As we dive headfirst into the holiday season, what comes with milk and cookies, twinkle lights and goodwill toward men?  How about credit cards and more bills than you can pay?!

KCLau presents Are you part of the NEET Generation? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “About NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Learning), the NEET generation and why there is NEET.”

Dave presents Don’t Use Your American Express at Walmart posted at Cheapo Groovo.

KCLau presents Financial Consideration for New Parents in Malaysia posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Recently, there is an interesting post written by Xin Lu at Wisebread about the financial consideration of having a newborn baby. The article is more catered to the situation in the USA. Although it might differ in terms of currency, the other facts might similar and worth our study. This sparks the idea of writing this post to share with you the financial side of being a new parent in Malaysia.”

nickel presents Reduced Credit Limits? Share Your Experience posted at fivecentnickel.com.

CreditAddict presents Surviving the Economic Crisis With Your Credit Intact posted at CreditAddict.

KCLau presents Case Study: Financial Goals of a Malaysian working in Singapore posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Subscribe to my Newsletter to receive the Top Money Tips for Malaysians ebook.

What you will get:

* Top Money Tips e-book
* Budgeting e-book (a week after signing up)
* Insider’s tips not published here”

MoneyNing presents Credit Card Spending Limit, Credit Scores and Conventional Mortgages posted at Money Ning, saying, “A credit card representative told me that my credit card limit alone will affect my credit score. Do you believe her?”

nickel presents Paying Off Fixed vs. Variable Interest Debt posted at fivecentnickel.com.

CreditAddict presents How to Make Money With 0% Balance Transfers posted at CreditAddict.

nickel presents 0% Credit Cards: No Interest on Purchases for up to 12 Months posted at fivecentnickel.com.

CreditAddict presents Credit Card Defaults Taking Down QVC posted at CreditAddict.

Neko presents 8 Great Ways to Beat Holiday Debt posted at Larry.

Jeremy Zongker presents Good Saving Habits Start Early posted at Money Blog.

KCLau presents Buy term and invest the difference posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “In this post, I will share my view about the reality and practical part of making use of this well-known strategy of buying term and investing the difference.”

Credit Card Assist presents 7 Credit Card Rules to Live By posted at Credit Cards Blog | CreditCardAssist.com.

apply4-credit presents How Much is Too Much Plastic? posted at Apply 4 Credit.

DebbieDragon presents Drowning in Debt? Here’s How to Rescue Your Finances posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

nickel presents 0% Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers to Start the New Year Right posted at fivecentnickel.com.

CreditAddict presents How to Evaluate Balance Transfer Credit Card Offers posted at CreditAddict.

KCLau presents If either one of the joint-account holder dies, who gets the money? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Let’s say you have a joint account with your spouse in a local bank. Due to an unforeseen accident, your spouse passed away (touch wood). Are you entitled to withdraw all the money in the account, say RM100k? The answer is not simply a “yes” or “no”. It actually depends on the bank’s rules and regulations. What I learn is that there are three possibilities.”

Debt Free Destiny presents Squeezing Your Paycheck for Every Drop posted at Debt Free Destiny.

Credit Card Assist presents Who Here Hates the Junk Mail and Why it Can Be Dangerous posted at Credit Cards Blog | CreditCardAssist.com.

apply4-credit presents Credit Cards Can Work with a Budget posted at Credit Card Applications Expert | Apply4-Credit.com.

Debt Freedom Fighter presents How to Spot Debt Relief Commercial Scams posted at Discover Debt Freedom!.

KCLau presents Top Money Tips for Malaysian Book Review posted at KCLau’s Money Tips, saying, “Two reviews had been posted about my new book Top Money Tips for Malaysian. Read on to find out more.”

Debt Free Destiny presents 5 Money Changes to Keep More of Your Money posted at Debt Free Destiny.

KCLau presents How to manages monthly cash flow posted at KCLau’s Money Tips.

Credit Card Assist presents What College Kids Might Not Know About Credit Cards posted at Credit Card Assist. and How Shall I Compare Thee, Credit Card? posted at Credit Cards Blog | CreditCardAssist.com.

apply4-credit presents Your Divorce and Your Credit Are Your Prepared? posted at Credit Card Applications Expert | Apply4-Credit.com.

