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By Linsey Knerl Welcome to Wise Bread's Best of Personal Finance roundup. We’re going to show you how to make your own coffee pods, why rechargeable batteries may not be the better buy, and how you can pay off the IRS — even without much money. We’ll also look at the top cheers and jeers from Black Friday 2009!
Top 5 Articles
Make Your Own Single-Serving Coffee Pods — Single-serving coffee machines can be heavenly, but the cost can really add up! Check out these instructions for DIY coffee pods. Can you say, “Easy?” I Need Coffee via LifeHacker
Black Friday Cheers and & Jeers 2009 — This fun read looks at the big winners of the retail holiday, and the stinkers that made little sense (and offered less savings). See who worked especially hard to give customers a good deal, and what new trends made this holiday especially spectacular! Deal News
5 Little-Known Websites that Will Save You Time and Money When Booking Online — I book several trips every year, and sadly, I’m not very loyal to any one site. This list of price-busting web sites just gave me even more reasons to shop around! Get Rich Slowly
Why Rechargeable Batteries are Rarely Cost-Effective — Wow! Finally, a really thoughtful discussion of whether the greener battery option is also the more financially-savvy choice. Wii users can delight in the fact that rechargeables will probably save them money, but some of your other appliances? Not so much. Len Penzo
Best Ways to Pay the IRS if You Can’t Afford to Pay — Notice that the article still implies that you will most likely need to pay — and also file! Get the skinny on how to handle back taxes with grace and legal compliance, depending on your current financial status. Mrs. Micah
Other Essential Reading
Simple Ways to Save Money on Salads — Pre-packaged lettuce is usually accompanied with a high price tag, but you can make a fresh, tasty salad without hassle and save a few bucks at the same time. This handful of crisp tips will have you eating fresher in no time (and I love that you can have a salad sans lettuce). The Simple Dollar
Your Flexible Spending Account: 10 Qualifying Purchases — Time is running out to use up that FSA money before you lose it, and this list of not-so-obvious qualifying purchases can help you spend it down. (Some are somewhat controversial, but they are all eligible.) Consumerism Commentary
Healthy and Delicious: Meringue Cookies — What’s light, fluffy, low in fat, and under a buck a serving? These beautiful and delicious meringue cookies, which can be customized with the flavors and colors of the holiday season. Eat up! Serious Eats
How to Want Very Little — The easiest way to live on little is to not want much more in the first place. This very straight-forward piece gives you much food for thought regarding a simpler existence. Zen Habits
The Top 10 Consumer Web Apps of 2009 — Designed to be simple enough for the every day user to enjoy, but savory enough for tech lovers to appreciate, these ten apps (which include favorites Hulu and Bing) are some of the best things to happen to 2009. Read Write Web
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