Herding Cats: Eating Out For Less, Money Management Tips and Weird Ways Companies Make Money Online

^{Image courtesy of ICanHasCheezburger}

This week we have ways to deal with money in marriage or with friends, saving money on dining out, managing medical bills, how web companies make their dough, and a cat playing with air.

The Digerati Life: 10 Concrete Tips To Dine Out For Less: Save Money When Eating Out - One of the main money savings tips is to stop eating out, but that's, well, boring.  Eating out is fun and money isn't everything.  Digerati Life has some good tips for how you can have the best of both worlds.  I know I use the kids eat free one.  There's one that's not entirely helpful - she often comes home with a free voucher for free pizza at Pizza Hut, which sounds great, but ends up costing a whole lot on other food and games (which, again, are fun), so "free" is not all created equal.  Sharing food is also a good tip, especially in the States where portions are ginormous.

Money Crashers: 18 Money Management Tips for Newly Married Couples - Huge, comprehensive post about how to deal with money in marriage--it's not all about newlyweds, it's also useful for any married couple, or really anyone in a relationship.  They say that money is one of the worst factors for strife in marriage. You'd think it'd be something like adultery, but if you think about it: not every marriage has a problem with adultery, but every marriage has to deal with money. Often, one partner has entirely different ideas about how to handle money (or has his/her head in the sand).  The main tip can be summed up in one word: communication.

Wisebread: Should You Lend to Friends and Family? - OK, there are some tips about money within a relationship--how about with anybody else?  This post takes the hardline stance: never ever lend money to anybody. That's a pretty harsh stance, really.  If someone is truly down on their luck, lending money might be imperative. If someone wants money to buy a new speedboat, maybe not.  The general consensus is this: if you're lending money, it's probably better to consider it a gift, as that's how many personal loans end up. With this in mind, the loan won't cause as much friction if you don't expect to be paid back. If you truly need the money paid back quickly, think seriously if this is feasible, and possibly set up a payment plan.

Mint: How to Deal with Big Medical Bills - Really important information.  One of the biggest tragedies of a medical emergency is that it can be exorbitantly expensive--adding financial insult to injury. Nobody gets better quickly when they're constantly worried about money.  Check the post for a list of foundations that can potentially help with your financial situation.  If at all possible, find a family member to work out the particulars, or at least to help shoulder the load--or, if a family member is injured or sick, volunteer to help with finances.

Joseph Klass: 10 Weird Ways Big Companies Make Money Online - This is pretty interesting if you're a web geek (I am).  One of the stranger things about the internet is that huge brands actually don't do all that well.  Amazon posted a loss for many years.  Groupon is the hot new thing, but actually is not all that financially sound. If you're interested in starting a web business, these business models might help you out.  Just be aware, start-ups are like restaurants: most close down, and there can be many lean years. 

Question: have you ever lent money to friends or family?  Good/bad experience?

Cat video of the week: Nice video of a blind cat boxing air.