I’ve been away from blogging for a few weeks, busy with work.  I want to thank those of you who reached out to say “hi” via Twitter or email.  You guys rock.  Things have settled down now and I should be back to my normal blogging routine.

A few weeks ago, MBH from Mighty Bargain Hunter reached out to me and asked me to check out a new site he’s been working on – Cash Commons.  I’ve spent some time on the site, and I’m really impressed.  As a member of the Cash Commons community, users can ask questions, answer questions, and vote for their favorite topics.  Over time, users will earn reputation points.  I encourage you to do as I did – Check out Cash Commons, register as a new user, and contribute to the community.

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Check Out Cash Commons

Site Redesign -

I’ve tweaked the look of No Credit Needed.  I hope you like the larger text and less-cluttered layout.

From No Credit Needed – The first four articles in the Back to the Basics series -

How To Eliminate Credit Card Debt

How To Maximize Or Minimize Interest

How To Stay On Track

How To Stay Out Of Debt

From No. Calories Needed – The latest articles from my weight loss blog -

Not Feeling Hungry

Throwing Away The Scale

From the NCN Network - Check the site for updated charts -

Time4planB

DebtFree4ever

ChrystaGoingBroke

AllPennies

From around the web -

My Life Roi presents Budgeting Tips – Back To The Basics

Cash Money Life presents How To Open A Roth IRA

Budgets Are Sexy presents My Four Favorite Pieces Of Financial Advice Ever

Four Pillars presents 10 Tips – Saving Advice For College Students

Man Vs Debt presents Negotiation Tips For Beginners

Mighty Bargain Hunter presents Stockpiling Food Helps Everyone

Get Rich Slowly presents Peace Of Mind For Ten Bucks A Month – Renters’ Insurance

Wise Bread presents How To Save Green When You Buy Green

Money Tips Network - Real life money management tips – for the people, by the people.

Final Notes -

If you are new to No Credit Needed, welcome!  I hope you will take just a second to subscribe via RSS or Email and then click here and follow me via Twitter.  I tweet several times a day, and when you follow me, be sure to say ‘Hi!’

About the Midnight Meanderings -

The Midnight Meanderings are published two or three times a month and highlight articles I like from across the web as well as the most recent articles from my sites.

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Midnight Meanderings – Back To The Basics

Here are the most recent chart updates from the No Credit Needed Network -

DebtFree4ever

marissa

outofthered1

SavingInDebtOut

SickNTiredEFund

ChrystaGoingBroke

DebtFreePostDeployment

SockinItToDebt

Snowflake

Snowballer

KeepMyMoney

Jocelyn

Time4Change

Caryatid

Canuck in Debt

Click here to see a complete list of NCN Network members and their charts.

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Recent NCN Network Chart Updates

I love talk radio.  I love podcasts.  One of my favorite radio programs – which is also available as a podcast – is This American Life.  This past Sunday’s episode, entitled The Watchmen, provides the clearest explanation of the current credit crisis, what it is, and how regulators failed to regulate it, that I have heard.  I strongly recommend that you visit the This American Life site and stream or download the program.  You can listen to it on your computer, or download it and put it on your mp3 player.  Many of the interviews for the program were conducted by Chana Joffe-Walt and Dave Kestenbaum from NPR’s Planet Money.  Regardless of your political affiliation, I think you will find the podcast to be informative, entertaining, and enlightening.  After listening to it, I sat quietly for fifteen minutes in my car, contemplating the reality of a tragically flawed regulatory system.  Give it a listen, and let me know what you think.

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The Best Explanation I Have Heard For How The Credit Crisis Happened

Here are the most recent updates from the No Credit Needed Network.

• LadyT
• 444goingup
• 2bdtfre
• snowedin
• Time4Change
• MoneyLibertyDebt – Completed Chart
• LooniesAndSense
• DebtDumbie
• LTsDebt
• SaveSaveSave
• GetDwn2zero
• debtmaven

Click a link above to view a member’s chart.

Click here to view the No Credit Needed Network homepage.

The NCN Network is a place for members to post a financial goal – either a debt reduction chart or a savings goal chart – and share it with the world.  Click here to see a list of current members and here to see a list of members who have their own sites.

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Recent NCN Network Chart Updates

Today’s Links To Love -

Chief Family Officer tells us how to get free spaghetti sauce from Walgreen’s.

Christian Personal Finances is giving away a copy of the James Earl Jones Audio Bible.  Yes, my friends, you can win a free copy of Darth Vader reading the Scriptures.  Total Awesomeness.

Five Cent Nickel has twenty Twitter tips for how to better manage your personal finances, including one tip from me.  These were all collected via our new favorite communication tool, Twitter.  (Click here to follow me!)

Money Musings has an interesting report – 50% of Americans have less than one month’s worth of expenses in savings.

The Digerati Life (how awesome is that blog name?!?) has an informative article about Dave Ramsey’s Budgeting Method.  Dave rocks!

Paycheck Chronicles has some very important information for military members about taxes and filing for a filing extension.

