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As a kid, I used to enjoy making and flying paper airplanes, so I couldn’t help but smile when I happened across this compilation of hundreds of paper airplanes, models and origami plans.  Poking through the list, I found something for just about everyone:  flying airplanes, paper dolls, origami, cartoon characters, builds, boats, and more.  So, if you’re looking for something to keep the kids occupied on a rainy day, or feel like building a few yourself, go check it out!

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The recent post on 12 Free and Fantastic Windows Applications was featured in this this week’s Festival of Frugality, hosted by Our Fourpence Worth.  If you have a moment, go check it out…

• divine caroline covers seven tips for jumpstarting a stalled job search.
• Weiss Research has published The "X" List Report.  The report is a 12 page PDF file that lists the strongest and weakest banks in the US, based upon data culled from the FDIC and OTS.
• The New York Times has an article on five basics for building a solid financial future.
• Sarah Winfrey discusses the "Pa-Doink" Principle of Personal Savings.
• Forbes talks about the Best Ways to Break Unhealthy Habits.
• And finally, the Amateur Economist pointed us to a Laptop Mag article that covers Back to School Notebook Deals.

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Taking your own lunch to work or school on a daily basis can help you save lots of money on an annual basis.  Here are some tips to help you make the most of it:

• Arm yourself with the right food – Restaurants fight hard for your lunch-time dollar every day; and it’s a bit of an unfair fight when compared to your traditional brown-bag lunch.  Think about it: it’s hard to resist that double-stuffed Italian sub from the local deli or a gourmet salad from the cafeteria when your brown-bagged alternative is ham on wonder bread and an apple.  Raise the stakes in your brown-bag battle by starting with a lunchtime menu that will help you resist the temptation to eat out by packing better lunches:  make your own deli subs or salads with upgraded meats, veggies and condiments that you buy at the grocery store.
• Think about your food needs for the entire day – Packing your own lunch can save you additional money if you think about and plan for your food needs for the entire day.  Do you find yourself hitting the soda or snack machine for a quick pick me up at some point during the day?  If so, then plan ahead and bring snacks and drinks to cover those impromptu needs.
• Cook extra portions at dinnertime – It takes a set amount of time to cook dinner, but usually doesn’t take much extra time to prepare a larger portion that you can use for leftover lunches later on during the week.  This tactic helps save you time, as you won’t have to spend as much time thinking about or preparing meals.
• Prep your brown-bags before morning – With showers, breakfast, and getting the kids off to school, mornings can get really hectic.  Save yourself some hassle by preparing your lunch the night before. 
• Pack food that will be satisfying – If you find yourself getting hungry throughout the day, then take steps to mitigate the risk of a “snack run” to the vending machines or cafeteria by packing food and snacks that will help satiate your hunger.  Food that is high in lean protein – think nuts, lean means, and boiled eggs - will help satisfy your cravings, because it takes longer for the body to break down protein than it does simple carbohydrates.  In addition, take small packs of conveniently sized veggies, such as bite-sized carrots or celery.
• Consider food safety issues – Poorly prepared, packed or stored food can be a potential health hazard.  As an example, chicken or turkey salad, when left in a warm environment for a short period of time, can easily breed large quantities of bacteria.  If needed, use ice-packs to keep food chilled or thermos bottles to keep food warm during transit; and then refrigerate/microwave as needed.  In addition, consider investing in good, reusable, microwave-safe containers that you can use to store and transport your food.
• Make lunch an event – Break rooms are often blandly decorated, boring environments.  If the weather is nice, head outside; or find some nice place where you can enjoy your meal.

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• CBS News talks about where jobs can be found during the current downturn.
• Nouriel Roubini argues that the United States economy is at risk of imploding.
• The Motley Fool explains why current high yields make it a great time to consider buying dividend stocks.
• Gary Krakow argues that Netflix’s recent flubs create a real opportunity for Apple’s video product.
• CNN Money offers up 6 Fuel Sipping Alternatives to Hybrids.

And finally, Stephen Colbert explains why you should fear your iPhone:

Click to view the video after the jump...