Savings Toolbox presents Two Things You need To Know About Online Payday Loans posted at Savings Toolbox.

Insurance Toolbox presents Don’t Buy Life Insurance For Your Children posted at Insurance Toolbox.

Deposit Accounts presents Will Opening a Deposit Account Affect My Credit Score posted at The Money Blog.

nickel presents Citi and Amex Changing Terms, Raising Rates and Fees posted at fivecentnickel.com.

CreditAddict presents Inside Your Cardmember Agreement: Know What You’re Signing Up For posted at CreditAddict.

Bankruptcy

Michael Bass presents Should I file Bankruptcy or Settle my Debt? posted at Debt Prison, saying, “A bankruptcy lawyer said I would have to do a Chapter 13 but to me that just seems like a payment plan with worse credit. I dont want a trustee looking over my shoulder for 3-5 yrs and taking tax refunds and christmas bonus.”

Lance Cooper presents How Trickle Down Affects You posted at Recession Money Matters, saying, “Think you are insulated from the stock market? Think again.”

Don presents Can student loans be written off in a bankruptcy? posted at D.P. Lawson, saying, “There is a lot of mis-information floating around on the Internet about what you can or can not do with your student loans when filing bankruptcy. Know the facts! Here is an article that will give you your options when looking to get your student loans discharged in a bankruptcy.”

Credit Cards

imarketing4s presents Credit Card Debt Consolidation – A Credit Card Debtor’s Perfect Solution posted at Free Debt Consolidation: Qualified Financial Management.

Mr Credit Card presents HHonors Bonus, Arithmetic, and Retention Bonuses | Ask Mr Credit Card’s Blog posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Credit Shout presents Simply Cash Business Card from American Express Review posted at CreditShout.

Credit Shout presents Chase Freedom Credit Card Review posted at CreditShout.

Raymond presents Save Money With Credit Card Cash Back Rewards posted at Money Blue Book.

Jim presents Best International Credit Card posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Michael Bass presents 5 Ways to Escape Credit Card Debt posted at Debt Prison, saying, “This article was the first one I wrote (2006) when I bought a domain called DebtPrison.Net. This article offers an explanation of my personal struggle with debt as well as my solution. It’s worked for me and hopefully will for countless others.”

Mr Credit Card presents Credit Card Benefits posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Jim presents » List of Cards with 0% Balance Transfer Offers for 12 Months on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Debt Wizard presents Credit Cards- What To Look For posted at Money Help, saying, “The right credit card for you depends on your spending habits and if you are able to fully pay off your credit card each month.”

Jim presents 0% Credit Cards: No Interest Purchases & Balance Transfers Offers posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Mr Credit Card presents I Can’t Believe I Fell For It posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

The Smarter Wallet presents Why Not Use Credit Cards To Reduce Your Mortgage? posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Livingalmostlarge presents The next meltdown? posted at LivingAlmostLarge, saying, “Hope it’s not too late for 11/23″

Kevin Fleming presents Best Gas Credit Cards posted at CreditShout.

Debt Wizard presents Some Helpful Tips To Not Abuse Your Credit Card posted at Money Help, saying, “Prone to spending too much and missing payments on your credit card? Here are a few tips.”

Jim presents Local Banks May Offer No Fee 0% Balance Transfers posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Credit Shout presents Best Gas Credit Cards posted at CreditShout.

The Smarter Wallet presents Show Me The Money Cards! Evaluating Cash and Credit Cards posted at The Smarter Wallet, saying, “Thanks!”

Gary presents 10 Rules Of Credit Cards posted at StoppingYou.com Blog, saying, “Ten rules that I hope you find to be very helpful in having a credit card. Credit cards are not evil but we must be very careful when we use them.”

David presents Credit Cards – Friend or Foe? posted at Worldwide Success.

Jim presents Notifying Credit Cards of International Travel posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Discover Mall Promotion – Free Gift Cards posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “Discover is offering $20 gift cards at participating malls. All you need to do is spend $200 to be eligible.”

Don presents Bad Credit Card Cards Can Help Your Credit Rating posted at Bad Credit Lending.

