Doing the mathy math, microwave popcorn costs around $22.65 for 12 boxes with 3 packets per box (source Amazon) — that’s an eye-popping $3.53 per pound!

Sure, you may think you’re paying all that delicious cash for a magic metal-lined bag that pops better kernels and cooks your corn more evenly. But think again. I can do the same popping magic trick with a cheapo plain brown paper bag. And at a tasty 50 cents per pound, plain popcorn kernels bought in bulk cost FAR less than that slimy packaged stuff.

Now let me pop the big question: have you ever recycled your leftover microwave popcorn bags? I cringe to think how much of this product graces our landfills, all in the name of snack food. But no fear, by switching your home movie snacking habit using this frugal trick, you can compost or recycle your used brown paper bags and create no waste. See How To Compost Without Raising a Stink for easy composting help.

Speaking of waist, do you know how many calories are contained in those popcorn flavor packets? What about the ingredients? Here’s the ingredient list from the Act II popcorn page on Amazon. Note: I couldn’t find this information on the company’s website.

Act II Popcorn Ingredients: Popcorn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Annatto Color. Contains: Fish, Milk

Fish? Milk? In my popcorn? Um, no thanks. I’ll skip the hydrogenated oil, fish, and milk additives in my snacks by sticking to my frugalicious and homemade popcorn version. Here’s how to make Microwave Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag:

Step One: Get a brown paper bag

This is ridiculously easy, internet people. Just head on over to your local grocery store and pickup a package of no name flat-bottomed brown paper lunch bags.

I nabbed a package of 100 brown bags for around $2, on sale.

Step Two: Bag your popcorn

Add a 1/2 cup scoop of bulk popcorn kernels to your brown paper bag.

Fold the bag over twice. Don’t use staples to secure the bag — this might spark in your microwave.

This is so exciting. I’m popping with excitement.

Step Three: Pop in microwave

Stick the popcorn bag into your microwave. I set mine for 3 minutes on high.

Popping Tip: Stop the microwave when the popping slows to one to two pops per second. You don’t want to burn your tasty snack.

Step Four: Add gourmet topping

A pinch of salt with a dab of butter is the most popular way to eat popcorn.

But why not get creative and try some sweet or savory flavors to mix up movie night?

Try these toppings for some gourmet popcorn fun:

• Mexican: Add chili powder, hot sauce, and salt.
• Kiss My Breath: Shake in onion powder and garlic powder — hold the kiss.
• Cheese Please: Mix in Parmesan cheese with a little salt.
• Sweet Tooth: A dash of cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar, and a topper of honey. Now that’s money.
• Classic: A shake of salt with a pat of butter.

Squawkfox: How do YOU make popcorn? Got a favorite gourmet popcorn topping to share?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

It’s a pretty sweet day when a nice tidy sum of cash falls into your wallet. Perhaps you’ve earned a bonus, received an inheritance, won the lottery, or found another source of financial fortune. Whee! Free money! Now what?

How ever you’ve landed your loot, it’s always a wise idea to have a plan in place before blowing through your new-found dough. There’s nothing worse then landing a windfall, spending it on crap, and waking up in the morning filled with regret and still in debt. And it’s not hard to do. The Consumerist reports that “1 in 3 lottery winners are in serious financial trouble or even bankrupt within 5 years” of turning in their winning ticket.

If lottery winners can blow though billions every year and have nothing to show for it, then even our humble bonuses and tax refund windfalls are at risk. Sorry, I don’t mean to give you a case of the sads since a financial windfall is supposed to be fun. I’m mean like that.

So, before flushing your hard-earned bonus down the la toilette (that’s French for crapper), how about getting smart about the elusive cash windfall by making a plan, man.

The Windfall Planner Worksheet

Not everyone wins the cash prize or earns a bonus every year. But depending on the luck of the draw, you may just find a use for this worksheet in your budget this year.

Download: Windfall Planner Worksheet

Here’s how to use it:

• Download the Windfall Planner Worksheet.
• Check if the promised windfall has been paid to you and is in your bank account before making any purchases or payments.
• Refer to your Net Worth Spreadsheet. How much to you own? How much do you owe? Where’s your debt?
• Review your money goals using the Financial Goals Worksheet.
• Double check your Needs and Wants List.
• Set aside a portion to pay your taxes. Yes, taxes.
• Now ask yourself: Can I afford to blow this dough?

