Here's an interesting article from LearnVest: How Facebook Can Hurt Your Credit Score

HOW FACEBOOK CAN HURT YOUR CREDIT SCORE Forget "you are what you eat." When it comes to your trustworthiness as as borrower, you are who you know ... online. Social networks are now being used by some lenders to evaluate whether you're likely to pay them back. The New York Observer reports that, while this methodology is still a few years away from common use by major banks, some smaller institutions already use an algorithm based on input from a person's various social networks to determine her creditworthiness. And more are likely to adopt the practice in the future. Here's the kicker: The information used by the algorithm isn't just what you've made public—the banks are requiring your login information. Everything you can see, they can see. For a consumer who wants a loan, banks having more information isn't necessarily better—especially when it's open to interpretation. CAN YOU FIGHT BACK?

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LearnVest Article: 21 Free Things That Will Make You Happy

*This is such a great article from LearnVest! I'm grateful for the little things and the big things in life!

Forget snowdrifts: Sometimes the holidays can get buried in the pursuit of perfection. 

We get so focused on finding the perfect gift or making our homes perfect replicas of the North Pole, that we forget to celebrate the little moments. 

The ones in between the shopping and buying and wrapping and cooking that make this time of year one we look forward to for months. 

This year we're not letting them go by without noticing. So we a made a different sort of holiday list: One that captures all the times we find joy this season ... for absolutely free. 

YOU'LL FEEL REALLY GOOD AFTER READING THIS LIST. 

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Sign Up For the FREE LearnVest Daily Email!

You've seen the awesome articles and tips I've blogged about with LearnVest! Now you can get the same ones delivered right to your email with LearnVest. They're by far the BEST in daily money saving tips on frugal living. Just click on the image above to sign up! Enjoy!

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The Seven Best Ways To Invest Your Time Article from LearnVest

BY MARIA LIN

We all agree that time is more valuable than money. 

At least, that's what we say. 

Then we turn around and spend hours watching bad TV. Or 45 minutes on the phone with customer service fighting a $5 charge. Or years in a relationship or friendship we stopped feeling fulfilled by long ago. 

I've been thinking about time as a tangible asset not unlike money in many ways, and about ways to invest our time to yield higher returns—better memories, more hours well spent, even minutes that nourish us instead of fly by. 

Think of these as blue-chip time investments that can't go wrong, and that will yield high dividends for a more fulfilled life. 

THE SEVEN BEST WAYS TO INVEST YOUR TIME. 

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Great Article from LearnVest: Does Cyber Monday Have Better Deals?

THE RIGHT WAY TO SHOP
BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY

The day after Thanksgiving should be a budgeter's best friend. 

But although it offers some of the year's biggest sales, Black Friday can also be perilous: There are tales of shoppers forming stampedes to score limited-quantity discounts, or returning home with bags of "cheap" stuff they didn't even need.

The same is (virtually) true of Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving and the online equivalent of Black Friday, with steep discounts from online retailers. 

Yet neither of these days needs to be financially fatal. In preparation for the big day(s), we bring you strategies for navigating these mega-deals while keeping your sanity, and budget, intact. 

WHICH IS BETTER FOR YOU—BLACK FRIDAY OR CYBER MONDAY? 

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Great Article from LearnVest: DIY Gifts That Don't Suck!

GUERRILLA GUIDE TO
THE HOLIDAYS: DIY GIFTS

The holidays are six short weeks away—and they're probably getting full with plans, so when we say "short," we really mean it. It's time for you to check every person off your gift list. 

That's why, today, we're giving you some great ideas for easy and inexpensive do-it-yourself gifts. 

When you look at your list, you'll probably see that the people who cherish gifts divide into two camps: Some feel special if you pick out the shiny thing in the store that they adored, while others feel more loved if they know you spent time making something unique for them. 

For that latter half of your list, we've come up with eight do-it-yourself gift ideas guaranteed to please. 

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI, EYE PILLOWS AND BATH SALTS. 

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Great Article from LearnVest: GUERRILLA GUIDE TO THE HOLIDAYS: ETIQUETTE

GUERRILLA GUIDE TO
THE HOLIDAYS: ETIQUETTE

As the holidays approach (just seven weeks away!), you're only getting more prepared.

If you've been following our weekly Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays, you've already made your travel plans and selected the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. And it's only the first week of November! 

The next thing we'll help you cross off your to-do list is mastering holiday etiquette.

While it's certainly a time of year to express appreciation, all those family visits and rites of gift-giving can also mean frayed nerves or stepped-on toes.

But guess what? With a little preparation—and our guide to holiday etiquette—you can navigate the next few weeks with nothing but grace, gratitude and good cheer. 

HOW TO SHUT DOWN NOSY FAMILY QUESTIONS. 

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Take the LearnVest Quis: What's Your Money Belief?

WHAT'S YOUR MONEY BELIEF?

What we believe about money impacts how we handle it. 

See, underneath our negative money behaviors (spending too much, hoarding, secrecy) lie our foundational money beliefs. If we can understand them, we're one step closer to addressing them, and achieving financial health. 

In one study, researchers argue that we have become so ingrained with the idea that having money is important, we no longer question why. Perhaps what we are truly seeking is an increase in self-respect, or security, or freedom, or love, or power. 

The researchers identified four core beliefs that are usually established in childhood. While they go unexamined for most of our adult lives, they drive our financial behavior and habits. 

TAKE OUR QUIZ TO UNCOVER YOUR HIDDEN MONEY BELIEFS...

