The Friday Feast ~ the 11th of December

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: Ditching The Daily Grind, Slowly Sipping Coffee, ItsAKateLife, Northern Expenditure, PurpleSweatPants, 60MinuteFinance, Generation Y Retirement Account, Mr. Rickety Road, Wallet Hacks, The Resume Gap.

And here we are, friends, the beginning of December! This is the month that usually tests our metal with gift spending, calorie eating and fun having - not to mention vacations and a little much-needed rest and relaxation.  Who's ready?

First, a special thanks to Ditching The Daily Grind who were the second to accept our One Minute Retirement Soundbite challenge and recorded their story - with a couple of their kids as well! Well done, guys! If you'd like to take the challenge, it's simple - here are the details.

And now, on to the feast!

One of my favorite stories came from Mr. SSC from Slowly Sipping Coffee where he wrote about his struggle with sleeping in the midst of, shall we say, uncertainty, within his line of work and what might come next.

Next, Kate from ItsAKateLife reflected this week on what it has been like being mortgage-free over the past year. It's gotta be incredibly freeing knowing that your most substantial debt pile is now completely gone!

My favorite post of the week

"Successful people dream big", says Maggie from Northern Expenditure - my favorite post of the week. I love her take on success and how the most successful people in this world approach their outlook on life.

"Dreaming big changes you. It breaks down walls of “I can’t” and helps you explore possibilities with confidence. Successful people in finances are people that have managed their finances well and have made money multiply, right? And you want to be a successful person. So, dream big."

More from the personal finance community

Ernie from PurpleSweatPants told us this week that he needs a "big hairy audacious goal for 2016". How about tacking his $12,000 home equity line of credit he took out this year? 100% pay back? Gotta admit, I admire the dude's confidence!

60MinuteFinance asked this week if credit cards are your "financial potato chip". Check the warning signs that credit cards might be your salty, crunchy, guilty pleasure.

And lastly, Generation Y Retirement Account talked about the Flexible Philanthropy Fund.

Oh, and a "better late than never" edit: Bryan from Just One More Year wants to organize a meet up for Personal Finance gurus next December in Arizona. I'm in...how about you?

Honorable mentions: Mr Rickety Road said there is more to life than overworking for money, Wallet Hacks gave us his 10-second how to tip guide and Matt from The Resume Gap just bought a van - #VanLife, baby!

Photo of the week

And here's a quick photo I snapped (for our companion blog, FullTimeExplorers.com) of the sunset looking down our street on Wednesday evening. No color enhancements were made to this photo - this is the real deal, straight out of the camera!

Coming up in the week ahead on ThinkSaveRetire: On Monday, I am going to ask the question "What if everyone just stopped paying attention to what everybody else is doing?" and on Wednesday, my first "How to ER" post in a new blog series will be published - this first post will examine people's comfort zones and why it is so important to escape them.

Also, stay tuned in January for a chronicle of one couple's journey into a Tiny House. Also, I have started writing a new article series "How to ER" that will examine the principles of early retirement and how anyone can make their money goals happen.

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