5 Ways to Make the Most of a Windfall

Before looking at your windfall as free money and spending it, consider putting your extra cash to good use. Here are five ways to make the most of your windfall — big or small.

1. Pay off those credit cards: Even small amounts of windfall cash can add up to big savings when credit card interest is eating your wallet alive. If you’re carrying a balance, consider paying off your plastic to end the high interest misery. Try the Credit Card Calculator to see how many years it will take to pay off your plastic. Try these 5 Credit Card Tactics to help negotiate a better rate, among other helpful tips.
2. Make an extra mortgage payment: If your mortgage offers prepayment privileges, then add your windfall to the mountain of mortgage debt to live debt-free sooner. Mortgage prepayments are lump sum payments you make outside of your normal mortgage schedule, where 100% of the payment goes against the principal. Prepayment privileges are your best financial friend because they help you pay off your mortgage sooner and save significantly on interest.
3. Contribute to your retirement: If your employer matches your retirement plan contributions then you’re really winning the windfall game since your getting an instant return on your lucky dough. Jackpot! Those without generous employers should still consider an extra contribution since adding more money sooner gives your golden cash additional time to compound — and perhaps you’ll retire sooner! Americans can read up on their 401K Plans while Canadians enjoy the Benefits of RRSPs.
4. Save or invest the cash: Why not stash your windfall cash away for a rainy day and watch your savings grow? Conservative investors could consider CDs, GICs, or even high interest savings accounts to benefit from the magic of compound interest. Try the Millionaire Savings Calculator to see how little it takes to save a lot with compound interest doing the work for you. Those who don’t mind a little bit of stock market risk could invest in index funds or exchange traded funds and win from low investment fees and market growth.
5. Spend It! Oh what the heck. If you’ve used some of your windfall to pay down debt, contribute to your retirement, make a mortgage payment (or two), and saved a little — then why not go out and enjoy life. Kudos!

Squawkback: Ever win the lottery? How do you spend your money windfalls?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

Now that we’ve planned ahead for the holidays with the Gift Giving Worksheet, I want to look beyond presents by giving you a way to track all your holiday expenses in one place.

Sure, the Budget Spreadsheet has a space for the holidays, but I think a specific spreadsheet geared towards tracking holiday expenses can better help you deal with the varied costs of Christmas, Hanukkah, or your particular festival of fancy.

And yes, I am fully aware it is not yet July. But hey, go through some of your holiday gear this summer, unload your unused decorations at a summer garage sale, and make a list of the stuff you own. Knowing what you already have on hand can better help you plan your holiday budget since you won’t be spending good money buying duplicates of the forgotten stuff you have buried away in the basement. Yes, I’m talking to you. Smile.

In my own experience I’ve found that focusing on the varied spending activities during the holidays, rather than just gift giving, can show how the seemingly little costs add up. Smaller spends on things like wrapping paper, decorations, baking supplies, beverages, flowers, and even the ballet (The Nutcracker, anyone?) may seem insignificant on their own, but once added up can total hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year for one single holiday. Fa la la la la, la la la broke.

By tracking your costs during the holiday season, you’ll be able to get a grip on where your money is going since you’ll better know where you’ve spent the bucks, and when you’ve hit the end of your budget.

The Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet

Like all the other worksheets and spreadsheets in this series, I think this one is pretty straight-forward to download and use. And yes, it’s free.

Download: Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet

Use the Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet to:

• Estimate all your holiday expenses.
• Enter actual costs and make notes on additional spends.
• Locate sources of available and budgeted money.
• Plan ahead for a shortfall and find ways to bridge the budget gap.
• Focus on all holiday spending categories so you don’t go into debt for the big event.

After putting together your plan for gifts using the Gift Giving Worksheet, enter that anticipated amount into the Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet. When you’re done tallying your expenses after the holidays, be sure to add these costs to the big Budget Spreadsheet.

It may seem like a bit of work, but looking at the little holiday spends, tallying the total costs, and bringing that number into the bigger budget picture is a surefire way to keep costs down and spirits high throughout the year.

