linklings, august 21 edition

Here we go, links of the weekend…

First up is one of the best articles I’ve read over at Zen Habits in a while. I read a lot of articles like this one – it’s become a bit of a ridiculous obsession of mine, since I don’t really plan on becoming an entrepreneur any time soon – but this one struck a chord: The Get-Started-Now Guide to Becoming Self-Employed. I’m also working my way through the audiobook version of Leo’s The Power of Less (and incidentally, pick up the book, not the audiobook – the production quality of the audiobook leaves something to be desired).

I do include affiliate links from time to time, as I disclose in the privacy policy for this site. Using the affiliate links does help me pay for things like hosting and some of the incidental things I have to buy. For example, I just purchased the frugal theme from Eric Hamm and I’m working on changing the theme of this site over. It’s not a big change from the current theme, but it will clean up the code and make my programming life easier. Click here to visit the “frugal” Theme website and see what it will look like.

Protect Your Brand Identity: I worry about my brand. Brip Blap’s a highly-sought-after nom de plume, after all. Seriously, I do intend to protect it – these are some good tips.

Friends and Family as a Form of Insurance: I agree – I consider my family a form of investment. I don’t think it’s agreat idea; they might suffer economic hardship as well as I, but I still always count on familial support.

Your Home Is Not An Investment: Never has been, never will be.

Mining the Miners: A Different Way To Make Money: Great way to approach the money-making problem; there’s doing it and then there’s mining it.

Angies List Contractor Service Follow Up: I think I’ve got to sign up for this Angie’s List thing.

Rent vs Mortgage: Calculating Tangible and Intangible Costs and a followup, The Value of Establishing a Permanent Residence: I guess here’s the point – having lived in a home for almost 5 years, then moving into a rental and searching for our next home, renting sucks. If you have the assets, owning is preferable from a mental point of view. We’d like to be in our own home and ceasing to worry about the temporary nature of our residence.

A few more links:

• How to Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits – Eligibility Requirements
• Restaurant Week for Fun and Profit
• How to Save Money on Travel
• Find The Best Web Host For Your Online Business
• The Best Bank for Your Money
• AMEX To Raise Late Fee and Rates on My Cards
• When Work and Money Collide

“My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement.” Patricia in Joe Versus the Volcano