Carnival of Personal Finance #427: The Netflix binge watching edition

Although I don’t write a personal finance site, many of my friends do so I’m giving them a hand today by hosting the Carnival of Personal Finance. Hope you enjoy it!

My name is Jana and I am a binge watcher. I blame Netflix and its readily available programming for this problem. Because before this entered my life, I watched TV like a normal person. I watched one regularly scheduled episode of a few shows and then moved on with my day.

Now, thanks to Netflix, I can’t do that anymore. No. Now I must watch as many episodes as I possibly can in one day, often to the point of sleeping less because I need just. One. More. Episode.

It’s terrible. In the last year, I’ve made it through approximately 9 shows from start to finish (by finish, I really mean “what’s streaming on Netflix and then also watching the current season live”) including Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and The Killing. And I want my life back.

Yet, I kind of don’t. You see, not only does Netflix currently have several of my all-time favorite shows available for my immediate viewing pleasure (and these shows are not in syndication and are also kind of hard to find in reruns) but binge watching saves me money. Lots and lots of money.

Because it’s hard to spend money when you don’t leave your house and you’re too engrossed in the happenings of SAMCRO or cheering for the Dillon Panthers to bother to shop online. It also helps that there are dozens of great blog posts that also encourage me to be mindful of my money.

And I’m pleased to present them in this edition of the Carnival of Personal Finance (along with my favorite Netflix shows to binge watch).

Editor’s Picks

First, my favorite show of all time:

Now, the editor’s picks. These posts stood out for me among the wonderful posts that were submitted for a number of reasons and I highly recommend that you check them out:

• Sam from The New Business Blog presents Online Marketing Tips for the Entrepreneur, and says, “We put together a list of some excellent online marketing tips that every entrepreneur can use to build client lists, attract visitors to their websites and increase profits.”
• Marissa from Thirty Six Months presents Things You Didn’t Know About Fall Fashion, and says, “Are you heading to the mall this fall? Here are some very interesting facts about shopping habits this fall.”
• Matt Becker from Mom and Dad Money presents Beware the Source of Your Financial Advice, and says, “When it comes to financial advice, there’s so much BS out there and it makes me sick. When it comes down to it, you’re the only one who truly has your best interests at heart. There are people who can help you make your goals a reality, but you have to understand that there are likely even more who are much more interested in simply taking your money and running. And the financial services industry is one of the worst in this respect.”
• Jason Hull from Hull Financial Planning presents The One Skill You Can Teach Your Children to Potentially Save Them Tens of Thousands of Dollars, and says, “Parents – teach your children this, and it can save them an enormous amount of money when they’re adults.”
• Adam Kamerer from Stop Worrying About Money presents 5 Christmas Gift Ideas For Friends and Family Who Struggle With Money, and says, “No one likes seeing family or friends struggle under mountains of debt and other financial woes. It is even worse when Christmas rolls around.”

 

The Rest

Remember, it might not be an editor’s pick but these posts are all worth reading. And the shows are worth watching. I didn’t watch Orange Is the New Black in a weekend because it sucked.

• Ben Luthi from The Wealth Gospel presents The Junk We Waste Our Money On
• Emily from Evolving Personal Finance presents Don’t Buy into the Pro- or Anti-Credit Card Hype
• Daniel from Make Money Make Cents presents Pay your Bills to Save Money? Yes, you can.
• Oscar from Money is the Root presents College Life: On-Campus Dorms versus Commuting from Home
• Jay from Daily Fuel Economy Tip presents Your Fuel Economy Cheat Sheet
• Matt from Budget Snob presents Rules to Protect your Passwords from being Hacked
• TTMK from Tie the Money Knot presents Money and Remarriage: Differences Between Men and Women
• saverspender from Save. Spend. Splurge. presents Win $100 USD (Free entry)
• Pauline from Make Money Your Way presents Side hustle series: Make money with weddings

• Pauline from Reach Financial Independence presents Managing a rental property from the distance
• Jon from Novel Investor presents 401k Plan: The Definitive Guide
• Miss T. from Prairie Eco Thrifter presents Should You Buy a House Now?
• Jack from Money Saving Ethics presents 5 Things You Shouldn’t Look for in Your New Home
• Amy from Money Mishaps presents Airline Fees that might actually be worth paying for
• Ben Luthi from The Wealth Gospel presents Learn How to Juggle Your Finance
• Lenny from Best Money Saving Blog presents Create a 10 Year Plan for your Credit
• Hadley from Epic Finances presents Five Steps to Help you Understand the Bond Market
• Andrea from So Over This presents Couponing in College

• Lily from Paying Debt Down presents The Best Car Price Negotiation Tips
• Bob from Dwindling Debt presents Can you Really Go Contract Free with your Smart Phone?
• Katie from IRA Basics presents What Happens to Debt When You Die?
• Marissa from Finance Triggers presents Cheap Places to Travel this Fall
• Buck Inspire from Buck Inspire presents Missed Opportunities Are Not Losses Or Failures, Baby!
• Monica from Monica On Money presents How To Negotiate Lower Prices On Anything
• Vanessa from Vanessa’s Money presents Tassimo/Keurig Machines are an Incredible Rip-off
• Tricia Dahlstrom from Mom’s Money Garden presents The Social Security Card Soapbox

• Adam from Adam Hagerman – Financial Coach presents Inventory Your Stuff and Then Sell Some of It To Jump Start Your Plan
• Holly from Club Thrifty presents Being Unemployed Sucks: What I Learned
• Barbara Friedberg from Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance presents 3 Simple Tips To Become A Successful Investor
• Larry from KrantCents presents Why No One Cares What You Think about Investment Plan (and How to Stop Being so Freaking Boring)
• Natalie from Debt and the Girl presents Having the Poverty Mentality and How it Affects your Finances
• Alexa from Single Moms Income presents Why This Penny Pincher Just Paid $600 for an Online Course
• Vanessa from Vanessa’s Money presents The Great TFSA/IRA vs RRSP/401(k) Debate
• Tricia Dahlstrom from Mom’s Money Garden presents The Social Security Card Soapbox
• Mel from brokeGIRLrich presents Budget 101: How to Stay Inspired
• Sean Smarty from Growing Money presents Top 5 Ways to Make Money from Your Property

• Alexa from Defeat Our Debt presents Are These 3 Things Preventing You From Becoming Debt Free?
• Graham Clark from Moneystepper presents Real wages in the UK – how inflation is impacting your salary
• Jason from The Money Makers presents Healthcare.gov: Is this failure a warning of what’s to come?
• Sustainable PF from Sustainable Personal Finance Blog presents Adopting Minimalist Principles to Save Money and Live Sustainability
• FI Pilgrim from FI Journey presents Enhance The Flavor Of Your Elephant
• Krista from 2 Copper Coins presents How to Calculate Your Net Worth
• Dividend Growth Investor from Dividend Growth Investor presents My Retirement Strategy for Tax-Free Income
• Money Beagle from Money Beagle presents Why Cell Phone Insurance Is A Must Have In Our House

 
Thanks to everyone who submitted a post for this edition of the carnival! It was a pleasure to read all your entries!

And just out of curiosity, what are you currently binge watching?