Frozen Pipes Roundup

Frozen pipes can be one of the hazards of living in the Midwest in the winter.  There’s a huge snow storm making it’s way into the heartland, to be followed by an “arctic blast” of freezing cold temperatures – as the weather people love to call it.

Here are some tips our water company gave us to help deal with and prevent frozen pipes:

1. Locate your main water shutoff value in case of an emergency
2. During extremely cold temperatures, leave doors on cabinets with water pipes open and leave a trickle of hot and cold water running in several faucets
3. If leaving for a few days, keep thermostat above 55 degrees and consider closing the main shut off valve and draining water pipes
4. If pipes do freeze or burst, leave faucets on, shut off the main, and call a licensed plumber

I always do #3 when we go out of town during the winter, don’t want to come back to a huge water mess in the house.  Anyhow, for those of you trapped inside during the upcoming blizzard, here are some personal finance articles for you to read:

Retirement

• Are You Saving Too Much for Retirement? @ Generation X Finance
• Early Retirement Isn’t Out of Reach @ Suns Financial Diary
• The Most Important Factor in Retirement Savings @ Get Rich Slowly
• A Retirement Myth @ Free Money Finance
• Should You Borrow From Your 401(k)? @ Personal Finance By The Book
• Planning for Retirement Requires Sacrifice @ Rainy Day Saver

Personal Finance

• Why we need immigrants @ Brip Blap
• Planning a Wedding On a Budget @ Frugal Dad
• Revisiting Lending Club @ Lazy Man & Money
• The Idiot Millionaire by Derek Foster @ Million Dollar Journey
• Healthy Food Choices Can Be Economical Too! @ The Digerati Life
• Get Psych Yourself Rich for Free @ Beating Broke
• Top 7 Tips for Creating a Budget @ Sweating The Big Stuff
• Best free date night ideas @ Frugal Zeitgeist
• 4 Vacation Disasters Overseas @ Currency

Taxes

• 5 Helpful Android and iPhone Tax Apps @ My Dollar Plan
• Best Tax Breaks 2011 @ Money Smart Life
• Tax Filing Delays @ Money Crashers

Thanks to Bett and Greg for including my contribution Best Gym Membership Deals to this week’s Carnival of Personal Finance over at Control Your Cash.

Ben Edwards, the founder of Money Smart Life, saved up enough to buy a Nintendo back when he was 12 years old. When he used the money to buy shares of Wal-Mart stock instead, he knew he wasn't like the other kids... His addiction to personal finance has paid off for his family and now he's helping you to afford the life that you want. Check him out on the web at Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook.

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