The Friday Feast ~ the 19th of August

The personal finance community is filled with so many talented writers and inspiring families in search of something better out of life than the traditional society-approved plan of buying lots of stuff and retiring in your 60s if you're lucky.

Here is a look at the best of this week's personal finance blogs.

In this episode of Friday Feast: Markus Almond, Two Cup House, Solving Finance, 1500 Days, Ten Factorial Rocks, Hunt Gather Brew, Deals Plus, Be Net Worth, Millennial Money Man and Entrepreneur.

Welcome to another Friday, and congrats for making it here. Half way through August already and two weeks from our vacation to the higher altitudes of Colorado. Can hardly wait.

Now, onto the personal finance gems!

First, Markus Almond asked a very pointed question, with an asterisked-out obscenity thrown in for good measure: What the f*ck are we all doing?

Next, check out our post on Two Cup House that talks about our Airstream Dream.

My favorite post of the week

My favorite post this week comes from Solving Finance who asks an important question: What is holding many of us back?

"The difference between a rich person and an average person are choices. It’s YOU who decides whether you have a great future or a mediocre one," he wrote, staying right in line with what I firmly believe to be true. Life is about choices.

"The key thing is to be cognizant and recognize the real reason behind your choices. The next time you are about to make a purchase, catch yourself and ask the reasons behind spending money. “Is this a necessity?”"

More from the personal finance community

Mr. 1500 published an awesome post about his philosophy on money. Hint: It's not about money!

Ten Factorial Rocks put together a kickin' blog post about jobs, attitude and your independence.

Also, Hunt, Gather, Brew delivers an interesting post that dissects our obsession with cheap...and why it is enslaving us.

Lastly, check out my latest guest post on DealsPlus about how doubling the cost of everything you buy can add up to serious savings.

Honorable mentions: Be Net Worthy asks if it's time to celebrate, Millennial Money Man explains why following the herd will keep you poor, and lastly, Entrepreneur said that if we want to make it big, we've got to hustle. Agree?

Photo of the week

This photo, taken from the Gilbert Ray campground last weekend west of Tucson, AZ, is one of my all-time favorite captures of our home. I snapped this photo around 4:15am Saturday morning as we observed the Perseid meteor shower. Note the Milky Way in the sky.

Coming up in the week ahead on ThinkSaveRetire: On Monday, I am lamenting how tough the waiting game is as we approach early retirement from full-time work, and on Wednesday, I'm having a little fun by talking about confidence and how it completely changes your life - for the better!

Thanks for reading, and cheers to another financially productive week ahead!