The “money stuff” part of our lives probably needs a ton of thinking about and fiddling with for most people, but it is so hard to get the basics both 1) learned and 2) implemented (even the smartest money people I know often fail on #2).

I’ve enjoyed a couple of books I’ve suggested to others:

George Clason’s Richest Man in Babylon is ridiculously easy and quick to read and has great advice. The whole ancient babylon schtick gets pretty tired, but the advice is still good.

Lee Eisenberg’s The Number came out a year or so ago and did a good job of inspiring me to plan my money life a) more and b) better. I think it kind of falls apart on the advice portion, and it’s retirement-heavy, but there’s something about it that makes me think I might go back to it now and again for re-framing.

I’m a big fan of http://www.bankrate.com, myself. The website itself can be a little overwhelming and confusing, but I really like their newsletters, which help me to filter the website content a bit. They cover all sorts of things that are sort of money-related, like how to buy organic for less money, or how Hanson (yep, those boys) have smartly managed their money.

It sounds like many people are looking for pretty basic guidelines, which can be found at their Debt Management page. Look under “Hot Topics” and you’ll find lots of basic info there. The Personal Finance page is another good one.

It’s Your Money http://www.mdmproofing.com/iym/ has lots of nfo.

The BEST personal finance book I have ever read is Jane Bryant Quinn’s, Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People. No get rich schemes here - only sound financial advice.

For British readers, nothing beats http://www.moneysavingexpert.com

http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/

Getting rich sounds nice and all, but it’s not the sort of advice I can use here in my mid-20s. I look for practical, frank advice on things like paying off credit card and student loan debt, learning to live on a budget, and how to plan for things I want in the future like a house. Despite her relentless perkiness, I like Suze Orman for these sorts of things. Haven’t read her books, but the very specific, distilled topics from her monthly advice in O Magazine are pretty good.

http://www.oprah.com/living/lifemake/experts/suze/livingexpertsuze.jhtml

It’s practical advice about where to cut, how to prioritize, and it doesn’t make me feel like an extravagant ninny for not wanting to wash and reuse coffee filters and paper towels.

The best things I’ve started doing? Saving 10% of every paycheck and putting ALL extra/found money (tax returns, etc.) toward debt.

I am new to this but I have found a web service that offers an online “virtual” envelope system the could possibley used to all the envelope system of old compatible with our electronic world of today.

www.mvelopes.com

Curious what you all think

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