It’s been a lazy day today, and I’ve spent most of my time online searching for socks. Yes, I said socks. My feet, having been broken in the past, have poor circulation. When the weather turns cold, my mind turns to warm fuzzy yummy socks. Today, I found this website and I’ve been plotting budgetary changes to accommodate my sock-lust!

So, while I’m on my quest for socks (oh, and if you want to send me a pair from Sock Dreams… I’m ok with that!), please feel free to stop in and visit some of my other author friends. The articles I’m including today aren’t from this week, but they are fabulous information regardless.

Along the same theme… my friend Alicia sent me a link just a few minutes ago about socks. Since it’s a cause I believe in, I’m swiping the letter in its entirety from Mary Robinette Kowal’s Blog and posting it for you here.

“I’m the Resource Coordinator for a non-profit organization that works with homeless and indigent teenagers, as well as teens who are in bad home situations. OxenFree is a really fantastic program that engages at-risk teens through punk rock music, and provides support in a drug-free and alcohol-free environment.

The reason I’m invading blogs today? My job with OxenFree is to receive requests from the phenomenal people who run the program, and to figure out a way to fill them. My current assignment is…SOCKS. And I have to admit, I’m a bit at a loss. Socks are not a large-volume item at clothing centers (people usually just wear them out instead of donating them), and they’re surprisingly expensive. Homeless teenagers, especially hitchhikers, go through socks like you wouldn’t believe. My friend Margie can no longer afford to keep stocking her “free socks” drawer by herself, and asked me if I could try working my magic.

So, would you be willing to help me sock my punks?

If so, thank you in advance! Thank you so much! Any donation is welcome (supplies only, please) at the following address:

OxenFree Donations
4922 E. New York St.
Indianapolis, IN 46201

Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and tampons are also very useful and hard-to-come-by items.

If shipping to Indiana is too expensive, it would totally rock MY socks off if you considered donating to a similar program in your own city. At-risk teens are everywhere. They’re really neat people, and doing tiny things to help them out has an incredible effect.

Thank you so much, again, for your time, attention and consideration!

D. T. Friedman”

• Have no estate plan? Try this guide to wills and trusts – The Digerati Life
• Is Recession Preparing a new breed of survivalist? – Frugal Dad
• Decorating: Use your ears – Simple Mom
• Best of the web: The only 8 personal finance books you’ll ever need – Wise Bread
• A life of action – Remodeling This Life
• How Wisebread helped me get 45mpg out of my 28 mpg car – Wise Bread
• In Praise of the Lifestyle Business – Get Rich Slowly
• Cutting Food Costs – 3 ways to save on dinner – ME
• Frugal easy to make soup – Notes From The Frugal Trenches
• 10 Surprising side effects to Money Management – Simple Mom
• Can you have too much insurance? – The Wisdom Journal

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I am participating in three blog carnivals/festivals this week! I’ve got quite a bit of reading to do.

Check out the 126th Festival of Frugality at The Financial Blogger. They shared my post on No Spend Weekend Ideas. Some of the posts I can’t wait to read from here are:

• Survive a Recession by Gather Little by Little.
• Stimulate Your Finances Every Month by Single Guy Money.
• 10 Ways to Save Money at the Grocery Store by Mrs. Mo’s New Jersey, Baby!
• Frugality in Practice: Making Things Last by Uncommon Cents.
• Save Money With DIY Repairs by Harvesting Dollars.

Money and Values is hosting the 153rd Carnival of Personal Finance. I am excited that they included my post 10 Ways To Reduce Spending Painlessly. This is one of my favorite carnivals because I can relate to almost every article shared. Some of the ones I am looking forward to are:

• Six Ways to Get a Ton of Money & the Attitudes That Go With Them by Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck
• how to make money without a job and why you should by Brip Blap
• Is Your City Recession-Proof? These 10 Are! by FIRE Finance
• Sneaky Fees from American Express Charges by Growing Money

Finally, my post on Scary Conversations was included in the Carnival of Financial Planning over at The Skilled Investor. This is the first time I’ve seen that blog, so I am very interested in digging into the archives there. Some of the other entries I can’t wait to read are:

• Top Ten Tips - Managing Your Personal Budget by Tip Diva
• College is expensive, Why pay more than you have to? By David Makes Cents
• Why You NEED More for Retirement by Master Your Card
• Easiest Way to Save Money AND Become Rich by Improved Life

Check them out and let me know what you think. I have lots of reading to do!