Daniel Lazarides presents POS fraud, E-Commerce challenges, Consumer confidence? posted at A Voice on Financial Services, saying, “Consumers may try to avoid paying for products with cards out of fear that their details will be cloned and then sent to fraudsters abroad on a regular and systematic basis. This is a risk that banks and card manufacturers cannot afford when consumer confidence in the financial services industry as a whole is at an all time low.”

Lauren Rose presents Credit Card Skimmers – Keep Your Eye on Your ATM card posted at No Debt Anymore .org, saying, “With the holiday season in full swing, Credit card and ATM theft is increasing at an alarming rate. Here are 3 common ways thieves may try to gain access to your personal information using a skimmer device, and 10 tips to protect yourself.”

Cindy Morus, The Money Mender presents Are 0% Cards Still Available? posted at Mend Your Money, saying, “Thanks!”

Sun presents Citi UPromise Will Be Bank of America UPromise posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Jim presents » Visa, MasterCard & American Express Cardholder Discounts on Blueprint for Financial Prosperity posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Raymond presents Reviews Of The Best Discover Credit Cards and Offers posted at Money Blue Book.

Raymond presents Reviews Of The Best Advanta Business Credit Cards and Offers posted at Money Blue Book.

Michael Bass presents Will debt follow you abroad? posted at Debt Prison, saying, “Can you be arrested in the country you’re moving to for the debt you leave behind in the U.S.? Can you be deported back to the U.S. for debt? Are there secrets for making a clean getaway? Apparently these are complex questions and there is little information on the web that provides a complete explanation for leaving debt behind.”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Best Cash Back Credit Cards: Your Rewards For Spending posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thank you!”

Mr Credit Card presents Today In Reward Cards posted at Ask Mr Credit Card.

Sun presents Fidelity Retirement Rewards American Express Card: Shop & Save for Retirement posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

The Dough Roller presents Discover More Credit Card–A Consumer Reports Rewards Card Pick posted at The Dough Roller, saying, “A review of the Discover More Card, a Consumer Report’s pick for best rewards card.”

Credit Reporting and Scores

marjorie presents The Real Credit Crunch: Is Your Credit Score Suffering? posted at Wealth Junkies, saying, “Banks and lenders are working hard to cover their own tails. They’re reducing credit limits even for reliable customers on everything from HELOCs to credit cards — even on customers with excellent repayment histories. Some credit card companies have gone so far as to cancel credit cards. Your bank or credit card company does have to notify you in writing of any changes they make to your account.”

Sun presents The Secrets of Successful Credit Management posted at The Sun’s Financial Diary.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Your Free Credit Score: Is There Such A Thing? posted at The Digerati Life, saying, “Thank you!”

marjorie presents ChexSystems: A Fast Route To Trouble posted at Wealth Junkies, saying, “ChexSystems is a consumer reporting agency, but instead of reporting on your credit history, it reports on your banking. Banks usually will check your ChexSystems report before allowing you to open a new checking or savings account. Even one negative item on your report can be grounds for a bank to deny you an account.”

Dave presents Three Reasons Why You Should Never Use a Credit Counseling Agency posted at Cheapo Groovo.

Joseph presents Credit Reports & FICO Scores posted at Penny Pinching.

Michael Bass presents Should you cosign for a friend or family member? posted at Debt Prison, saying, “First of all… you are helping someone throw money down the drain via interest charges. Now before you bring up the ‘helping to build anothers credit’ fallacy… I’d quickly point out that a lifetime of credit use is a lifetime of throwing dollars out the window (for lack of a better metaphor).”

Cap presents » Review: myFICO.com’s FICO Score Deluxe / Complete posted at StopBuyingCrap.com, saying, “A review of the popular myFICO FICO credit scores. What you’ll get from the purchase of each FICO scores derived from the three major credit reporting agency.”

Scott Crawford presents 10 Things Your Credit Score Impacts When Paying Down Debt posted at DebtGoal, saying, “How your credit score is impacted as you pay down debt.”

Debt

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Lending Club is Back; Prosper Goes Quiet posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “New information in the P2P consumer loan industry”

Joseph presents “Transforming Debt Into Wealth” by John Cummuta review posted at Penny Pinching.