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

I’ve written about jarred gifts before in 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar — so check it out if you’re less into pastry and more into mixes in a jar.

Pie in a jar is just that — it’s a small single serving of fruit pie made and baked in a tiny mason jar. These pies are frugal to make, awesome to gift, tasty to serve, and fun to sell at bake sales where there’s more than enough standard cakes and tarts to go around. Yes, every local bake sale has a tart or two. But I digress.

Anytartytarts, I’ve even given a few jarred pies to friends in need of a little cheer after a bad day. We’ve all had those days, and sharing a belly laugh over a tiny pie in a jar is far cheaper than visiting a shrink. But if you do need a shrink then please don’t drop by looking for tiny pie. It’s only pie, after all.

Not only are pies in a jar fun to make, but they are a flexible food to serve too. Bake up a fresh batch today or freeze a bunch for later when unexpected company arrives. These little marvels don’t take up your freezer space like traditional baking since they stack up nicely.

So to get you in the mood for some summer sweet and frugal pie, let’s get some mason jars, turn on the oven, and get baking. If you’ve got some kiddlets looking for a fun project, get them into the frugal fun too by teaching them to bake. Watching little ones eat tiny pies is kinda cute too.

Oh, and don’t forget to add these pies as gifts using the Budget Series Gift Giving Worksheet — where tracking even small gifts is as easy as pie.

Step One: Get the right ‘wide mouth jars’

Making pie in a jar is simple with the right canning jars. If you don’t want to have pie on your face, then skip the super cutie narrow-necked jelly jars and get the still super cute 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars. You’ll thank me when it’s time to line the jar with dough and when it’s time to plate your pie. Besides, the wide mouth jars make it easier to label for a gift, or eat out of with a fork.

The 1/2 pint wide mouth jars yield a pie around 2.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

Don’t forget to wash or sterilize your jars before making pie.

Sterilizing is important if you plan to freeze your jarred pies for baking at a later date.

Step Two: Press in your pie dough

I will not lie to you. Filling these little mason jars with pie dough is not easy. When I had the patience I rolled out a little doily-shaped crust, fit it into the bottom of the jar, and then pressed it in to form the perfect (cough) crust. I also found that taking dough pieces and pressing them into the jar worked well too.

Jarring Revelations:

• Greasing the jar with butter before lining it with dough helps to remove the pie (in one piece) after baking.
• Swearing at either the jar or the pastry doesn’t help. You may scare your spouse. Besides, being a dough-head isn’t cool.
• Leave 1/2 inch of pie crust above the edge of the mason jar. This extra dough lets you roll and crimp the bottom of the pie crust to the pie top.

Now don’t give me the stink eye over my next admission — I used store bought dough for my pie in a jar. [Enter Stink Eye Here]. Making pastry is not my talent. If pastry is your passion then check out the Smitten Kitchen’s Pie Crust 101 tutorial and recipe. For everyone else, just buy three or four pie crusts from the refrigerator section at your grocery store. You’ll need around three pie crusts to fill six mason jars, but chances are you’ll make a mistake or two, or three. If you prefer thinner crust, then just roll out your dough and use two pie crusts. Easy.

As an alternative to pastry or for those on a gluten-free diet, swap out the dough and try my Homemade Granola Recipe as a pie crust. It’s tasty.

Step Three: Add some pie filling

Are you hankering for some apple pie or do you crave a nice sweet cherry pie? The choice is yours. I have a simple pie filling recipe (below), but I must be honest with you again — I used canned cherry pie filling for the pies in this post. Don’t hate me because I felt lazy today. Love me ’cause I’m honest. Smile.

Simple Pie Filling Recipe:

• 4 1/2 cups cherries, berries, or diced fruit
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, divide between the pies
• spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, or to taste

Or better yet, hop on over to my Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Apples and try that filling since I’m stuck in a can today. It’s tasty and healthy.

Jarring Revelations:

• Only fill the jars to the 3/4 mark. Filling to the brim will make it tricky to top and crimp your pie. Also, the pie might bubble and boil over if over-filled. It happens.
• Add a little flour to the mixture if your fruit is super juicy.
• Top your filling with a little pat of butter. Yum.

