In addition to a great tongue-in-cheek personal finance tip (#3: Don’t Let Congress Be Your Example from Miki Saxon), I got some good comments on some of my Blog Off posts. I offer the highlights.
Sean Kelly at Franchise Pick, offered some ideas for guest posts he would be willing to write:
“How I cut THOUSANDS from my gasoline costs with a $1.00 plastic tube.”
And: “Who says field corn’s not edible?”
Also, consider getting up real early, reading your neighbor’s paper, then putting it back before he wakes up.
Another great quote came from Donna Jackson at Digital Money World:
“If you owe …read more

With all this focus on personal finances, and saving money, you need to also keep in mind that healthy finances include:
Enjoying your money.
But this should be done in a responsible and goal-oriented way. My husband and I each have a little money that we can use on small pleasures. We save up for big things (like vacations and PS3s). You have to occasionally spend money on “fun.” Otherwise there really isn’t a point to having that money anyway.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off!  Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is …read more

A budget mentality is a nice tool when you are starting out with money management. But eventually, you need to:
Develop a net worth mentality.
This is about the long term, and looking at the big picture of your overall finances, rather than just managing them month to month. My guest post on Moolanomy looks at the difference between a budget mentality and a net worth mentality.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make …read more

Honesty is an important trait, so:
Be honest about your personal finances.
This includes being honest with yourself and honest with your partner. Everyone doesn’t have to know your money business, but your partner should know about it. My guest post on Sense to Save addreses having “The Money Talk.”
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion (http://www.accion.org/b5media). Donations are tax deductible.

Knowledge is power.
Learn about taxes.
You need to learn about how to keep more of your money — and the tax consequences of your personal financial decisions. From what kind of business to form to how trusts work to what is deductible, you need to know about taxes. Taxgirl offers a lot of great information on taxes.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion (http://www.accion.org/b5media). Donations are …read more

Earlier in today’s Blog Off, I mentioned investing as a personal finance tip. This one is related to it:
Diversify your investments.
You don’t want all your eggs in one basket. Indeed, it is very important for you to have a reasonably diverse investment portfolio so that you can better handle things when one of your investments is down.
image credit: US government
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion …read more

Because a good credit score can save you thousands in interest charges and affect a variety of aspects of your personal finances, it is important to:
Improve your credit score.
You can get an idea of your credit score for free from Credit Karma. And then you need to take these steps to improve it:

Make all payments on time.
Lower your debt.
Avoid inquiring about getting more debt.
Choose debt that is “better.”

This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. …read more

Your credit history is important. That’s why the 18th tip is to:
Regularly check your credit report.
Look for inaccuracies and take the steps to fix mistakes on your credit report. You are entitled to a free credit report each year from each of the three major credit bureaus.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion (http://www.accion.org/b5media). Donations are tax deductible.

Sometimes, for some of the larger expenses, debt is necessary. When you do borrow, remember to:
Shop around for the best interest rates on loans.
Whether it’s a mortgage, car loan or even an education loan, shop around for the best interest rates. You will save money over the life of the loan.
image credit: sxc.hu
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is supporting Accion International for the Great Blog Off. You can make a donation directly to Accion (http://www.accion.org/b5media). Donations are tax deductible.

The last personal finance tip was about buying a home. And when you do buy that home, the best thing to do is to:
Get a traditional mortgage.
The subprime mortgage crash has taught many of us valuable lessons. One of those should be that “creative” products like ARMs and interest only home loans should be avoided by most people. You’ll be better off with a traditional fixed rate mortgage with a 15, 20 or 30 year term.
This post is part of the b5media Business Channel Great Blog Off! Find out more about the Blog Off here: http://www.b5media.com/b5media-blogs-for-a-cause-and-raises-money-in-support-of-charity/

The Business Channel is …read more