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• eCOST: Refurbed HP Pavilion M8357C Desktop for only $528.99

In our day to day writings, a lot of Personal Finance and Investing bloggers discuss Index Funds, ETFs, stocks, and other similar investments.  However, I thought I would take a step back today and focus on your most important investment.  Care to guess what it is?

If you said “House”, well…nice try, but that isn’t it.  While most Americans have the majority of their net-worth tied up in their home, that isn’t their most important investment.

And if you said “Retirement”, give your a pat on the back, but sorry…that isn’t it either.  It is true that retirement accounts consist mostly of stocks or stock funds; and that stock asset classes tend to outperform other assets over long periods of time, but that is not your most important investment.

It turns out that your most important investment is “You”.

Why is that?  Simply put, everything you do and every decision you make impacts your financial future in one way or another.  Your ability to buy a house and fund various financial goals stems directly from the income you generate from your job or career.  And due to the magic of compounding, the decisions that you make now about your retirement will have far-reaching consequences 20 or 30 years down the road.  Likewise, the lifestyle choices you make today regarding your health may have costly ramifications once you’re retired and on a fixed income.

What can you do about it?  Invest in yourself.  Take steps to maximize your ability to generate income, either by growing your career or business.  Educate yourself so that you’re well prepared to make the right decisions regarding your financial future (and reading blogs like this are a great first step!); and think about your lifestyle.  Are there habits that you have in place today that are going to have a dire impact on you or your health later on down the road?  If so, then take steps to change them.

Have a great weekend!

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Twice this week I’ve had the opportunity to help friends and family work through issues with their computer; and each case, I used or installed a freely available application to address the need.  There’s a lot of really great software out there that doesn’t cost a dime.  So today, I’ve decided to compile a list of the dozen applications that I consider to be among the cream of the crop.  Here they are:

• LogMeIn – Software that allows you to access your home or work PC from anywhere.  The basic version is free and seems to work a lot more readily than the remote access tool built into Windows.  I use this to troubleshoot issues on friend’s computers and to connect from my desktop while on the road.
• Skype – In the past, I used Skype a lot to call family and colleagues from the road.  These days, however, I use it in conjunction with an inexpensive webcam for video calls with my family.
• Evernote – A note-taking and information gathering tool that allows you capture information in various formats (notes, pictures, web-clips), organize it, and then access it from your desktop, the web, or your cell phone.
• Avast! – Anti-virus software that is free for home and non-commercial use.
• Pandora – While not a Windows application, per se, it is very cool and worthy of inclusion.  It’s essentially a personalized jukebox.  You tell it what music you enjoy; and then it scans its database and plays music that you might enjoy.  Over time, you can train it to better understand your musical preferences by giving played songs a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down”.  There is also an iPhone version that works very well.
• OpenOffice – A freely available replacement for Microsoft Office, it reads, writes, and allows you to edit Office documents in their native formats.
• 7-Zip – A free replacement for Winzip or Window’s built-in file compression tool.  It goes one step further by offering additional compression options that can, in some cases, compress files much more than Winzip or Windows.
• Picasa – Photo management and editing software from Google that reminds me a lot of Apple’s iPhoto application.  It’s quite easy to use and includes a free online gallery so you can share photos with your friends and family.
• Paint.NET – Intended to be a replacement for Window’s venerable Paint application, it is much more powerful than Paint and is more akin to Adobe Photoshop.
• Firefox – No list of great, free applications would be complete without at least mentioning Firefox.  A solid competitor to Internet Explorer, Firefox also offers a multitude of downloadable plug-ins so you can better tailor the browser to your own specific needs.
• OpenDNS – A web-based tool that improves the security of your computer by blocking “phishing” sites and allowing you to conditionally block adult or other questionable content.
• CutePDF – A simple, free utility that allows you to create PDF files from any printable document.

