Thursday Money Blogs Roundup: Pig Fat Diesel Edition

Read about an interesting solution to energy crisis on BBC the other day:

American oil company ConocoPhillips and Tyson Foods, the world’s biggest meat producer, have announced that they will produce diesel from pork fat. Cows and chickens will also be transformed to power motor vehicles. The companies say that this renewable source of energy will be cleaner than conventional diesel. It is hoped that it will be available at petrol stations by the end of the year.

Naturally, there will be ethical and psychological concerns about having pigs, cows, and chickens in your fuel tank, so it will be interesting to see how this thing goes. Those who have objections against this pig-into-diesel concept should read this:

Animal fat and other waxy waste is usually turned in to ingredients for soaps, cosmetics and pet food.

Do you know if you are already using soaps or cosmetics with animal remains?

Anyways, let’s get to the money blogs roundup.

• The Income Divide - Two Sides by Lazy @ Lazy Man and Money. Lazy points to an interesting article about the income gap - or about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Are the rich being *victimized* or is that just an illusion?

• How To Look Good On A Budget: The Business of Beauty by SVB @ The Digerati Life. There are some interesting numbers about plastic surgery and procedures in this post. Btw, I knew about surgeries to increase size of *certain* things, but I didn’t know there were surgeries to reduce the size of *certain* things. Anyways, SVB gives some deep-thought tips on how to feel good about yourself without spending much money.
  

• Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for a Discount by Nickel @ Five Cent Nickel. Sometimes all you have to do to save money is to open your mouth and ask. Nickel shares how he got a 20% discount on a TV by doing just that.

• Should We Simplify Our Finance? by Sun @ The Sun’s Financial Diary. I have mentioned earlier that I manage 18 credit cards (including mine and wife’s).. but this dude still gives me an inferiority complex. Take a look at how many financial forays he is involved in and give him some suggestions on whether he needs to cut out some of the stuff.

• How Much You Should Be Saving by FMF @ Free Money Finance. Some rules of thumb by FMF on how much money you should be socking away. I think it’s a great strategy to first decide your savings percentage and *make do* with whatever remains (within feasible limits).

• Who Benefits from Global Warming? Well, Besides Al Gore, of Course by Matt @ Binary Dollar. So you think global warming is all about environment and non-profit intentions? Check out who all are (or will be) benefiting from global warming . Ever wondered why *suddenly* a lot of companies are going for green thoughts? I smell heavy increase in federal funding (and or other financial sources) for the green stuff in time to come.

• Personal Finance Gurus @ Money Monk. An interesting take on how personal finance gurus have gotten rich. Here is the punch line and some food for thought:

Suze, David, Dave and countless others were not always debt-free and I feel most of them became debt-free AFTER selling their books, worksheets, budget tools and other merchandise. This is just my opinion!

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