Friday’s Fab Links #9

Thanks to everyone who gave me some feedback this week on what makes a well designed blog. Your comments have all really helped me to tweak the design I’ve already got in place to make it work a bit better!

The consensus overall was that a clean and uncluttered design works well, with plenty of white space. A common theme throughout the answers was that the size of the font on this blog was a little too small, so I’ve rectified that now along with adding a custom header. Hope you like the changes!

I did have my eye on a premium theme, which I really love. It’s not too expensive but my budget won’t stretch to it this month. I’ve decided that when I’ve paid back my credit card, hopefully around Christmas time, if I still love that particular theme as much, I may invest it in then. That could be my littler treat to myself for achieving one of my debt payback goals!

It’s been a really busy week for me as I’ve been getting ready for my little girl’s birthday party this coming Saturday. I’ve bought her a new pink toddler scooter for £13 including delivery (bargain or what?) and I’ve splashed out on cake ingredients and a little food for her party. All in all, it hasn’t cost that much as I’ve tried to keep the spending to a minimum by holding the party at home. We’ve spent around £60 which will cater for 14 children with a few spare sandwiches for a couple of hungry adults and this figure also accounts for my little angel’s pressie. I’ve not spent any money for ages though and doing so was actually really difficult. I kind of felt torn between not wanting to spend at all and wanting to make sure my little girl has a good time.

The result will inevitably be that we can’t repay as much debt this month. But we’ve still overpaid some so I’m happy with that. Sometimes, you have to spend a little money when you’re paying off debts!

Anyway, onto some great personal finance reads!

Again, there are so many, but here are my personal favourites from this week:

Thomas from Your Daily Finance wrote Your Personal Finances – It’s All About Your Attitude. Having a positive attitude will help bring about positive change, there’s no doubt about that. But also, if we want things to change and improve, then we have to actually do something to help ourselves. In my situation, I use my evenings more productively now trying to sell my stuff on eBay, looking at ways to make money, keeping track of my expenses and shopping around for better deals. And things are gradually improving!

Mrs PoP from Planting Our Pennies wrote a really helpful post on Extending The 5 Year Consumer Product Lifecycle. I’ve wasted too many products in the past, thinking that they were on their last legs. Mrs PoP explains how to recycle a cutting board, fix a laundry basket and remove perspiration/deodorant stains on clothes!

Tonya from It Started With Lip Gloss wrote a great post on When You Try Too Hard. Sometimes, we worry too much about how we look on the outside, yet it’s what’s on the inside that really counts! There are also some great must see photos in this post!

Canadian Budget Binder wrote a post on Network Marketing: What is it and is it right for you? I’ve been involved in a couple of network marketing businesses in the past and I think it could be a great way to make extra money. I didn’t find the right business back then but I have a couple of friends who are doing really well with theirs, so I’m always on the lookout for the right opportunity for me!

Andrew at Living Rich Cheaply explained How to Make a Great Speech. I was really interested in this because I had to do a lot of public speaking in my last job (and I totally sucked at it). I can remember all too well just like it was yesterday the way my knees would shake, hands would tremble and the dread in the bottom of my stomach a few weeks before a presentation!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Posts I’ve written this week:

• Save Money and Swap! 17 Swap Websites Reviewed
• Question: what are the key elements of a well designed blog?

Related posts:

• Friday’s Fab Links #8
• Friday’s Fab Links #7
• Planning a cheap birthday party for kids

 Image © A Disease Called Debt