This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly.

 

Every January since I started Get Rich Slowly, I’ve done an annual roundup of my discretionary spending. That’s not going to happen this year. The numbers are hopelessly muddled by events that created under-reporting in some categories and over-reporting in others. (Kris and I paid for our 2010 vacations in 2009, for example.)

 

Rather than sort things out, I want to talk about a couple of my spending habits instead. One is a worrisome trend, and one is a thing I’m doing right.

 

For the next several months, I’m doing TV news stories and writing blog entries that are designed to help you find motivation, methods and extra money to pay off debt.

 

But this story is for those who can't yet embark on a debt-destroying mission because their debt is currently destroying them. 

 

In another effort to go green, Wal-Mart has quit providing free bags to customers at three of its stores in Northern California.

 

According to The Sacramento Bee, the move is part of an experiment to see whether customers are willing to bring their own bags to help the environment. If they forget bags, they can buy reusable bags from Wal-Mart in two sizes, for 15 cents and 50 cents. The company is also training checkers to put more in each bag.

 

Every now and then I buy a lottery ticket.

I'll pause for a moment to give some of you the chance to draw in a big ol' breath of righteous indignation.

All puffed up now? Let's hear it:  

It’s time for Friday food deals and freebies, with a little help from our friends at Cities on the Cheap.

 

Some of last week’s deals are still valid, including any size pizza at Pizza Hut for $10. If you’d rather have Papa John’s or Domino’s, check their Web sites before you order. The big pizza chains often offer a list of neighborhood-specific coupons after you enter your address.

• Bing: Best free workouts

Don’t forget the usual disclaimer: Not all local restaurants participate in all national promotions so it’s wise to check ahead of time.

 

Here are the latest deals:

 

This post comes from partner blog The Dough Roller.

 

A reader recently asked about financial goals for those 50 years old or better. Here’s her question:

Now I'd like to know if you can list ways of setting up long-term goals for people 50 years and over. At least some examples would do the trick.

While I’m not quite 50, I’m much closer than I care to admit. And so the reader’s question was timely for me. And it got me thinking about whether financial goals should be different based on your age. The answer it seems to me is unequivocally yes. It’s not that any particular age is significant, but your stage in life likely will affect your goals and desires. And why shouldn’t financial goals be part of this?

 

So I sat down and thought through what financial goals many baby boomers should have or at least strongly consider. What came from that exercise is the following list of five financial goals.

 

You insure against untimely death, bad health and damage to your property. Should you insure against giant car repair bills too?

• Bing:Is an extended car warranty ever worth it?

An extended warranty can provide protection against a budget-busting bill. But keep it in park until you understand what they do and how they work.

 

As the Feb. 22 deadline approaches for most of the new Credit CARD Act requirements to kick in, weirdness abounds. CBS MoneyWatch columnist Kathy Kristof can attest to that.

 

She opened up the first bill for her new Macy’s store credit card and read that the “minimum interest charge" on her average daily balance “worked out to ‘an actual annual percentage rate’ of 703.8%,” she wrote.

 

What, we thought -- are our eyes deceiving us? Sure enough, the headline on her post is “Credit reform and my new 703.8% card.” There is an explanation for this, and you should read it, lest you open your credit card bill and suffer a heart attack.