We’re expecting the storm to hit sometime late tonight. It’s still a tropical storm, but it’s inching close to Category 1 hurricane status. Hopefully it’ll weaken before it hits us!

I’m relieved that the storm shouldn’t be too intense, and actually looking forward to an excuse to hide in my apartment all weekend. Despite the fact that it only lasted four days, this week has been a particularly long one for me.

And now on to the round up!

I participated in three blog carnivals this week:

• My post on how rescuing a pet is frugal appeared in this week’s Money Hacks Carnival hosted by Saving to Invest.

• My confession that I’m the world’s worst couponer appeared in the Festival of Frugality hosted by Almost Frugal.

• My request for advice on indoor herb growing appeared in the Carnival of Personal Finance hosted by One Caveman’s Financial Journey.

And on to the blogs that inspired me this week!

• Kelly at Almost Frugal asks how do you take your hundreds? This is a really interesting concept about the psychology of cash. Personally, I would ask for five 20s. I don’t like the way I feel when I break a hundred dollar bill, but I don’t give small bills enough weight to hang on to them. I’m just hesitant enough to break a $20, but it’s not quite as painful as $100. Honestly, though, I’d prefer to have the $100 direct deposited into my bank account. I would get the best use out of it that way

• Kacie at Sense to Save asks how you find the lowest price. I like her system. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made a purchase only to find the same item for cheaper a week later. Doh. I also love the link she shared to PriceProtectr.com. I had no idea that existed, but I’ll be sure to use it in the future!

• Dana at Not Made of Money shares the top four reasons to use online bill pay. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a check to pay a bill (except for rent … my landlord charges tenants a $5 convenience fee to pay online. Um, I’ll write a check, thnx). For some reason, though, I have an aversion to automatic bill pay. I know we have the money each month, but I don’t like the idea of money being withdrawn from my account automatically. It may be a hassle, but I like the practice of mindfully looking over my finances once a month and paying my bills.

• Sara at On Simplicity writes about the reality of the wedding of your dreams. I love her advice on keeping things in perspective. She urges brides to ask themselves, “Will I care about this in 10 years?” before making any decisions. It’s easy to get swept up in wedding mania. Reminding yourself of what’s truly important to you can not only save you a ton of money, but a lot of stress, too.

• And keeping with the wedding theme, Frugal Babe suggests that couples request donations to their favorite charity instead of gifts for the wedding. I love this idea, especially since I was very uncomfortable with the idea of gift registration for our wedding. (I didn’t end up doing it, but I’ll write more on that in a future Wedding Wednesday post.)

That’s all I’ve got for tonight. Wish us luck with our first tropical storm. I’ll be back tomorrow for more frugal fun!