A close family friend passed away over the weekend. With the exception of my parents’ home and my own, I probably have spent more time in his home than anyone else. I’ll miss him. A lot. If you’re there reading this on the ol’ internet terminal in the sky, I can still remember what that soap tasted like, I remember that dusty old black belt, and I still remember the bumper pool trick – and I hope we’ll see each other again someday and watch some stock cars race around a dirt track again.

8 Lessons I Learned From The Cheapest Family In The Nation The best one is teamwork – surround yourself by people who share your life values and goals. (@ the digerati life)

Crossing Generations: Being Grateful For What We Have And Some Reflections On The Future When you look at your heritage and ask yourself some hard questions, the answers can be profound. (@ money, matter, and more musings)

Food Budget: Eating On A Shoestring Good advice here if you’re feeling some desperate budget pinching. (@ queercents)

The Simple Dollar Retro: 42 Ways That Going Green Saves A Ton Of Money My wife and I are pretty big small-scale environmentalists, from the energy efficiency of our home to the compost bin in the backyard. Here’s a huge number of tips for frugal environmentalists.