I’ve written about my love of the crock pot for making great homemade meals that cook slowly while you’re at work, but it’s been a life saver since my wife has returned to work. Here are some tasty recipes, too.

When to Pull the Plug on Bargain Hunting I don’t actively bargain hunt anymore – it’s usually diminishing returns, and quite often I found I just spent six hours bargain hunting to save $10 or “save” $25 on something I didn’t really even want anyway. (@ queercents)

Choosing an Asset Allocation, Step 1: Deciding on the Stocks to Bonds Ratio I’m linking to this because of one fascinating graph in the story. It turns out that investing in 80% bonds and 20% stocks is actually more stable than 100% bonds – and returns better, too. (@ my money blog)

Alternative Income Is a Virus I agree. I’ve been working on a number of alternative income streams over the last year – and I want more. (@ lazy man and money)

The Simple Dollar Retro: Trimming the Fat: Forty Ways to Reduce Your Required Monthly Spending This is a lengthy collection of tips (mostly collected from other articles on The Simple Dollar) on how to reduce your monthly bills.