend in their names… Thanks!
I think J. Money does a really good job of curating awesome personal finance articles over at Rockstar Finance. I always find something interesting there.
Jen @ Jen Spends recently posted…7 Things I’ve been doing instead of blogging
I absolutely agree.
I read Ree Klein at Escaping Dodge (http://www.escapingdodge.com/) and Cash Cow Couple (cashcowcouple.com). I love their honesty!
Tammy R recently posted…Not a Beginning or an End, Just Living
Another vote for Cash Cow Couple. I like their honesty, too. Ree Klein has a great voice.
Here are some other awesome blogs not already listed:
http://www.passive-income-pursuit.com is great for dividend investing and early FI… he’s a monster saver.
http://thefirestarter.co.uk has tasty recipes and plenty of pics to go with it.
http://www.nononsenselandlord.com is a great resource for real estate investing.
http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com for resourceful living and travel.
http://www.donebyforty.com lots of variety and insightful posts.
FI Fighter recently posted…Immerse Yourself In Discomfort
Here are some other awesome blogs not already on the list… Sorry if this is a repost, I’m having some difficulties getting this comment through:
http://www.passive-income-pursuit.com is great for dividend investing and early FI… he’s a monster saver.
http://thefirestarter.co.uk has tasty recipes and plenty of pics to go with it.
http://www.nononsenselandlord.com is a great resource for real estate investing.
http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com for resourceful living and travel.
http://www.donebyforty.com lots of variety and insightful posts.
FI Fighter recently posted…Immerse Yourself In Discomfort
There is so many great blogs out there. I try to stick more with the FI blogs, MMM, Mad Fientist, Done by 40, Retire by 40, FI Fighter, 1500 Days, Even Steven Money, Budgets are Sexy/Rockstar Finance, there is so many “smaller” blogs that I am not including that I read and comment on throughout the week.
Even Steven recently posted…Goal Progress to Financial Independence
My 5 favorites are
1. JohnnyMoneyseed.com- This blog started it all for me. I really like his post on why paying off your mortgage early is silly! Really opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking financially.
2. 1500days.com- You guys have really inspired me a lot as well. It’s crazy to watch how quickly your net worth keeps going up and up. I know I want to be there someday soon. I also love how many shout-outs you give and how you make your blog successful by helping others. You set a great example.
3. DivHut.com- Another one of the coolest blogs on finance on the internet. I highly suggest this blog if you are thinking how to begin investing in stocks. You will find a lot of tips of how and where to invest. As well as many great dividend paying stocks that can help make you some money right away!
4. Mr.MoneyMustache- Is there a cooler or more unique financial blog going? Love the writing style and the information to boot.
5. Budgetsaresexy.com- Budgets are sexy and everyone should know it! Another awesome blog and someone who has helped me out along the path.
Thanks Davey Pockets! I’m very honored to be mentioned in the same breath as those other guys.
As for helping others, I believe we’re all stronger when we work together. I’ve learned far more from all of you than you have from me. Got to give back somehow.
Two more to add that I didn’t see above:
Big guy money: (which I found through 10 questions and a pizza)
Bucking-the-trend: not too active lately with their planning and prep for the move to Spain
jlcollinsnh: One of my favorites
mimismartypants: hilarious
Just realized I posted four 🙂
Never hear of that last one, but will check her out. The first 3 are all super choices.
Thanks for the mention bdub!
Most of the sites I read regularly have already been mentioned, but I’d like to add Brave New Life, and Simple Economist. Better late than never!
Big Guy Money recently posted…A Brief Glimpse of Freedom
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Frugalwoods, they are really entertaining (well, Frugal Hound is!) I love their simple and accessible advice, it’s really inspirational – go look!
http://www.frugalwoods.com
Yeah, they are awesome!