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A slowing economy and higher prices for almost everything you buy is no excuse for slacking off on your fitness regime.  Being physically fit helps improve your current quality of life and also helps to prevent serious health issues later on down the road.  With that in mind, here are ten free or inexpensive things you can do to help keep yourself in shape:

• Calisthenics – Push-ups, jumping jacks, sit-ups and the like.  It turns out that all of those Phys-Ed exercises that you did as a kid are really good for you and require little in the way of additional equipment.  This article from Men's Fitness provides a couple of different routines to get you started.

• Resistance Bands – Bands are short lengths of surgical tubing with handles on each end that you can use to create resistance when exercising.  Fairly inexpensive, a full set will cost about $40 to $50, although individual bands can be purchased for about $10.  SPRI sells resistance bands and also has free exercise videos that demonstrate proper usage.  Bands are light, easy to store, and can provide frequent flyers with a means of working out while on the road.

• Go for a walk or run – Perhaps one of the easiest and least expensive options, walking or running can be done just about anywhere.  If you have the opportunity, visit a nearby park for a change of scenery.

• Tap into your employer’s perks – Some employers offer wellness or fitness programs to their employees at no or minimal cost.  And in some cases, companies actively encourage participation as it helps reduce their health insurance expenses.  Check with your HR contact to see what resources may be available to you.

• Hydrate – Health experts often advise us to drink more water.  Proper hydration is essential for proper body functions; and besides, water helps you feel full, so you will be less inclined to snack.  Keep a filled glass or water bottle in reach at all times.

• Eliminate trips to the snack machine – Cut out sugary sodas, candy bars, chips and other snacks that are empty calories but do a good job of emptying your wallet.

• Fitness Podcasts – A number of online publishers provide motivational fitness podcasts for free via iTunes or at their websites.  See the health category in the podcast section of iTunes for a list.  Some, but not all, of the topics covered include yoga, running, and walking.

• Go biking – A step up from running, biking is a great cardio exercise that can be a bit easier on your knees that running.  In addition, it allows you to cover longer distances and see more scenery than walking or running.

• Fitness videos  - Use Tivo to record fitness videos off of cable, or check your local library to see if they have DVDs or tapes that you can borrow.  In addition, a number of sites have started to post fitness videos to YouTube.  Click here for for a sample of the listings.

• Track your progress – Create a written journal to measure and track your progress.  If you prefer online tools, FitDay provides a free online diet and fitness journal.

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Over the course of the past few years, financial planners have referred to the “Latte Factor”, which is the notion that all of the small daily purchases made at Starbucks and elsewhere add up to a lot of money over time.  It’s no secret that the Grande Latte that costs three or four bucks at Starbucks can be made yourself for less than a buck.  However, I have always worked under the assumption that the number of people that actually made their own coffee drinks pales in comparison to the number that stop off at Starbucks or Peet’s.

When Starbucks announced the closing of hundreds of stores, I really wasn’t surprised.  It’s often described as an affordable luxury; and therefore, something that can be easily be cut out of one’s budget. 

However, there is one thing that has really come as a surprise to me:  During each of my last two visits to the grocery store, the bulk section has been sold out of espresso roast coffee beans.  Is this a canary in the coal mine?  Is it possible that people are actually changing their habits en masse because of the downturn in the economy?

How about it?  Have you changed your daily habits in light of the economy?

Side note:  The term “Latte Factor” was trademarked in in 2005 by David Bach.  If Mr. Bach or his company notice this, I hope that they will see fit to allow me to use this term as-is in this article. 

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At an average price of $2.49, ringtones have always been a big money-maker for cell phone service providers.  While during some research, I ran across a cool little site called Make Your Own Ringtones that allows you to create ringtones for free by uploading a song, selecting a clip, and then downloading the result.

Using an MP3 of History Repeating by the Propeller Heads, I created a short seven second ringtone in about 5 minutes and the results were pretty respectable.

Sound interesting?  Check it out here.

My recent post on Buying that Dream Car Might be a Good, Frugal Decision was included in the Festival of Frugality, which is hosted this week by David over at Money Ning.

If you have a couple of minutes, show him a little blog love by paying a visit, ‘kay?