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Financial writer Linda Stern asks a provocative question in this article
If you were a company, what would the analysts be saying about you?
Stern goes on to discuss how to use the same metrics that analysts use to evaluate companies to rate your own personal finances. The bottom line, however, is that no matter what type of analysis one does, for those of us who don't work in a meat processing plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, achieving a positive personal P&L requires some combination of increasing your income, reducing or eliminating your debt, spending less and cutting your expenses.
If you are looking for ideas on how to accomplish any of those goals, BlogHers and BlogHims have some clever and creative ones.
Income
One way to increase your income is to ask for a raise. Madame X at My Open Wallet provides a guide on how-to based on her successful experience.
Another way to make more money is to get some on the side. At Lifehacker, Editor Gina Trapani first discusses why you should start a side business and then asks for help from her readers in gathering ideas for turning that side business into a fulltime job.
If you need some practical inspiration to start the business, Denise O'Berry at Just for Small Business suggests that you "just get started" and Erica at The Paper Bride Blog echoes this advice, pointing out that "truthfully, there will never be THE right time."
Debt
I believe that PF bloggers provide great value on their blogs by opening up their wallets and bank accounts and sharing their mistakes and successes and allowing us to learn with the help of very real and honest examples, no matter how painful. At Make Love, Not Debt, Him and Her refuse to let their debt, including nearly $136,000 in student loans, beat them down. Read how they found some relief in the success story of a family in a similar boat and follow their posts about how they are conquering that debt "with a little love and a lot of style."
Jeffrey Strain is a PF BlogHim who gets BlogHer Elisa's Queen Bee Seal of Approval, calling Personal Financial Advice a "rare, great personal finance blog." If, like Elisa, you are seeking PF blogs that aren't "commercial, or sploggy or dry and boring," check out Personal Financial Advice (as well as all the fabulous PF BlogHers noted here) where Jeffrey is sharing, and following, BlogHer CE Liz Rizzo's efforts to secure a loan through the new P2P lending site Prosper in order to pay off some higher-interest credit card debt.
Savings
One of the cleverest ideas for saving money that I've run across lately comes courtesy of the frugal underground: "Consider buying your gourmet food on eBay." Frugal underground purchased 30 organic vanilla beans, which retail for about $8 a bean, for less than $10 for all 30 beans.
Make Love, Not Debt also has a series of posts sharing their coupon tips and techniques which they've used "to reduce our grocery bill anywhere from 25% to 100%."
Not only does one money dummy getting smarter shares her love of Cairo, which is a tool to help you save money, she teaches you how to use it - complete with screen shots - and shares the ways in which she uses it and which lead her to "Sing...of the greatness of Cairo, of its uber-cool easiness, and its convenience so stunning."
And if that isn't enough for you, Money Dummy shares the answer to a question asked of her mother: "Doesn't your daughter get lots of free stuff?" Now you can, too!