Now on to the fun part.

Step Four: Create a pretty pie top

I hope you kept your mason jar lids handy because the inner ring makes the perfect pie top cutter. Just use a knife to trace the inner ring circle and voila — instant pie top.

Now personalize your pie top by using a small cookie cutter to create a little vent. Once you’ve placed the pie top into the pie jar (it’s tricky I know), go ahead and carefully crimp the pie crust bottom over the top. Put the lids and rings on each jar until you’re ready to bake.

Step Five: Freeze your pies (optional)

If you have cold feet or you’re not ready to bake your pies today, then go ahead and freeze them until needed. I keep a few jarred pies in deep freeze in case I need a quick gift, or for when company comes over. Ok, Ok, sometimes I just like a little tiny tart treat too.

An unforeseen bonus to making pie in a jar is the mason jars protect the pies in the freezer. No more dented pies! Also, the jars make it super simple to stack many pies without ruining the tender crusts — so you can optimize your freezer space and save the room for stocking up on grocery sale items.

One little trick for dealing with slippery mason jars is to wrap each pie jar with a little tin foil to get a better grip. I dropped one the other day and made a little mess. My dog was happy though.

Step Six: Get Baked

It’s time to get bubbly, tarty, flaky, and tasty. Start by removing the lids and rings from each jar. If you own a Silpat Nonstick Silicon Baking Mat, then place each jarred pie on your Silpat (on a cookie sheet) to prevent slipping. Sliding hot jars filled with boiling pie are not safe. Just a safety warning. I’m a safety girl.

• To bake from refrigerated: Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. The bonus with glass jars is you can easily see if the crust is getting too brown.

• To bake from frozen: Follow the same instructions from above but preheat oven to 350-375 degrees and bake for around 60-70 minutes.

Oh, and don’t worry about baking in jars. Canning jars are very resilient when it comes to heat — they are meant to be boiled — so baking pies straight from the freezer is fine.

Step Seven: Serve or Decorate

Removing the pie from it’s jar can be a tricky situation. I’ve had some good luck by sliding a knife around the inside of the jar and using gravity to remove the treat inside. Eating the pie while it’s still inside the jar is easier, and lots of fun at picnics and when company drops by. For some reason my guests have loved being treated to a single serving pie. It’s a novelty. It’s fun.

If you’re gifting the pie, decorate the lids with pretty paper, jar labels, or add a little bit of ribbon for style. A decorated pie in a jar goes over very well at bake sales and fund raisers — so putting in a little creative decorative effort can make you some money too.

Get Squawky: Ever bake a treat in a jar?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

It’s June 21st and I already know what Carl is getting for Christmas. Actually, I know what I’ve budgeted for Carl’s Christmas gift in December, his birthday gift in March, a small Valentine’s gift in February, and a just because gifty for our anniversary in September. I also have a gift giving budget for my family and friends throughout the year.

Am I insane? OK, kinda. But I’ve found that a touch of insanity mixed with a dash of planning can help ward off expensive spends due to last minute gift giving-itis. Maybe you’ve been afflicted by this wallet-draining disease? It’s not particularly rare or unheard of. In fact, the biggest human outbreak tends to happen in late December, and smaller infections run rampant just before Mother’s Day, Valentine’s, and various other calendar days where birthdays tend to fall.

If you’ve been afflicted by last minute gift giving-itis — and most of us have — then you already know the sweat-inducing and heart-racing symptoms. Here’s a sample list just for giggles:

• Running crazily through the mall on the eve of December 24th willing to spend anything to find something for that someone on your gift giving list.
• Reaching for your maxed out credit card hoping that the gift purchase goes through.
• Freaking out ’cause you forgot to send flowers, buy dinner, or celebrate that special day.
• Dealing with a case of the financial sads January 1st because you have little idea how to cover the charges on your December credit card bill.
• Feeling financially strapped since birthdays, Mother’s Day, weddings, and anniversaries always happen when your wallet is empty.
• Stressing out around special occasions because you have no idea what gifts to buy.

