Friday Grab Bag - 6/26/2009

It's Friday again, and that means it's time for the weekly SPENDonLIFE grab bag post. Here we share some of the week's more interesting tidbits from the world of credit and identity theft. Enjoy! 

Jar o' Shredded Credit

Not the Jet Set, through its Financial Peace University course, is encouraging heavily debt-saddled peeps to give up their credit cards to the almighty glass jar. For those without the discipline to keep their credit cards in their wallets, we at SPENDonLIFE agree that shredding is the way to go. Just remember that calling your credit card company to cancel your account can hurt your credit score. Reducing the amount of credit available to you reduces your utilization rate and stunts the length of your credit history. So cut up all you like, just don't cancel.

How much house can $10,000 buy?

Jim at Bargaineering showcases what $10,000 can get you in five different cities, from Baltimore to Las Vegas. Sure, most of us would never ever want to step foot in these homes, much less live in them, but it's still interesting to check out. And the one in Detroit doesn't look so bad...

Recession Toolbox

FiscalFizzle has rounded up 22 posts from its archives, and all offer help during these difficult economic times. Whether you need ideas for cheap dates, ways to make your brown bag a little tastier, or just some quotes to stay positive after a layoff, Fiscal Fizzle's got your covered. Take this little nugget, for example: "When the winds of change blow, some people build shelters, and some build windmills." – Chinese proverb

Freeganism takes frugal living to the extreme

Everyone is talking about ways to be frugal these days. But apparently being frugal doesn't hold a candle to being Freegan, a lifestyle that's been around since the mid-90s. Matt at MyFinancialRecovery talks about how these so-called Freegans take frugality to the next level: They dumpster-dive for food. Freegans profess an anti-consumerist, anti-waste lifestyle, and make it clear that they don't forage for food out of need, but rather to make a political statement. What do you think? Crazy activists or fearless leaders fighting against a wasteful, capitalist culture?

Turn life's tough decisions over to Hunch.com

I just heard about a new website - Hunch.com. It's like the internet's answer to the magic 8-ball. Hunch first asks a bunch of non-personal--though incredibly scientific and important--questions to get to know you (for instance, “Do you think alien abductions are real or fake?”). Based on your particular personality and worldview, Hunch then makes decisions for you about almost anything, including which credit card to apply for. Of course, Hunch is all in good fun, but that doesn't mean it can't point you in the right direction.