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Today’s Links To Love: Twitter Tips, Free Sauce, And James Earl Jones

It’s time to celebrate some debt reduction.  Let’s go!

No Credit Needed Network member My Money Memoirs recently eliminated all credit card debt.  Congratulations!

Another NCN Network member, Time4planB, reached a personal milestone and is at lowest debt level this decade.  Great job!

My Money Minute recently paid off all consumer debt.  My Money Minute shared this good news with me via Twitter.  If you have a Twitter account, follow me and we can hang out!

It’s always inspiring to find folks who are reducing debt and changing their lives.  To all of those mentioned above, and the thousands who are fighting the good fight, You Rock!

If you have had some recent debt reduction success, feel free to share it with us.  Leave a comment and let us know about your progress.

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Some Debt Reduction Celebrations

Site Redesign -

I have made a few changes to the look and feel of No Credit Needed.  I hope these changes improve the sites usability.  If you subscribe to No Credit Needed via RSS or email, you can click here to view the new look of the site.

From my other sites -

No. Calories Needed - Hit My First Stall But I Am Still Going!

No Credit Needed Network – Debt Reduction Celebration

From around the web -

Bible Money Matters – How The Emergency Fund Makes For A Better Life

Blunt Money – Tries To Define Financial Independence

Tough Money Love – Killed Those Mortgage Payments

Five Cent Nickel – How To Choose An Online Savings Account

Chief Family Officer – Cooking With The Toaster Oven

About the Midnight Meanderings -

The Midnight Meanderings are published two or three times a month and highlight articles I like from across the web as well as the most recent articles from my other sites.

Follow me via Twitter

Midnight Meanderings – Slight Site Redesign

Fox Business is now available to Dish Network customers on channel 206.

The financial news channel, which competes with CNBC, is available in both high definition and standard definition.

I have been watching Fox Business for a couple of days, and I am impressed with their daily lineup.  I especially like Dave Ramsey’s show, which airs each night at 8:00 pm, with repeats at midnight.

By the way, if your cable or satellite provider does not carry Dave’s show, and you want to check it out, you can, for free, over at hulu.  New episodes are posted 15 days after they broadcast.  Click here to view the most recently posted episodes of the Dave Ramsey television show.

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Fox Business HD Now On Dish Network

Yesterday, the United States Senate voted, unanimously, to delay the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting.  Originally scheduled for February 17, the Senate approved delaying the the transition until June 12.  The measure approving the delay will now go before the House Commerce Committee, and could go before the full House for a vote as soon as today.

We receive our television signal via Dish Network satellite, so we don’t have to worry about the conversion.  Those who receive television via over-the-air antenna, however, may need to purchase an analog-to-digital conversion box.

From the DTV.GOV Digital TV Transition FAQs

What do I need to do to be ready for the end of analog TV broadcasting?

Because Congress mandated that the last day for full-power television stations to broadcast in analog would be February 17, 2009, over-the-air TV broadcasts will be in digital only after that date. If you have one or more televisions that receive free over-the-air television programming (with a roof-top antenna or “rabbit ears” on the TV), the type of TV you own is very important. A digital television (a TV with an internal digital tuner) will allow you to continue to watch free over-the-air programming after February 17, 2009. However, if you have an analog television, you will need a digital-to-analog converter box to continue to watch broadcast television on that set. This converter box will also enable you to see any additional multicast programming that your local stations are offering.

To help consumers with the DTV transition, the Government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a part of the Department of Commerce, administers this program. Every U.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes. Beginning in January of 2008, the NTIA has begun accepting applications for coupons. The coupons may only be used for eligible converter boxes sold at participating consumer electronics retailers, and the coupons must be used at the time of purchase. (Please note that these coupons will expire 90 days after mailing). Manufacturers estimate that digital-to-analog converter boxes will sell from $40 to $70 each. This is a one-time cost. For more information on the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program, visit www.dtv2009.gov, or call 1-888-388-2009 (voice) or 1-877-530-2634 (TTY).

Cable and satellite TV subscribers with analog TVs hooked up to their cable or satellite service should not be affected by the February 17, 2009 cut-off date for full-power analog broadcasting.

The government’s website still reads February 17.  Assuming the bill is approved by the House, which seems very likely, the new date should read June 12.  If you have an analog television, and you receive television via over-the-air antenna, you might want to think about requesting your converter box coupon.  Apparently, there are already 2.6 million people on the waiting list for their coupon.

One interesting side-note.  If the delay is passed, it could end up costing PBS stations, which receive much of their funding from tax payers, as much as 22 million dollars.

I actually installed a converter box for one of my family members.  It only took me about two minutes to hook the box up the antenna and the television, and a minute or two more to program it.  Interestingly, each digital channel actually consisted of two “channels” – one with regular programming and a second channel with news or weather.

So, what do you think?  Is this a good idea, considering the backlog of coupon requests?  Or, when the government sets a date, should they stick by it, no matter what?

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Senate Votes To Delay Analog To Digital Transition