Freelance gigs go by in a flash.  So do paychecks.  This is something I must always keep in mind to avoid reverting back to the daily $18 lunch habit I had back in the ”401k + benefits” days.

My daily dose of inspiration to keep my finances in check comes from Little Miss Fortune, a blogger climbing out of debt who’s posts I’ve been reading for a few months.  They deal with tricky subjects, such as coping with debt collectors, getting a rent reduction  from your landlord and scoring a free desert by saying it’s your  birthday (when it isn’t).

Her Friday Fortune Cookie posts are full of links to score free goods which range from 4th of July worthy BBQ Sauce to a trip to Hawaii.  If you’re a female 405er using your extra time to pursue a dream - she wrote about a way to help make it a reality.

I also like that she always shares a few links which are relevant to her posts.  On that note - some other sites I’ve discovered to help keep you saving:

http://www.youngandbroke.org/YnB/home.html - For living cheaply in NYC

http://rehashclothes.com/ - For living cheaply AND green in NYC

http://www.savvysugar.com/ - Site geared towards females who know that saving cents makes sense

http://www.budgetsaresexy.com/ - Keep learning about finance facts fun

http://www.bbc.co.uk/entertainment/bankofmumanddad/toptips.shtml - Tips from those crazy Brits on how to keep your bank accounts in order

Feel free to post any more you may find on our NING site [link].  Hope you discover great ways to make your 4th of July an affordable one!

-By Cara Weissman, Contributing Writer, Reality Casting Warrior and author of My Unemployment