Blogs on Personal Finance

I find financially focused blogs helpful, as they are often peppered with tips on future planning (saving for vacations, Xmas, retirement, etc.), reviews on books and software, and general frugality advice we can all use (especially these days). Personal Finance Blogs, or PFB’s, have been around for a while but have multiplied recently.

Typically, bloggers will begin their PFB for personal reasons, such as to keep themselves more focused on improving their finances and creating and reaching financial goals. Many say resoundingly that this works since it keeps them culpable, even if it’s to strangers via blog posts! When checking out the blogs, don’t neglect the comments sections underneath any posts you like; believe it or not, some valuable info can appear in those sections!

The topic of money is still quite taboo for most and unfortunately a lot of us didn’t grow up with much of a constructive money education, therefore trawling PFB’s can help your mind begin to think about the topic without pressure and can even serve as near amusement since you can feel like a voyeur, viewing others’ salaries and investments. Just keep in mind, most are not finance professionals and even if they were, ultimately each of us is responsible for making the best money decisions for our own circumstances –- easier to do with some education. One tip if I may, Dear Reader: do not compare your own situation to others! No good can come of it and it’s unfair for you to do that to yourself.

My Favorite PFBs

PFBloggers, just like all bloggers, run the gamut: male or female, young or old, married or not, in or not in school, in debt, recovering from debt or debt free, etc. etc. I have compiled a short list of favorites here which tap into the tricky subject of money when interconnecting it in day to day life with your loved one. Please share with us in the comments below any favorites that you have found in your web travels!Madame X of My Open Wallet blog fame has a whole section of her site devoted to the topic of relationships including an exciting new series which seeks to hook up like-minded financially aware singles together via profiles she posts on her site (from all over)! Great idea, isn’t it? Check them out as well as her sometimes entertaining musings at myopenwallet.net.

The blogger of MFA or Bust is a twenty-something who is trying to get out of debt while heading back to school to get the MFA of her dreams. She and her boyfriend live together in New York City and she tells of their financial adventures while working towards their goals. See it at mfaorbus.blogspot.com.

The Tired but Happy blogger not only has the challenge of meshing her finances with her spouse’s, but also the meshing of their financial goals which differ due to an age gap. With candidness and a dose of humor, Tired but Happy shares the details of how they deal with their financial responsibilities while also raising a young child. See tiredbuthappy.blogspot.com.

The Budget Babe shares living on a budget as a twenty-nine year-old in Chicago , while steering steadily toward life goals with her guy. You can find it at budgetinbabe.blogspot.com. The way she puts it, her site is dedicated to women who “want to spend like Carrie [from Sex & the City] in a Jimmy Choo store but have a budget closer to Roseanne.”

The savvy saver and her spouse have just begun a family and have detailed, among other financial items in the day-in-a-life type of blog, their experiences with rental property as investments -– the ups and downs. See savvysaver.blogspot.com.

Finally, some helpful book suggestions

Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach
Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach
The Road to Wealth by Suze Orman