Personal Finance Bloggers Weight Loss Challenge – Why Team Epsilon Will Lose the Most Weight

For new readers and anyone else who doesn’t know, a bunch of us personal finance bloggers have geared up and committed to a weight loss challenge contest proposed by ManVsDebt.  The contest runs from June 1- July 31, 2009.  There are 30 of us in total, making six teams of five each.  I won’t say anything about the other teams here, because the point of this post is to highlight Team Epsilon – in order to briefly show you why Epsilon has the advantage and why it makes sense to place your money on Epsilon.

[NB]: Remember, you need to do your due diligence before making your move – and in this post, I’m helping you do just that.

Battle of Achilles and Agamemnon. Dawn-Goddess Eos (right) supports her son Memnon.

Even those who were never members of fraternities and sororities should recall from high school math that Epsilon doesn’t only refer to the 5th letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, it also refers to Eos, the Greek Goddess of the Dawn.  Don’t let the misty, pretty sound of her title fool you – Eos means business.  Not only is she the diva of turning over a new leaf, she’s literally the woman who got the world revolving in the first place (by turning the oceans over, she provided the conditions for the possibility of Helios’ rise – Eos is thus the woman behind “let there be light”).

Team Epsilon takes its inspiration from the Queen of Kickstarting – we say: “let there be massive weight loss.  At least 75 pounds of it!”

We’re motivated because we know all about the extra costs associated with being overweight (thanks to a great analysis by JD Roth).  Here are some other thoughts and ideas that keep us fired up for financial fitness:

Getting Your Body In Shape Can Also Improve Your Fiscal Fitness – Stretchy Dollar
More Evidence That Losing Weight Is Correlated With Becoming Wealthier – MoneyEnergy
Off The Waist and Into the Wallet – How to Save $100/mo by Fasting – MoneyEnergy
10 Ways A Healthy Lifestyle Will Help You Save Money – Steadfast Finances
Getting In Shape Without Paying A Dime – Early Retirement Extreme

Team Epsilon’s Balance Sheets

So now let’s take a look at each of the team members in greater detail and determine what they each bring to the bottom line.

Lynne Somers from The Wiser Miser
GOAL: Lose 25 lbs
Sample Article: “I Have the Happy.”
Blogger M.O.: Personal financial advice for an average person with an average budget and above-average taste in life.  “I use a sense of humor to look at the same topics from a new view. Not just about deals, more about how to live life with money in mind.”
How’s she doing? http://twitter.com/wisermiser

MFD from My Findependence Day
GOAL: Lose 22 lbs
Sample Article:  “What Is Cheap?”
Blogger M.O.:  My site was set up for me to chronicle my journey to understanding all aspects of personal finance and develop a plan to reach financial independence by age 55.
How’s he doing?: http://twitter.com/myfindependence

Viviana from The Lean Times … lush living with thrift.
GOAL: Lose 12 lbs
Sample Article: Debt and Depression: A Connection?
Blogger M.O.: I am an ex-Manhattanite that now very happily has been living in London for over ten years.   I work in the not-as-glamourous-as-you-would-think world of fashion photography.  Being a freelancer where the money comes and goes and goes: you always must be prepared for The Lean Times.
How’s she doing? http://twitter.com/TheLeanTimes

Clare from MoneyEnergy
GOAL: Lose 10 lbs
Sample Article: How To Get Started In Commission-Free, Fee-Free Investing
Blogger M.O.: My site is 45-50% personal finance, 20-30% investing, 20% personal development.  My aim is to focus on what I call “life leverage”: getting “unstuck” and making my money and my life work for me so that I can work smarter and spend more time pursuing greater goals.  It’s all about flow.
How’s she doing? http://twitter.com/MoneyEnergy

Rachel Porter of Porter Coaching
GOAL: Lose 6 lbs
Sample Article: How Do I Stay Motivated?
Blogger M.O.: The hope with my blog is to encourage and equip you to handle your personal finances and career in a way that allows you to not just survive, but to thrive!
Rachel is also a *Dave Ramsey Certified Counselor*

Guidance: Epsilon Net Loss Estimates: OutPerform

As you can see, Epsilon has strong balance sheets and very little debt.  With a Dave Ramsey Certified Counselor on our team, a specialist in making frugal and fashionable appearances, and MFD focused on results – Epsilon will have no problem beating targets and outperforming the personal finance bloggers weight loss index (PFW 450).  MoneyEnergy predicts a target of 75 pounds lost by July 15, 2009.  Recommendation: BUY.

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• More Evidence Showing That Losing Weight Is Correlated With Becoming Wealthier
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• More Stress, Less Money? Ways That Stress Can Cause Your Spending to Increase

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Tagged as: challenges, contest, pf bloggers, weight loss