Weekly Round-Up: The ‘Poor Me’ Edition

This has been a tough week… and not because the kids and I were on vacation for the first part of it. It’s been a tough week because the kids and I were vacation and I had a raging case of strep throat. Nothing spoils national holidays and birthday parties like throat infections and high fevers, let me tell you. And I’m now more grateful than ever for modern medicine and those lovely antibiotics!

The only good thing that came out of this week (besides watching many hours of West Wing while lying in bed) was that I came up with an idea for a post on my experiences with French health care. Look for that to be posted tomorrow.

Meanwhile, here were some of my favorite reads this week.

• No longer frugal: powdered milk @ Monroe on a Budget
• groceries, expense or investment? @ beauty that moves
• Talking to your kids about the recession: 3 Most Common Mistakes @ Babble.com
• Can China’s frugal savers help the economy? @ BBC NEWS
• Thoughts on self-indulgence @ (What if No One’s Watching?)
• Frugal or tight: Where’s the line? @ MSN Money
• Summer Fun – How to Make Your Own Ice Cream @ Frugal Simplicity
• Income-Based Repayment for Student Loans @ MrsMicah
• a summer sweater (that’s really a t-shirt) @ angry chicken
• Rule #4: Eliminate (and Avoid) High Interest Debt @ The Simple Dollar

I also started a thread in WiseBread’s personal finance and frugality forums asking why we want what our parents have, financially at least. Stop by to leave your answer to the question, or wait for the results to appear here in a few weeks- I’ll also be posting the question on Twitter.

As always, you can check out the Good Reads page or my Tumblr site Almost Frugal Finds for all my links. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!