Indeed, the symptoms of last minute gift giving-itis are dire to your dollars and deadly to a frugal lifestyle. But no worries, I have the cure.

The Gift Giving Worksheet

Using the Gift Giving Worksheet is simple. As you think of gift ideas, just add them to the list with your anticipated budget, and add the total to your Free Budget Spreadsheet.

Download: Gift Giving Worksheet

Planning ahead for birthdays and holidays also helps you find gifts during off-season sales, make homemade gifts to save money, and plan ahead for everyone on your list. By trying this simple worksheet, you may just find that budgeting today for tomorrow’s gifts not only saves you money, but also saves you a lot of time.

My timing for writing about Christmas in June is spot on. Trent over at The Simple Dollar just posted Five Big Ways You Need to Think About Christmas … Now! So if you think that planning for Christmas in June is batty, then jump on over to Trent’s post and learn how to Kill off unwanted gift exchanges and Get the important people on your radar sooner.

If you’re stuck for gift giving ideas, then try a few of these listed suggestions.

Gift giving ideas for your budget:

• Books about Money, Honey!
• 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar
• 11 Ways to Wrap Gifts without Wrapping Paper
• 12 Smart Ways to Save Big on Christmas Shopping
• Frugal Last Minute Gift Ideas
• 6 Father’s Day Gift Ideas
• 6 Printable Holiday Gift Tags and Thank You Notes

Squawkback: Are you a holiday list maker? Do you buy gifts months in advance?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

“Were there any checks in the mail for me today, honey?” That’s the question I ask Carl every day when he gets home. Sure, I’d love to be the gal who gushes words of luuurve when her fine fellow returns from his steady-paying, regular check-depositing job. But I’m not. At that moment I’m far more interested in knowing if any of my invoiced customers have paid their bills. That’s the life of a variable income earner. Sorry honey.

If you run your own home business, live on sales commissions, do freelance work, are self-employment, or work a moonlighting side-gig to make ends meet, then you know how planning your finances can be a big challenge when your income is neither regular nor predictable. And it’s not difficult to get into a situation where you’re living on money you haven’t yet made. Yes, I’m squawking about those pesky plastic cards and credit card debt.

But you don’t need to carry a crystal ball to know how to cope until your next check arrives. All it takes is a bit of planning, a dash of discipline, and a handy tracking tool to make life run a little more smoothly. I’ve found that a simple tracking tool can help take the mystery out of client accounting schedules and can reveal a steady payment pattern.

Download: Extra Income Spreadsheet

How to use the Extra Income Spreadsheet

The Extra Income Spreadsheet isn’t just for those earning a variable income. If you earn a little extra cash through bonuses, royalties, investments (dividend stocks, compound interest), consulting/freelancing, tips/gratuities, or seasonal work then you can also use this tool to account for those irregular dollars along with a regular paycheck. Here’s the idea behind tracking your variable and extra income:

• Plan and budget for the best way to use the payout when the check arrives in the mail.
• Avoid treating irregular lump sums of cash as found money or as a windfall. Blowing those drips of dollars over time adds up to a big financial mistake.
• Find the payout patterns to your irregular income.
• Prepare yourself for lean times when there’s no income for months. It’s a bummer, I know.
• Plan and stay prepared for upcoming financial obligations by saving the right amount of money.
• Learn to set aside the right amount to pay income tax, and stop being surprised by taxes owed at the end of the year. It’s a bummer, I know.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Download!

Click to download your copy of the Extra Income Spreadsheet. Yes, like all downloads on Squawkfox this one is free.

Step 2: Track your income!

Use this spreadsheet to track your variable income or extra income helps in two ways. First, it serves as a planning tool for projecting your monthly or yearly income as best as possible. Second, once the check arrives you can tally the income and record it for next year to better project next year’s total income. Here are some tips for getting the job done:

• Customize the spreadsheet rows if the categories don’t match your income type. Just don’t mix up the mathy math behind the columns and cells.
• Enter your income amount in the right category and under the correct month. Let the spreadsheet add your monthly and yearly income. Watch for patterns.
• Account for your taxes in advance. Using the totals from the spreadsheet, calculate how much you anticipate to pay in taxes for your country, state, or province. Set that money aside in a high interest savings account. No more taxing surprises.

