I realized recently that the one album I’ve listened to more than any other in my life has been The Joshua Tree by U2. I owned it on vinyl in 1987 and literally played it then until it was scratched to death, returned to it over and over again in the interim, and lately have been playing it almost nonstop in my truck. It’s really interesting to me how the same music can speak to me in different ways at different times in my life.

Force Yourself to Save! 15 Painless Ways to Pay Yourself First This is a nice collection of tips. I tend to find that making things automatic makes them work – if you entrust yourself to remember to do it, you’ll often fail. (@ the digerati life)

10 Ways to Conserve and Save Money I like riding the line between “green” and “tightwad.” (@ christian pf)

Can You Talk To Your Friends About Debt? This is a very difficult topic to breach most of the time, so the article has some really useful advice. (@ wise bread)

The Simple Dollar Retro: A Primer on Once-A-Month Cooking Want to cook at home but never have the time? Devote one day a month to doing most of the work in advance, so that each evening the food is very easy to prepare.