Jesse Wojdylo presents Is the Fed Truly Making it Cheaper to Borrow Money? posted at Subprime Blogger.

Raag Vamdatt presents Money Fundamentals: Spending, Investing, Credit, Debt :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com.

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Should You Pay a Debt Consolidation Company? posted at Military Finance Network, saying, “Most debt consolidation companies don’t offer you anything you can’t do on your own.”

Jesse Wojdylo presents End the Federal Reserve Bank posted at Subprime Blogger.

The Smarter Wallet presents Got Debt Over The Holidays? How To Eliminate Debt Quickly posted at The Smarter Wallet.

Home Loans

hank presents How Is What We Are Going Through Now Different From The Great Depression in the 1930’s? posted at My Investing Blog.

Scott Miscall presents Investment Property and Fixer Upper Homes posted at Should you Consider Hard Money Finance?, saying, “Hard money finance can be a means to an end for some people and it can be beneficial. But, it really should be thought of as a last resort and not something to bank on for a long term solution.”

Jayson Gibson presents Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008 ?What’s At Stake? posted at New Homes Section Blog, saying, “Information about the Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008. Details about problems in our current economy and how each problem relates to the Hope for Homeowners Act of 2008.”

GreenBridge Advisors presents Should People Be Required To Complete A Course Before Being Approved For A Mortgage? posted at Let’s Blog Money, saying, “Many state agencies require the completion of educational courses in obtaining a drivers license as well as receiving assistance when purchasing a first home. In the aftermath of the housing debacle, perhaps it is time to take steps to educate all mortgage applicants beforehand rather than wait for problems to arise.”

Other

Raag Vamdatt presents Auto Sweep Facility: Smart way to make your money work harder :: RaagVamdatt.com :: Financial Planning demystified posted at RaagVamdatt.com.

Quimby C presents Two Types of Fees Short Term Loan Borrowers Can Avoid posted at loanfinanceinvest.com.

Quimby C presents Protect Savings with a Short Term Loan? posted at shorttermloanmagic.com.

Beno Varghese presents Fed Holds New Power to Pay Interest on Reserves posted at Beno Varghese dot-com.

Erika Collin presents 50 Must-Read Blogs for the Conscientious Organic Shopper posted at Organicasm.

Save Money presents Revising My Budget posted at How I Save Money.net.

Jeremy Zongker presents 76 Ways to Save Money While Saving the Environment posted at Destroy Debt.

The Money Blog presents Save Money By Reducing Household Expenses posted at Money Blog.

Lane Wright presents Personal Loans via Social Lending posted at Fast Signature Loan.

Save Money presents 101 Ways To Magnetize Money posted at How I Save Money.net.

Scott Davis presents Mis-Managing Your Money: Brought to you by Your Bank | ZombieChatter.com posted at ZombieChatter.com.

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Credit Crunch 2008 | Cash Money Life posted at Cash Money Life, saying, “How the credit crunch and bad economy is affecting people.”

Junior presents Does The Big Three Crisis Mark The End Of Big Labor posted at Car Commentary, saying, “Will the near failure of US automakers doom the future of unions?”

Joe Manausa presents What Is A RSS Subscription | Tallahassee Real Estate Blog posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog, saying, “Have you ever noticed that anytime you read a blog, there is a Subscription Button that encourages you to subscribe to it? Well, I have been questioned about this often enough to recognize that most readers do not understand how RSS works and why bloggers should continue to explain it in order to expand their subscribers list.”

Student Loans

Khan presents Student Loan Forgiveness posted at Higher Education and Career Blog.

Market Breaker presents It?s Been A Brutal Year posted at Stock Investing Tips, saying, “This year has been the worst year for the stock market since the Great Depression.”

Don presents Big Banks Ending Student Loans For Community College Students posted at D.P. Lawson, saying, “Finding student aid to attend community college was never easy. Now its just got tougher as major Banks and other Lenders are cutting back or ending loans to students attending a 2 year college. Here’s my opinion of the situation and what you can do if you’re currently enrolled in a community college.”

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of consumer credit using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Carnival of Consumer Credit #4 was created by and is property of American Consumer News.