Although we managed to decorate our Christmas tree last weekend, we didn’t have time to do much else. Thus, our exterior lights had to wait until this weekend. I was actually out of town on a business trip until late this afternoon but, upon my return, we broke out the lights. We didn’t do anything extravagant (we never do), but we now have a nice, tasteful light display on our front porch. Now we just have to finish Christmas shopping!

And now here’s my gift to you… A compilation of articles that caught my eye this week.

NCN cautioned us to avoid the mall.

FMF pointed out an interesting article about a guy who lived in the Mall of America for a week. Too bad he didn’t read NCN’s article first!

Jim walked us through the wash rule.

JD wrote about mustering the strength to just say no to a MINI Cooper.

Sasha wrote about conquering math anxiety

MBH said you shouldn’t worry about
paying for your kids’ college.

JLP talked about how much mortgage you can afford. Hint: It’s a lot less than a lot of people have been borrowing in the recent past.

Jeremy shared tips on how to deal with the AMT.

4M argued that there is no such thing as bad debt.

Lazy Man shared ten things he hates about Monster.com.

Ben took a look ahead at his New Year’s resolutions.

Sun talked about the pricing of gold coins.

SVB talked about how to keep your cash safe.

David talked about a suggestion to tax drivers based on mileage rather than via a gas tax. I agree that this is a very bad idea.

Finally, Trent talked about chasing the “it” toy at Christmas. Thankfully, our kids have never longed for such a thing.