Weekend Roundup - Couch To 5K

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Yesterday I discovered running isn’t as easy as it was when I was a child.

Yesterday when I asked you all for some tips on staying fit without spending a lot of money, you really came through! I will never be bored with my workouts again! And i never would have thought of turning to YouTube for exercise videos! Brilliant!

I was so motivated after reading your comments yesterday morning, I did the first workout in the Couch to 5K training program. 20 minutes of alternating walking and running. I thought I was going to die, but I finished! And yes, I am THAT out of shape! I will press on, though.

Being Frugal Happenings

It’s been a fairly eventful week this week. I made the final round of Free Money Finance’s March Madness Tournament! As a reminder, I’m playing for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. When I chose the L&L Society as my charity, it was partially because my mom has leukemia.

But the other inspiration for my choice was a young man who has literally been in a battle for his life over the last year. I’ve been following Dylan’s story for almost a year now, and I am amazed by his strength and perseverance.

This week I read that his parents made the difficult decision to change the focus of Dylan’s therapy from trying to cure the leukemia to maintaining Dylan’s quality of life. My prayers are with Dylan and his family right now. And I’m dedicating this last round of March Madness to Dylan. No parent or child should have to go through this, and I pray that someday there is a cure.

So please go here and vote for Dollar today. If my post wins, the L&L Society will get $500. If it loses, the L&L Society will get $250, so I win either way. But I’d love to win one for Dylan this week! Thanks for your help!

Other news:

I had a guest post up over at Small Cents yesterday. Head on over to say hi!
I’ve become quite addicted to Twitter (as have other bloggers around here). If you tweet, feel free to follow me!
I participated in the Carnival of Financial Goals at I’ve Paid for This Twice Already. Thanks, paidtwice, for hosting!

The Being Frugal Roundup

I’m warning you, there were oodles of good articles out there this week. (Don’t you just love the word oodles?) This is going to be a long roundup. I’ll categorize everything to make reading easier.

Shopping

Head to BeCentsAble for Small Steps to Affordable Whole Foods (scroll down a little). If you’re trying to eat more natural and organic foods and don’t know where to start, this is a must read!
David’s wife bought $39 glasses. Find out if they were a bargain or a bust at My Two Dollars.
Single Guy Money is not renewing his Costco card. Read his post to find out why.
Kevin at No Debt Plan says buying weed killer on clearance was a big mistake. I usually don’t think clearance and mistake belong in the same sentence, but he’s probably right about the weed killer.

Debt and Credit Cards (and why I hate them)

Mary Hunt tells a horrific, but sadly true, story about what Chase did to a long term customer. You’ll just have to read it. It makes me too angry for words.
Head over to Discover Debt Freedom to find out 10 facts credit card companies don’t want you to know. 10 more reasons I don’t like credit cards.
Pinyo shares the cost of instant gratification at Moolanomy. Perhaps if more people really understood this, there would be less people in debt. I know I wouldn’t have gotten into debt. At least I don’t think I would have.
When you graduate from college, you’re going to have to pay back those pesky student loans. Mrs. Micah tells you how to use your deferment period wisely.

Being Frugal

Kyle shares 5 ways to survive on one income at Rather-Be-Shopping. Being a stay at home mom is very important to me, and I’m always glad to share tips that can make it possible for moms who want to be at home to do just that.
Frugal Dad tells us the difference between being frugal and being cheap. I think he’s spot on!

Other Articles I Found Interesting

Prime Time Money did an interview with a United States Postal Inspector about identity theft. There is some great information here. I encourage you to read it.
Emily asks the question “Is Human Behavior Consistent Over Time?” at Remodeling This Life. What do you think?
I found 5 Personal Finance Lessons from NASCAR at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. Two of my loves combined into one post! And my favorite driver is sitting on the pole this weekend. It doesn’t get any better than this!

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to vote for “Dollar’ at Free Money Finance! And for voting, you’ll be eligible to win a $50 Smarty Pig gift card! Don’t know what Smarty Pig is? Here’s a good review!

Photo by bradleypjohnson.

Free Money!