Roundup: Summer’s Here Edition

w00t! The pool is finally warm enough to swim in—just! Took the plunge this afternoon. It’s wonderful.

Yesterday a choir friend threw a Cinco de Mayo party at her home. After a warm day, the evening was cool and lovely, perfect for outdoor dining, socializing, and karaoke.

Two percent humidity on a 100-degree day means the half-cup of tea you left in the car evaporates to a dry, brown stain overnight!

And this incredible thing blossomed in M’jihito’s backyard:

Out and about on the Net, various entertainments continue. Revanche, traveling to Thailand, reflects on the permutations of romance.

Mrs. Accountability considers the costs of sending flowers on Mother’s Day. Yipe!

Know what a perpetual income machine is? Sounds good, doesn’t it… Over at My Journey to Millions, Evan explains and describes his.

Money Beagle has a nice rumination on the Bin Laden assassination. Good riddance to that bad rubbish!

The Frugal Scholar household, having retrieved her daughter safe and sound from Tuscaloosa and having seen Frugal Son graduate from college, is converting Son’s bedroom into a staging area for donations to the tornado-ravaged city.

Donna Freedman reflects humorously on the urban farming phenomenon.

Bucksome Boomer speaks to the reasons young people are moving away from California in droves.

Budgeting in the Fun Stuff publishes a guest post by Jacob of My Personal Finance Journey, comparing costs between Petsmart and Petco.

At the Digerati Life, SVB guest blogger Paid Twice delivers a pep talk on getting out of debt.

Mrs. Money, over at The Ultimate Money Blog, reflects on paperless billing.

Money Crush proprietor Jackie has had a nice run of short, thoughtful pieces in the past week or so. The latest offers insight on the difference between thrifty and cheap.

Bargain Babe’s latest post lists a slew of awesome bargains, among them free movie rentals, a half-price Starbuck’s drink, and a deal at Marie Callendar’s. Many of these expire soon, so hurry on over there to see what you can score!

Here’s a rather charming blog I stumbled across the other day, which you might enjoy visiting: Walkin’ in High Cotton.

The New York Times takes on the question of whether a college education is all it’s cracked up to be.

And AARP Magazine publishes an excellent article on marketing psychology.