This week was great for articles on budgeting and cutting back spending. There are some really good ones I linked to below. My favorite article though is Anthony Bourdains tips on how to find great food while travelling. I couldn’t agree more with all of them! This is exactly how me and my wife find awesome cheap food while we’re backpacking.

Budgeting/Lifestyle

• This article discusses 5 things that new grads should do as they enter the working world. The temptation to go nuts when you finally get a steady paycheque is hard to resist. I mean you’ve been cutting back and getting by while in school so now that you actually have money coming in it’s time to splurge. Not so! While loosening up a bit is understandable this is the time to really save because your costs are usually still pretty low and your are used to getting by on very little. You may even be still living with your parents rent free. If you can continue living as if you were still in school while receiving a full time paycheque for at least a few years after graduation you can really set yourself up for life.
• Too often we make financial decisions based on what everyone else is doing rather than based on the math. This article discusses 3 things that are often considered very virtuous that you should really put off until your retirement savings are on track. The sooner you start saving the less you will actually need to save due to the power of compound interest.
  “The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest” – Albert Einstein
• I will often speak of “grounding” yourself on my blog. This blogger does an excellent job describing what that means. It’s amazing how much less we need when we start with the assumption that we don’t need anything and build up rather than start with everything and try to cut down.
• Lastly I’ll point you in the direction of my last post in case you missed it. It really is the origin story of the Unassuming Banker and will help you understand where I am coming from when I write the things I do.

Fun

• Some great advice from Anthony Bourdain on how to find the best eats while travelling!

  “There was a sinister-looking dude wearing a dirty t-shirt, grilling chicken in a sort of sawed-off 50-gallon drum,” he says. “Mangy dogs were walking around. But we sat down at a table under a bare lightbulb and ordered that chicken.”Everything about it was unexpected, but it came together,” Bourdain continues. “The beer was cold, the right song — something by Peter Tosh — came on the radio. It was a happy accident, and it was the best jerk chicken I’ve ever had. There’s something to be said for letting great meals just happen to you.”

  Go read the whole thing!

• Ooops creationist finds a 60 million year old fish fossil in his basement.

I post all these articles throughout the week so if you don’t want to wait until the Weekly Links I invite you to follow me on my Facebook page, Twitter or Google +.