Step 3: Get Budgeting!

Now that you have a handle on your income, it’s time to apply your moneyed knowledge to your budget. Grab a copy of the Free Budget Spreadsheet and make a plan to cover your fixed monthly expenses and get on track with those variable costs too. The Budget Spreadsheet can help you determine what irregular expenses exist and which regular ones must be paid pronto. If you haven’t completed this step yet, then go through this How to Make a Budget series and calculate your net worth, figure your financial goals, and make a needs and wants list. Once this is done, you’ve got budgetary lift-off!

If you have extra earned income this month then try these tips to get ahead in the budget game.

1. Pay off credit card debt: Oh that pesky plastic can really cost you. So let’s tackle it by biting into the principal and paying more than the minimum balance. Try the Credit Card Calculator to see how many hundreds, or thousands of dollars you’ll save by paying more than the bare minimum. This tool will also calculate the total interest paid and determine how many years it will take to pay off your balance based on your minimum monthly payment. The results are terribly shocking.
2. Add an extra mortgage payment: Want to be mortgage free sooner? Then take that extra income and make an additional mortgage payment. Try this Mortgage Calculator to see the big savings even a small additional payment can make. If you have a mortgage with good prepayment privileges — lump-sum payments you make outside of your normal mortgage payment schedule where 100% of the payment goes against the principal — then you will pay off your mortgage sooner and save significantly on interest. For example, on a $250,000 mortgage at 6% over 25 years, one prepayment of $1,000 each year can save you around $26,700 in interest and pay off your mortgage two and a half years sooner. Read
   6 Surefire Ways To Avoid a Mortgage Meltdown for more eye popping ideas.
3. Put the rest into savings: Topping up your savings account, adding to your emergency fund, and contributing to your retirement plan is how to make your variable income last and grow over the long term. Canadians should looking into topping of their RRSP and Tax-free Savings Account, while Americans should consider their Roth IRA. Compound interest is a powerful force, and over time that power could make you a millionaire. Check out the Millionaire Savings Calculator to get inspired about saving money.

Over time you may just find that the key to living well on a variable income is to spend sparingly in times of plenty and save as much as possible for future dry spells. There may be months when very little money comes in and you must live solely on savings. Although living this way can be unsettling, always remember to congratulate yourself for having the foresight and discipline to put sufficient funds aside.

Squawkback: Do you share my struggle with living on a variable income? How do you make it work?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

There are as many ways to make a budget as there are people. The budgeting basics are the same, but many of us like to manage our money with a known entity. Enter the big world of budgeting software.

The big player in the financial software space is Quicken or Quicken Canada, and to a lesser extent there is Moneydance (read my Moneydance Review here). While these packages offer possible solutions for those looking to count cash, many of the features offered — like synchronized investment data and portfolio analysis tools — can be overkill for the newbie budget builder. If you don’t need all that functionality, then why pay for it? Enter the world of free budget software tools.

Free budgeting tools can be a hit or miss adventure, depending on how you budget, your operating system (Mac OS, Windows, UNIX), and your currency. Many of the free budgeting options are specific to Americans, leaving the rest of the world wishing for a solution, eh! To help, I’ll round-up some of the best free budgeting tools with international support. The budgeting software listed here can be used by everyone. Group hug.

Wesabe

Wesabe is a free web-based tool that comes with a pleasant surprise — full support for all international currency formats and most international banks with deposit or credit accounts. I tested this feature by linking my chequing account in Wesabe and had no difficulty bringing in the data. The key is your financial institution must provide an export or download accounts option in OFX, QFX, QIF, or OFC format. Wesabe offers budgeters many robust tools for keeping on track. As a bonus, you get access to a huge community looking to master their money too. For Canadians and other international users, this is my top pick.

UPDATE: As of July 31st, 2010 Wesabe has shut down, discontinuing their Accounts features and all of their related personal finance tools.

BudgetPulse

Budgetpulse is a another free web-based tool that aims to help you manage your budget. You can’t sync your bank accounts with this easy-to-use freebie, but it boasts international currency support, so a global audience can sign up and get tracking with basic budget functionality.

