No sooner had I slung on the Uggs and loitered with intent around my thermostat, the UK’s weather did a triple backflip and produced a heat wave. As many on Twitter have been quick to point out, the UK is quite clearly holding Greece’s weather to ransom until the Greeks cough up some serious dosh.

As I get ready to make the most of the unexpected sun and Greece gets increasingly hot under the collar, let’s take a look at the best of the personal finance blogosphere this week…

First to …

Ever wondered what time of the year is the best time to start looking for your new job? The answer is: RIGHT NOW.

It’s a pretty standard sort of thing to have written on your list of New Years’ Resolutions, to hunt out that job you know will make you happier than the dead-end gig you have going on right now. But starting a job hunt in January is about as useful as a chocolate teapot. Why? Because everyone else is out looking in January too, so the market is flooded …

Time is money, or so they say. Nowhere is this over-used phrase truer than when it comes to housework.  Oh, housework, the scourge of our lives, how we loathe it. No matter how well you do it the damned thing needs re-doing the very next week! And should you be unfortunate enough to have children or pets (or a small black and white cocker spaniel that makes a mess of EVERYTHING) there sometimes seems no end to the hoovering.

If I could spout one simple piece of wisdom regarding money and …

The TotallyMoney Blog Carnival went live on Monday at FSYA!  We hope to see you again next week!

Editors’ Picks this week:

Careful Cents presents Tricks to Saving Money Like a Pawn Star.Investor Junkie presents What Does Netflix and Taxes Have In Common?

NetWorth Journey presents Yes, You Can Retire | How to Develop a Good Retirement Strategy.

The Frugal Toad presents College Students as Victims of Identity Theft.

Thanks again and remember to submit your post for next week, which may be picked by Freelance PF!

{Photo: Gnuckx}

With food prices rising daily and the average UK household grocery bill (for a two person household) reaching £61.50 per week it can feel like bit of a punch in the stomach when you reach the checkout at your local supermarket and see the final bill. Here’s how you can make your weekly shopping trip a little less costly.

 
Drop down a level
Do you buy the highest level brand? Drop down to the next level down. Are you buying supermarket …

The last instalment in my three part guide to eBay. Just to recap, in part 1 we took a look at eBay’s amazing array of luxury products at rock bottom prices. In part 2 we got down to the nitty gritty of locating your items, vetting sellers, shipping costs and snipers. To round-off your definitive guide to lux living on eBay, I’ve put together an eBay glossary for you, so you can find your way easily through the maze of acronyms littered all over eBay listings.
BIN (buy …

It’s something that has never really crossed my mind until recently – the idea of getting a gift you don’t like or don’t want, and passing it on as a gift to someone else. I always thought it was kind of dodgy until I was given a gift recently that, while perfectly nice and useful, just isn’t me. I won’t use it and it seems a waste to leave it sitting in its box taking up space when I know any number of other women would want one.

So the question …

I’ve spent the latter part of this week deciding on a dessert for a little dinner party we’re having next week. I need something I can knock together easily after work, and I’m thinking that a lemon meringue pie is the answer. Perhaps it’s a bit old fashioned these days, but I think it makes a great dinner party or family dessert.

It’s surprisingly easy to make – in fact you can make the whole thing the night before – but it looks pretty impressive, and I’m yet to find someone who …

Already I have three weddings in my diary for next year and while I’d love to use that to justify purchasing three new outfits, with my budget it’s just not feasible. What to do though when you know that some of the same people will be at all three events? Being seen in the same dress is too much of fashion faux pas – even for me!

And as hard as I try, I find myself with a wardrobe full of dresses that I’ve spent serious money on and I …

All kinds of excited. Hurriedly producing this post for you all, fidgeting in the knowledge that yes I am about to go away for a long weekend and yes it will involve wearing wellington boots, drinking red wine and playing Scrabble, which shouldn’t be a mid-twenty-something year old’s idea of fun, but right now I can think of little better. As FruGal notes, autumn is hands down the best season of the year and I’m planning on making the most of it this weekend.

Before I leg it, let’s take …