It’s a holiday weekend in the U.S., and I plan to make the most of it. Get Rich Slowly will be quiet until Tuesday. Kris and I will spend time with friends, work in the yard, and begin our de-cluttering project in earnest. (Actually, as I write this, it’s nearly midnight and we’re still up purging all sorts of stuff!)
Two items of note:

I’m looking for guest authors. At the moment, I’m limiting guest posts to once during the week and once during the weekend. If you have a personal finance tip or story to share, drop me a line.
What would you like to see covered at Get Rich Slowly? I have a long list of story ideas. You can help me prioritize by saying which subjects interest you most. Investing? Frugality? Home economics? All of the above?

In the meantime, here are some of the best GRS articles from the month of August:

August 1st: Money Day: [...]

While scouring the web for personal finance stories, I found some time-sensitive advice. The Consumer Reports Car Blog notes that Labor Day weekend can be a great time to buy a new car, especially if you’re looking at last year’s models.

As the model year transitions from 2007 to 2008, a slew of clearance sales compete for car-buyers’ attention. Choosing the right car from hundreds of available models is complicated by the big decision to save on a discounted, ‘07 car or buy the latest car fresh from the factory.
On the surface, many of these Labor Day weekend deals look attractive, especially for models that are not significantly changed for 2008. However, Consumer Reports Auto Price Service’s analysis shows that there is even more potential savings than shoppers may realize.

The piece explains why it’s especially important to seek the lowest price when buying a car at this time of year. The Consumer Reports web site [...]

We’ve finally got some August-like weather here in Portland; maybe Kris’ tomatoes will ripen after all. While we work in the yard and declutter the house, here are some quick-and-easy money articles from around the web:
The DIY Maven at Curbly has 20 tips for shopping at the grocery store. You’ve heard many of these before, but it never hurts to review. Some of these should be mantras: Make a list! Eat first! Shop the perimeter!
I’m a huge fan of Quicken hacks, those little tricks that make it easier to work with this popular piece of personal finance software. Several months ago, I gathered and posted a collection of my favorites. Macworld has collated their top 10 Quicken tricks. While one is Mac-specific, I believe the others will work on the PC as well.
Finally, a couple of readers pointed out a nice anti-clutter strategy at 43folders. The clever hanger trick (developed by Peter Walsh, the author [...]

Last month I shared stories of good customer service Kris and I have experienced recently. Sadly, this sort of thing seems to be the exception rather than the rule. Tim wrote to share a frustrating experience he had with Bank of America, the kind of thing The Consumerist covers all the time. Here’s his story:

My employer ran a promotional thing where if you completed a set of “healthy living” tasks, they gave you $25.  When we got the $25, rather than being cash, check, or added to our paychecks, it was given to us in the form of a $25 pre-paid debit/credit card from Bank of America.
When my card arrived in the mail, it had the usual sticker across the front notifying me that I had to activate it before use.  I attempted to activate it using the website listed on the sticker, but when I entered the last four digits of my SSN [...]

So many links, so little time. There have been a lot of great personal finance articles on the web lately. Here are a few:
How to write a resume
This is a fairly comprehensive guide to writing resumes, covering different goals and methods. I like that the post includes a huge bibliography of other web pages about resumes. I don’t like the emphasis on an “objective statement”. As an employer, I have to tell you I think objective statements are lame. Maybe I’m the only one, though. Maybe other employers actually find value in them.
Five steps to forming a giving habit
Ryan Stewart has written a nice little introduction to charitable giving. He advises picking a handful of organizations to support, budgeting contributions, and making them automatic. I’m looking forward to making charity a priority when I finally have my debt eliminated!
9 ways to look rich but live cheap
At MSN Money, MP Dunleavey offers tips for living the [...]

Like everyone, I see a lot of ads. Some are obnoxious, but I try not to let them bother me. I was reading an article at USA Today earlier in the week, though, and the following ad made me blow a gasket:
I’ve obscured the advertiser’s logo.

This message is followed by one that reads: “Bad parents don’t.”
Yes, I know the ad is trying to be funny. Yes, I know it’s trying to pretend to hypnotize the reader. I don’t care. This is the sort of blatant consumerist message I hate. I loathe it.
Why does this sort of thing make me angry? Because it works! People who see this ad — including me — will absorb the message into their subconscious. Few will purchase this computer for their kids, but many will have their urge to buy things reinforced.
It’s not often that an ad makes me angry, but it does happen, especially if it contains some [...]