GnuCash

GnuCash has features that go beyond simple budgeting — it’s free accounting software for personal and small business use. Downloads are available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. GnuCash lets you track bank accounts, stocks, income, and expenses in a way similar to a classic checkbook register. There is multiple currency support and currency movements between accounts are fully balanced when double entry accounting is enabled.

PearBudget Spreadsheet

The PearBudget Spreadsheet is a free downloadable spreadsheet that’s loaded with budget friendly cells, tables, and features. It’s a lot more complex than my Free Budget Spreadsheet, which can be good thing if you’re more than a beginner budget maker. The PearBudget Spreadsheet has been downloaded over 100,000 times by people all over the world, so it’s got some serious followers. And you don’t need to worry about giving a third party your personal banking data since the spreadsheet is downloaded straight to your computer’s hard drive.

PearBudget

PearBudget is a web-based application for creating a household spending plan and record. After the success of the PearBudget Spreadsheet, husband and wife team Charlie and Sarah Park decided to “make a good thing better” by launching their budgeting tools online. PearBudget is not trying to be the next Quicken by offering lots of complex features. The goal of PearBudget is to give beginner budgeters a simple way to get started by “paring down” the complexities of other budgetary tools. If you’re looking for a way to integrate your online banking and budgeting with a single solution, PearBudget may not meet your needs since this online app does not link bank accounts. I wrote a PearBudget Review in 2008 and loved the application then. PearBudget is free to try for the first 30 days, and costs $3 per month afterwards.

Thrive

Thrive wants you to save and watch your money grow by offering free online budgeting tools to anyone in the world, including: budget features, bank account linking options, and bill payment reminders. There’s plenty of weasel words when it comes to who in the world can use the tool though.

The site says, “Thrive certainly works outside the US; in theory, it works from anywhere in the world. We can only support the banks that support us, however, so while you can still access Thrive from anywhere in the world, it may be that we don’t have the banks in your country in our system.” My take is if you don’t need to link your bank or credit accounts, then go ahead and try Thrive.

There are many other budgeting tool available across the interwebs — like Mint (the biggest of the bunch), Geezeo, MoneyStrands, and AceMoney — but none of these offer international currency support. The Mint forums are filled with Canadians begging Mint staff for Canuck buck support. Mint seems to be the one the world is waiting for.

Squawkback: I’d love to know from the readers which budget software or online budgeting tools work best for you. Which ones aren’t worth the time?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

Read about the winners in: The best Canadian money blogs

So you can understand my surprise, gratitude, and a tad bit of horror to find that Squawkfox was voted a winner in The Globe and Mail’s annual Best of the Money Blogs poll.

My surprise comes from finding a like-minded audience looking to save a few bucks by soaking dried beans. I’m grateful because you follow my squawks and took the time to vote. And I’m a little bit horrified since it’s not every day a photojournalist shows up to shoot my mug for the next day’s edition. Good thing I know a bit about dental floss.

Anypearlywhites, I’d love to thank The Globe and Mail’s nomination panel for considering my frugalicious blog as a contender in a field of amazing money blogs. On the panel were blogger Canadian Capitalist, Globe Market Blog writer David Berman, Chaya Cooperberg who writes the Globe’s Home Cents Blog, and Rob Carrick, the Globe’s personal finance columnist.

This year the panel chose from their favourite Canadian personal finance and investing blogs. Squawkfox topped the personal finance category and Preet Banerjee’s blog, Where Does All My Money Go, won the investing category.

Writing and maintaining a popular money blog takes a considerable amount of time and passion. To gain any kind of recognition is truly remarkable and very much appreciated. I’d love to tip my hat and introduce you to the top money blogs in the poll.

Top Investing Blogs

1. Where Does All My Money Go | Preet Banerjee is the brains behind Where Does All My Money Go — a blog that exposes the sometimes dubious inner workings of the financial industry. Banerjee is also a television celebrity, winning the W Network Experts Challenge last year.
2. Canadian Couch Potato | Journalist Dan Bortolotti makes the case for axing mutual funds in his blog Canadian Couch Potato. By showing you the considerable benefits of index investing using the simple Couch Potato method, Bortolotti’s blog could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars in investing fees. Americans can benefit from his outstanding articles too.
3. Larry MacDonald | Larry MacDonald blogs frequently for Canadian Business. As an economist and author, he writes on a myriad of topics, including: portfolio management, investment ideas, and business.

