2012 Unitasker Wednesday: Pizza PlatesI have to be honest, I don’t understand the need to own six triangular shaped plates with pictures of pepperoni pizza on them for the sole purpose of serving slices of restaurant-made pizza.

Success in personal finance is really a matter of the mind. It’s about having the awareness to see all of the choices you’re making and having the fortitude to consistently make good choices in terms of your money. One of the big challenges, particularly for people first starting out, is to see the connection between frugality and wealth.

“Many scenes have come & gone unwritten, since it is today the 4th Sept, a cold grey blowy day, made memorable by the sight of a kingfisher, & by my sense, waking early, of being again visited by ‘the spirit of delight.’ ‘Rarely rarely comest thou, spirit of delight.’ That was I singing this time last year; & sang so poignantly that I have never forgotten

This reader story is from a longtime GRS reader Sumitha, who blogs at afineparent.com. Some reader stories contain general advice; others are examples of how a GRS reader achieved financial success or failure. These stories feature folks with all levels of financial maturity and income. Want to submit your own reader story? Here’s how.

Once upon a time, Sarah and I lived in a two bedroom apartment. The two bedrooms were pretty small. When we had our first child, we made the second bedroom into a nursery and, eventually, into a little boy’s room.

Each week, I highlight ten things each week that inspired me to greater financial, personal, and professional success. Hopefully, they will inspire you as well. 1.

For the past month I have been reading a book based on the life of Tulsidas, one of the greatest religious poets of India. He is credited with rewriting the Ramayana in "khadi boli" – the language of the common folks – so that people could easily sing the hymns and awaken the spirit of the great classic.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jeff Mcintyre. Learning basic cooking skills was not a priority for me while growing up. The transition from a fully fed teenager to a totally independent and clueless in the kitchen college freshman was painful. I quickly lost my appetite for fast food and frozen dinners. Luckily, something about outdoor cooking had always intrigued me.

I get notes pretty regularly from readers who express concern that earning more won’t actually gain them anything. “Why should I earn more than I’m making if Uncle Sam is just going to take it all?” That perception is a complete myth.

Did you know that our two books, The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man and Manvotionals: Timeless Wisdom and Advice on Living the 7 Manly Virtues  are available in a handsome-looking cigar box along with some coasters bearing manly iconography and quotes? It’s a virile boxed book collection for the ages.

Materials: Lillangen wall bracket Description: Over the last few months I have been thinking about building a homemade bike rack for our bicycles. The main goal was to save us some annoying manipulations when bringing the bikes in and out of our backyards. We were also tired of seeing our bikes sitting on our deck.

Materials: Expedit 2x2 and 1x1, inserts with door and drawers Description: First of all, visit gerhard-richter.com and search some colour-combinations you like and buy them as spray colours. Ikea does not offer a 2x1 Expedit, so I had to combine a 2x2 and a 1x1 in two 2x1. I want a 2x1 horizontal with rolls, the vertical 2x1 is a side product.

Reader Theo submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer: My daughter is in fifth grade with long hair and every *&*^%#! hair accessory you can possibly imagine. Our house is overrun with ponytail holders and barrettes. I threaten to cut her hair off in the middle of the night if she can’t find a way to keep all of these things on her head or in her room or bathroom.

Over the past several months, the art of reading has really clicked with our oldest child.

My daughters and I are huge fans of the TV show, The Office (the American version). We have the DVDs, we’ve watched every episode several times, and they get funnier each time. Now, admittedly, you may question the wisdom of allowing an eight-year-old to watch the show.