We went to a nearby Home Depot yesterday to get our free compact fluorescent light bulb – and came home with five free ones as their distribution was haphazard and they seemed to have far more to give away than people were taking. Good for us, I guess. On to some personal finance posts.

Ten Money Questions for Skye Kilaen An interesting interview with a forthright and independent woman on how she manages her own finances. Well worth reading for a strong and real female perspective. (@ blog her)

Total Costs of Ownership – And Why Indians Hate Dry Cleaning An interesting perspective on the costs of owning something that most people overlook. When you buy clothes, you’re also buying the costs of maintaining those clothes, for example. You don’t just spend $250 on a Nintendo Wii – there’s also the cost of electricity, the cost of time, the cost of new games and peripherals, etc. The same is true for anything, which means that the true cost is much higher than you initially think. (@ i will teach you to be rich)

Another Stupid Survey About Men, Women, And Work Over and over again, it becomes evident to me that financial problems in America are the result of a much more complicated set of issues. This overview of an interesting survey just compounds that idea. (@ cre8pc)

The Simple Dollar Retro: Making A Simple Budget: A First Timer’s Guide If you’ve never made your own budget before, or tried to follow a recipe for a budget from a book and failed, this guide’s for you. A budget isn’t a template out of a book, it’s a reflection of your own spending and your own financial life.