Our Editors Choice this week goes to ….

Tom Drake asks, is the additional cost of online gaming with MMORPGs too expensive? Or is it a good value compared to buying a DVD, going to a play or using Netflix in his article The Cost of Online Gaming: MMORPGs posted at Canadian Finance Blog.   Tom is dead on – spend enough time and MMORPGs become a very cheap form of entertainment.  But get outside and enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family on long weekends – you can’t put a price on the on sharing the summer experience.

Other top editor selections are …

You gotta see the “trophy” Squirrelers proudly displays in Frugal Trophies posted at Squirrelers.  Classic is an understatement. He tells us that sometimes we purchase things for a deal that we end up keeping for a long time and his article explores the topic of these “Frugal Trophies”.  We all have some frugal trophies.  Fess up in the comments below which ones you hang onto.  We head to the cottage for long weekends and every tool, kitchen item and stick of furniture is a frugal trophy.

Want to save money?  Well, you’re here reading the Festival of Frugality so i’ll assume you do.  This week FMF gives us one simple sentence we can use to negotiate your way to savings in A Phrase to Save You Money posted at Free Money Finance.  I’ve tried this a few times and it works quite often.  I’m not sure this will work over the upcoming long weekends to get your cooler restocked but it is worth a shot!

Sometimes the introduction to a story is a story itself.  “So looking back on the day as a whole, it’s a good thing I use cash now for most if my expenses. Not only do I use cash, but I plan ahead to be prepared for events like the air show. We decided in advance we wanted to have an expense-free fun day with the kids, so we limited the cash we carried to the show. Since I didn’t have a credit card, I couldn’t just go and buy whatever I wanted. I was forced to enjoy myself without spending money.”  Matt elaborates further with How Paying with Cash Keeps You From Overspending posted at Living in Financial Excellence.  Remember to hit the ATM before heading out for the weekend, have a plan and use cash.

The best of the rest include ….

Sometimes a full-on vacation is too expensive or impractical. Glen Craig tells us to see how you can save and have a blast with a staycation instead Save Money on Vacation Plans with Frugal Staycation Ideas posted at Free From Broke.  You don’t have to go anywhere on the long weekend – home can be a blast too.

Madison thinks Google wallet could be a great addition for the frugal shopper as it helps coordinate your credit cards, offers, loyalty cards and gift cards but find out what we think they could do to improve it in My Google Wallet Wishlist posted at My Dollar Plan.  Perhaps this long weekend could be a frugal no spend weekend?

Did you know that new Chase Freedom cardholders can get a $150 cash bonus after their first purchase, and earn solid cash rewards for regular purchases? Ryan tells us how at Chase Freedom® Visa – $150 Bonus Cash Back posted at Cash Money Life.

Bob at Christian Personal Finance says: “well, now we have things like pre-paid debit cards to replace Dad reaching into his wallet to dole out some cash. And US Bank’s Visa Buxx is just that – a pre-paid debit card for your teenagers (13 and older). It is NOT a credit card and is limited to the amount that mom and dad put on it.” in US Bank Visa Buxx – A Prepaid Card For Teens.

Boomer is amazed when she sees see a TV program like Extreme Couponing where someone can buy hundreds of dollars in groceries and end up paying less than $10 and discusses this phenomenon in an article Couponing To The Extreme posted at Boomer & Echo.  Extreme frugality seems to fit.

Crystal thinks that Budgeting is as personal as finance itself and discusses How I Budget posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff.  Budgeting = frugality.

Jacob @ My Personal Finance Journey presents quite the adventure with How To Save Your Family $1000 On Your Next Vacation – Pay For The Rental Car With Your Credit Card posted at My Personal Finance Journey. Jacob tells us that during a recent trip to Raleigh, a tree fell on my family’s rental car while it was parked in a parking lot. Quite a freak accident! This post describes how we dealt with the financial ramifications of the event. In particular, we found out that rental car insurance was definitely NOT needed.  It is frugal to save money when offered rental insurance.

Ryan presents Pros and Cons of Refinancing a VA Loan posted at The Military Wallet stating that refinancing a VA Loan or any mortgage can save a home buyer hundreds or even thousands of dollars over the course of their mortgage.

A list of all free things to do in Vegas.  Perhaps a good place to spend a long weekend? Suba educates us about Free things to do in Vegas posted at Wealth Informatics.

Melissa at Mom’s Plans explains, “My son recently celebrated his 7th birthday, so I thought I would share with you what we got him and how we kept his gifts within the budget.” in her article Frugal Birthday Presents for My Son.

Dr. Dean presents Money Management: 9 Ways Golf Can Help! posted at The Millionaire Nurse Blog. Golf may be an upscale sport but it can teach you things you never knew about reaching that status.  Golf and the long weekend … ‘nouf said.

Philip Taylor presents 30 Free Things to Do in the Summer posted at PT Money Personal Finance. You can’t get much more frugal than free things to do.

Miranda @ Financial Highway presents 35 Ways to Make More Money posted at Financial Highway. Even the best of times, one of the most common questions asked is, “How do I make more money?” While an increase in income can ease the way things work in your personal economy, it won’t necessarily solve all your problems.

Outlaw Finance discusses the importance of being strategic before investing and offers tips on finding extra money for investing in How to Get Money to Invest.

Philip at Deliver Away Debt presents How to Save Money and Pay Off Debt where he examines four areas that could contribute towards reducing debt.

Niki gives us a guide on how to create a weekly menu plan in  Making Menu Plans posted at Debt Free By Thirty.

PCC states that buying online beats buying in the store and here are a few reasons why in  Why Buying Online is Better posted at Promo Code Center.

Charles Chua C K presents 10 Effective Ways to Save Money posted at All About Living With Life.