My credit score for July went up to 716 from 710 last month.  It is a long way from the high of 781 I hit earlier this year but at least it has stopped declining.  I’m not acquiring any new debt other than my student loans so my credit score should remain stable or go up next month.

Also,the latest edition of the Festival of Frugality is being hosted by fellow Frugal Blog Network member Antishay Ventenne. It includes my post on “Stuff“. The Carnival of Personal Finance is being hosted this week at Taking Charge. I’m pre-posting this since I’m on a road trip through Thursday so I can’t make any picks. Go ahead and check out the Carnival and the Festival and make your own picks.

Using Health Reimbursement Plans to Reduce Medical Expenses from Not Made of Money. My employer doesn’t offer such a plan and I don’t make enough to make a HSA beneficial to me but if I did I would definitely take advantage of this type of plan.

Life Moves On, and We’re Back in Business from Antishay Ventenne.  After taking a break from her blog after successfully paying off her debt Shanti is back with a vengeance.

Making It Work from Frugal Babe. This post shows that with a little improvisation more frugal opportunities are available to you.

Is it Possible to be Frugal in America? from Frugal Bachelor.  Puts an interesting perspective on how frugal we really are.

How to live in a caravan and save up for a house from Find Financial Freedom.  Since I’m thinking of living in a van this article was interesting to me.

You should check out the other member sites but I’ll include a brief introduction of the member sites here.

1. Antishay Ventenne: Is a young Seattle resident who recently became debt free. You can learn a lot more about her at her About Me page.
2. Frugal Babe: Is a married twenty-something living in the suburbs of an anonymous city. Learn more about her at her About Me page.
3. Not Made of Money: Is a blog by a husband and wife team who live on one income. Visit their About Me page to learn more.
4. Tight Fisted Miser: Since you’re here you should already know who I am.  I’m a 40 year old law student living in Kansas City,MO.

We will operate like most other networks with weekly roundups and occasional group writing projects.  We’re also looking to add a couple more members.  If you have an established blog that at least somewhat pertains to frugality and would like to join send me an email.

I have various referral bonus programs on my Make $$$ With TFM page.  My most consistent performer has been ING DIRECT.  I exhausted my original 25 Orange Savings referrals and then exhausted the additional 25 they gave me as well resulting in $500 for me.  Now I’m making my mom money by sending her Orange Savings referrals.  I still have Electric Orange referrals but there isn’t much demand for them.  If you’re interested in any of the bonuses just send your info via the contact form on the Make $$$ With TFM page.  If you have any questions email me or leave a comment.

The late George Carlin had a lot to say about stuff.

My response to B would be basically along the same line as Skye’s response.  I’m not guessing that the woman should be able to make the $280 a month in food stamps last all month.  I’m speaking from experience.  I regularly spend about $100 a month on food.  It shouldn’t cost a $180 more to feed a baby also.  I don’t doubt that the woman was having difficulty getting by on the food stamps but that is more likely from her making poor choices on food purchases than the amount be insufficient.  B does make a good point that his food costs are increased because he doesn’t have access to a refrigerator or a microwave.  Reading through his comment though it appears some of his problem stem from making poor food purchases.  First, he states that he drinks bottled water because he thinks tap water is unsafe.  That is unlikely.  Most bottled water actually comes from municipal water supplies.  I seriously doubt that bottled water is much better for you than tap water.  I normally drink tap water and only buy bottled water when I’m in a situation where I’m “forced” to buy it.  If you’re homeless than you probably should forgo any marginal health benefits you would get from drinking only bottled water.  Second, he states his alternative for cheap food is to buy food at the dollar store that is full of additives and preservatives.  There are better choices at your local grocery store.  Check out “20 Healthy Foods that Cost Less than a Buck” for some examples.  With a little planning of your food purchases you should be able to eat on $100 a month without too much problem.

My income was decent for June considering I didn’t work at my regular job very much. I had a great month for bonuses. Online income was also very good. I paid for one year of hosting and renewed my domain for two years or it would have been even higher than last month. I was also helped by having three paychecks in June. This month my income should be about the same. I probably won’t make nearly as much on bonuses but I’ll be working more which should offset that.