I had a wonderful visit with one of my best friends, who came to Pittsburgh for a few days. We went all over the city and had a lovely time!

Because of that happy visit, I’m a bit behind on reading blogs from my feed reader, but I’d like to highlight a few posts that caught my attention recently.

Whenever I need to make a purchase, I like to do the math to make sure I’m getting the best deal. Joanna ran the numbers on her internet service options, and because she thought it through and took the time to calculate the actual dollar amounts, she was able to make the best decision.

Have you ever wanted to make your own laundry detergent? Trent at The Simple Dollar has a detailed post and cost-breakdown of the soap-making process. Interesting. I don’t use all that much detergent these days, and I tend to get it on sale with coupon combined with a Walgreens gift card, for example. But maybe someday, I’ll make my own batch.

At Blissfully Domestic, there’s a great list of debt myths many people believe, matched up with the true story.

Finally, if you haven’t signed up for an account with Revolution Money Exchange yet (see my first post on it here), I’d like to encourage you to do so by April 15 (when certain bonuses end, I think). I’ve made quite a bit of money from referral sign-ups (thank you!!) and the site has even helped me sell Mrs. Micah an iPod, which she was able to get for free thanks to the bonuses.

If you sign up with the button below, you’ll get $25 and I’ll get $10. I’m putting all of that into my emergency fund, so if you use my referral link, I’d like to thank you for handing me an “umbrella” for a stormy day in the future!