7 Links Project

I was challenged by Frugal Students to participate in the 7 Links Project. While I am happy to comply, it’s a little hard with this particular blog, as this will be post #44. That’s not a whole lot to draw from.
Since I have two other regular blogs (and a micro-fiction site) I’ll be drawing some of my entries from those. I’ve listed the name of the blog right after each link, so if you only care about finance, you can stick to the Baking the Budget links.
My Most Beautiful Post
The Importance of Touch (Life by Pets)
I should warn you, this is about the last week we had one of our dogs, knowing he was dying. I still cry reading it.  I have a few posts from around that time, though most are quite short and not exactly well written. I think this one conveys my feelings at the time, as well as anything I’ve ever written.
My Most Controversial Post
I’m having to guess here, as I haven’t had any comment wars on any of my blogs. But, anyway, here are my guesses
In Defense of 99 Weeks of Unemployment (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
We Have a Right to Free Speech, Even When We Don’t Want to Hear It (100 Words On)
What I Don’t Like About the AKC (Life by Pets)
My Most Popular Post
An Introduction of Sorts (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
This makes sense. It was my first real post after joining the Yakezie Challenge, so lots of people clicked and even commented. It was a very nice way to join the group.
What Not to Wear (100 Words On)
I have no idea why this post got 79 views in a single day. I think my blog was linked to off a couple spamming sites, but I’m not certain. Still, it is my single most viewed individual post.
A Post Whose Success Surprised Me
It Costs More to be Poor (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
Before I joined the Yakezie Challenge, this post got 2 comments (pretty low standards I know), one of them from someone I don’t know, and the most page views of any of my Baking the Budget posts prior to joining Yakezie.
Post I am Most Proud Of
The Fun of Tracking Your Spending (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
I am not proud of the writing in this post- there’s really very little of that. What I am proud is what it shows- the progress my husband and I made toward our budget goals (living within our means, paying off our debt, and saving) the first year we really focused on those, versus just having them as vague concepts in the background. It shows what a real difference a year, and an attitude shift, can make.
Are We Ready, Am I Ready? (Life by Pets)
Perhaps writing about my dogs brings out some of my best writing, at least as far as I am concerned. I am proud of this post because it conveys my emotions well, tells a complete story, even if you read nothing else about me and my dogs, and is honest about one of the things pets owners talk about least- replacing our beloved animals.
My Most Helpful Post
A Budget is NOT the First Thing You Need (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
The reason I think this is helpful is that something like this would have been helpful to me when I was starting out. I obsessively collected our financial data for years- really, years -before I did anything with it because I didn’t know what to do with it. I knew I needed to create a budget, but I had no idea how, even though I had it all at my fingertips.
So this was meant as my primer for people starting on the road to personal finance. What information do you need, and what do you need to do with it?
In addition, there are the following follow up posts:
A Budget is not the Second Thing You Need and Creating Your Budget
A Post that Didn’t Get the Attention It Deserved
I think I could argue that just about any of my posts prior to joining Yakezie didn’t get the attention I wanted them to have. That was one of the main reasons I joined the challenge. Given that, I’m choosing the very first post I put up on Baking the Budget because it spelled out my money philosophy, and I think its important to know that if you’re going to continue following this blog.
My Money Philosophy (The Dog Ate My Wallet)
I don’t like tagging people. I don’t mind being tagged, but I’ve never been comfortable tagging others. However, I would love it if any of my fellow Yakezie Challenge Summer Group #4 members would particpate so that I can go back to your archives and read the posts you feel deserve the attention.