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Great Article from LearnVest: $6 Meal for Four People

FALL MEALS UNDER $10 Given our packed lives, it's no wonder we return again and again to the simple pleasures. Take, for example, cooking at home. What may seem like a mundane act actually satisfies us on a lot of levels: It's healthy, fun, creative and nourishing, not to mention a money-saver. But not all from-scratch meals are cheap to cook up. That's why, for this month's edition of our 10 Things to Do With $10 series, we've come up with ten dinners under $10 that are low on cost—and big on flavor. FROM ROASTED CHICKEN AND POT PIE TO HEARTY WINTER SOUP.

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LearnVest's Gift Guide is HERE!!!

FINISH YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING IN OCTOBER If you've been following our Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays, you know the holidays are only eight short weeks away. By following our holiday guides, you'll save time and money—and who couldn't use a little more of both?  As you may remember from our Guerrilla Guide two weeks ago, the key to finding the best presents is to figure out how your loved ones give and receive messages of affection. After all, gifts aren't just about price tags: Some people really do appreciate quality time more than a tangible present.  Of course, you'll still probably be giving some physical gifts during the holiday season—so we bring you the second installment of our gift guide. This edition is packed with perfect under-$50 options to round out every personality type.  GIFTS FOR THE SPORTS FANATIC, GOURMET GURU, DOMESTIC DIVA AND MORE!

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Great Article from LearnVest: Make Your Food Last Longer

MAKE YOUR FOOD LAST LONGER

When it comes to food, everyone's heard the adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away."


But that'll only work if you keep your apples separate (apples cause other produce to spoil more quickly).


You may have already mastered perimeter shopping and the farmers' market game plan, but all will be for naught if the food you buy doesn't hold up once you get home.


Never throw out stale bread or spoiled milk again: Storing food correctly will make it taste better and last longer, saving you money.


GO TO: CHECK OUT OUR INTERACTIVE GUIDE TO KEEPING FOOD FRESH... 

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Great Article from LearnVest: 30 INVENTIVE AND CHIC GIFTS FOR EVERY PERSON ON YOUR LIST.

GIFTS FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST If you've been following our Guerrilla Guide to the Holidays, you know the holidays will be here in nine short weeks. But we're doing away with all the holiday-induced madness and making planning and budgeting as easy as possible. This week (and next!), in our two-part gift guide, we present something for everyone you love. Better yet, the options range from $10 to $50 ... and never a cent over. We know: October may seem early to shop, but we love the idea of starting early. Not only will you beat the crowds, you'll avoid the type of last-minute gift panic that has a way of blowing budgets. ("Oh no, I forgot to get something for my boyfriend's mom!") READ MORE: 30 INVENTIVE AND CHIC GIFTS FOR EVERY PERSON ON YOUR LIST...

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Great Article From LearnVest: The Trick of Gift Giving (For Less!)

GUERRILLA GUIDE TO
THE HOLIDAYS: GIFT LIST

Don't look now, but here come the holidays (really, they're just 10 weeks away!). This year, we're going to make planning and budgeting for them a snap with our Guerrilla Guide, arriving every week in your inbox.

According to our Facebook poll, 78% of LearnVesters were already thinking about holiday gifts as early as last week. So, for this issue of the Guerrilla Guide, we bring you the newest way to sort out your holiday gift list.

As you make your list this year, we want you to think about holiday giving a little differently.

Before you start assigning dollar amounts to everyone and hunting around for products to buy and wrap, first consider whether the best gift for each person on your list comes with a price tag.

FOLLOW THESE RULES TO SAVE BIG THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

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Great Article From LearnVest: Dollar Store Deals!

DOLLAR STORE DEALS

There's no better challenge than finding out how far your dollar can go.

Which is why we're all over the dollar store.

What was once kitschy is now cool, and more affluent consumers are getting in on the dollar store game.

Since the recession, it's been boom time for these stores, which specialize in imported, generic and knockoff consumer goods for prices that make Wal-Mart look like a luxury retailer.

But there are steals to be had and items that are actually dangerous to buy at these stores.

WHAT'S WORTH IT AT THE DOLLAR STORE ... AND WHAT'S NOT.

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Great Article From LearnVest: Holiday Travel Tricks

GUERRILLA GUIDE TO
THE HOLIDAYS: TRAVEL

Don't look now, but here come the holidays! This year, though, we're going to make planning and budgeting for them a snap.

That's why we're starting early, to help you tackle the season step by step—and save time, money and stress. Look for our Guerilla Guide to the Holidays in your inbox once a week from now until the end of December. We'll cover everything from booking travel and creating your gift budget to where to get (or make!) the best presents for less.

Follow along with our tasks each week, and we promise that by the end of December, you'll be kicking back with some hot chocolate, your gifts wrapped and everything done and under budget.

First up, it's time to decide where you'll spend each holiday and figure out your travel plans—now.

SHARE THESE TRAVELING TRICKS WITH YOUR WHOLE FAMILY.
READ ON.

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Great Article From LearnVest: Get Organized and Go Paperless PLUS Exciting Giveaways!

GET ORGANIZED: GO PAPERLESS Paper, paper everywhere, and not a spot to think. At least, that's how it feels when the tyranny of paperwork invades your desk, your home (and your mind): bills, receipts, notes, memos, brochures, statements, claim forms, post-its with mysterious scribbled numbers ... and just when you clear through a pile, another seems to march in the door. Managing our leafy mountains is not only time-intensive, but—let's face it—not fun. Which is why more often than not, when faced with a disheartening leafy mountain, we turn toward more fulfilling activities—like procrastinating, or watching New Girl. No more. Paper, you have met your match. OUR FAVORITE TOOLS FOR YOUR OFFICE, FINANCES AND LIFE. PLUS, EXCITING GIVEAWAYS!

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