Top Personal Finance Blogs

1. Squawkfox | Long time readers of Squawkfox know me from my weekly posts. I used to write anonymously, but since the launch of my first book 397 Ways To Save Money I decided to blog under my real name. New readers can discover all the juicy details in My name is not really Squawkfox or read my About Page.
2. Million Dollar Journey | The Million Dollar Journey blog is the work of FrugalTrader, an anonymous blogger who aims to be a millionaire by the time he reaches 35 years young. Readers enjoy his candid journey.
3. Gail Vaz-Oxlade | Author, television star, and now top blogger Gail Vaz-Oxlade requires little introduction. Vaz-Oxlade is the host of the reality show Til Debt Do Us Part and is the author of Debt-Free Forever, a #1 Bestseller in Canada (also available is the US here: Debt-Free Forever).

A huge thank you to personal finance columnist Rob Carrick for his article on The best Canadian money blogs. I bet it’s not everyday he gets to write about ice cream.

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

This year the poll features Canadian blogs, but Americans can still vote too! So if you love money blogs and you want to give a blogger a thrill, then please vote for your favourites (or favorites if you’re an American!)

How To Vote!

If you enjoy reading my frugalicious Squawks and have a click to spare, I would very much appreciate your vote. Here’s how to do it!

1. Click Best of the Money Blogs.
2. At the bottom of the page, vote for at least one Personal Finance Blog, click Next Question.
3. Vote for at least one Investing Blog, click Submit Survey.

Thank you! Love you! Owe you!
Kerry
and her crazy dog, Pivo

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

During the summer months I’ve found that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by too much ripe fruit. Local farmers will often harvest their crops and sell bulk amounts at a discount, or I go away for the weekend and need to deal with a few extra peaches, berries, or bananas. Throwing out perfectly good fruit fails to be frugal, and composting can be pretty wasteful too, especially if the fruit is still good.

So I’ve taken to freezing fruit and blending it together into a refreshing frosty treat. Oh, and since frugal fruit ice cream is low in sugar and bursting with whole fruit goodness, you know it’s healthier than most options sold through ice cream franchises, cheaper than branded gourmet ice cream, and the many variations can be fun snacks for kids too.

Tastes like Strawberry Ice Cream

My all time favorite sweet summer fruit is the strawberry. I love a fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (with apples) and enjoy my daily Strawberry and Banana Green Smoothie. But nothing beats a frozen snack when it’s hot outside and I’ve got some strawberries chilling in the freezer.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups frozen strawberries
• 2 frozen bananas, chopped

Optional: Add these ingredients if you prefer a creamy or sweeter snack.

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar, or sweeten to taste

Instructions:
1. Blend: Place the strawberries, bananas, and optional ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Serve: Place strawberry ice cream in a bowl and serve.

Add ice cream toppings for fun! I love a few pieces from my Healthy Granola Bar Recipe.

3. OR Freeze: If the strawberry ice cream is super soft after blending and a firmer texture is preferred, then place mixture in a container and freeze. After an hour or two, use an ice cream scoop to serve.

Tastes like Peach Ice Cream

It takes a pretty hot climate to grow a peach. If you’re lucky enough to live in the land of peaches, then try taking this ice cream twist for a spin.

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen peaches, skinless
• 2 frozen bananas, chopped

Optional: Add these ingredients if you prefer a creamy or sweet snack.

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup sugar, or sweeten to taste

Instructions:
1. Blend: Place the peaches, bananas, and optional ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Serve: Use an ice cream scoop and serve.

3. OR Freeze: If the peach ice cream is super soft after blending and a firmer texture is preferred, then place mixture in a container and freeze. After an hour or two, use an ice cream scoop to serve.

If strawberries, bananas, and peaches aren’t your thing, then feel free to use raspberries or another type of high-sugar fruit to take a unique turn on your own frugal ice cream. Anything goes.

Squawkback: Got a tasty twist on a cool summer snack?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor