A New Year is supposed to be about a fresh beginning. You set goals and renew your efforts to improve yourself. Inevitably, this list of goals includes those have to do with finances. Unfortunately, as we list out goal after goal, it starts to become overwhelming. This is especially true as we begin to think of all the things we’d like to do with our finances.

For 2011, though, you might be able to simplify things significantly if you set one financial goal to work on. Goals like pay down debt, build an emergency fund and learn to invest are all great, but they can be overwhelming – and vague. Instead of trying to do everything all at once, you can determine what your most important financial goal should be for the coming year, and focus on that.

This doesn’t mean that you neglect other aspects of your personal finances; you should still manage your money prudently. If you have been putting money into a retirement account each month, you should keep doing that. There are many reasons to be optimistic about money matters in 2011, so I simply suggest that you find a way to work on a specific “big” financial goal in 2011, improving your situation.

Breaking it Down

When you choose one financial goal to work on in the new year, you can break it down into something more manageable. Evaluate your finances (be brutally honest about where you stand – and what could be different) and base your goal on something that is achievable in your financial situation. This can be paying down $10,000 worth of debt, or beefing up your emergency fund to hold six months of expenses.

No matter your goal, it is important to create a plan that can help you achieve it. Identify the steps you need to take to reach your goal over the next 12 months, and then create an action plan to make it happen. By focusing on one major financial overhaul this year, you are more likely to meet your goals, improving your finances in the process.

If you had to pick one goal for 2011 to get your finances in better shape, what would it be?

Photography courtesy of iUnique Fx ©

It's almost 2011, and I can't but reminisce about what an amazing year 2010 has been for the personal finance writers out there.  Journalists and bloggers have both found themselves in a post-banking crisis world where people are looking for answers and guidance.  More importantly, Americans seem to care more about their money and finances, and many took decisive steps towards controlling debt,  saving more, investing smarter, and simply living richly... within one's means.

People want guidance, and guidance comes through conversations, not one-directional articles and posts.  Here is where micro-blogging comes in.  2008 and 2009 became the "trial" years for personal finance bloggers, frugal types and money journalists to test the waters with this seemingly ephemeral new medium, to reach new audiences and engage followers in a way that forums, blogs, and newspapers cannot facilitate.  But in 2010, microblogging strategies solidified and twitter became an integral part of most personal finance writers' outlets.  Several failed, folded and left twitter, while others just paled and never gained any traction.

But the following Top 100 Personal Finance microbloggers have shown us how it's done.  In a complete new world, where social media interactions and rules are still being defined, and many are still testing, trying to justify the ROI, and frankly just banging at it treating it just like another one-directional marketing medium, these folks have made us listen, follow their money tweets, and engage in meaningful conversations around money.

So what will 2011 bring to the personal finance microblogging space?  I venture to say that it will be the year when microblogging is not an option any more.  Just like having a website became the norm for any company that wanted to stay competitive in the early 1990's, if you are looking to influence and engage your audiences, you will need to become accessible via twitter.  Period.

Congratulations for a wonderful microblogging year, and a toast to an even better 2011.  And with that, I give you the Top 100 Personal Finance Microbloggers of 2010:

1. Suze Orman

Personal finance TV show host keeping it to 140 or less.

1,052,292 followers

3 tweets per day

@SuzeOrmanShow

http://SuzeOrman.com

2. USA TODAY Money

Personal finance from USATODAY.com. Also financial markets, US economy, business and all other money matters.

141,548 followers

8 tweets per day

@USATODAYmoney

http://www.usatoday.com/money

3.      Mint

Money tips and money management articles from Mint.com’s blog!

127,336 followers

4 tweets per day

@mint

http://mint.com

4.      Planet Money

Finance news and thoughts from the money team at National Public Radio.

124,255 followers

4 tweets per day

@planetmoney

http://npr.org/blogs/money

5. The Motley Fool

Educate, enriching, and amusing at any cost... especially around investing.

110,830 followers

5 tweets per day

@themotleyfool

http://www.fool.com

6. The Dave Ramsey Show

Official microblog of the famous Dave Ramsey.

100,977 followers

4 tweets per day

@ramseyshow

http://www.daveramsey.com/radio/home/

7. Simple Mom (Tsh Oxenreider)

Life hacks for home managers with great money management tips.

40,317 followers

4 tweets per day

@SimpleMom

http://simplemom.net

8. Money Saving Mom (Crystal Paine)

Money-saving deals & tips.

38,808 followers

9 tweets per day

@MoneySavingMom

http://moneysavingmom.com/welcome-twitter

9. Bargain Briana

The ultimate coupon freak.

31,521 followers

15 tweets per day

@bargainbriana

http://bargainbriana.com/

10. Money Smart Guy (Matthew Sapaula)

Host of Money Smart Guy radio show, Matt wants us “Save, Your-Self, Time, Energy and Money.”

20,466 followers

5 tweets per day

@MattSapaula

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/money-smart-guy/

11. EricaBiz (Erica Douglass)

Millionaire by 26, now offers business tips and money/investing advice.

17,937 followers

9 tweets per day

@ericabiz

http://erica.biz/

12. Save More Money

Clever tips, good deals and great sales.

17,673 followers

1 tweet per day

@savemore

13. WalletPop

Personal finance blog and microblog that can save you money

17,628 followers

23 tweets per day

@walletpopper

http://www.walletpop.com/

14. Clark Howard

Radio show host and consumer advocate helping folks save more, spend less and not get ripped off.

16,587 followers

1 tweets per day

@clarkhowardshow

http://clarkhoward.com/

15. WiseBread (Will Chen, Lynn Truong and Gregory Go)

Personal Finance and Frugal Living.

16,357 followers

9 tweets per day

@WiseBread

http://www.wisebread.com

16. I Will Teach You To Be Rich (Ramit Sethi)

Author, microblogger, video blogger with a passion for making money independently.

14,961 followers

2 tweets per day

@Ramit

http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com

17. Yahoo! Finance

Tweets from the Yahoo! Finance team. 100% feed free.

14,311 followers

39 tweets per day

@YahooFinance

http://finance.yahoo.com

18. Money Experts

Personal finance tips from the money experts at moneydashboard in the UK.

13,816 followers

5 tweets per day

@moneyexperts

http://www.moneydashboard.com/tips

19. Get Out Of Debt Guy (Steve Rhode)

A debt management super hero, helping people get out of debt for free.

13,332 followers

29 tweets per day

@getoutofdebtguy

http://GetOutOfDebt.org

20. MSN Money

The investing and personal finance world brought to you by the MSN Money team.

13,093 followers

2 tweets per day

@MSN_Money

http://moneycentral.msn.com/home.asp?ocid=twmsnmon

21. DailyFinance

Help its followers navigate through perilous economic times and make better financial decisions.

12,668 followers

22 tweets per day

@daily_finance

http://dailyfinance.com

22. The Simple Dollar (Trent Hamm)

Making your life not suck, providing cents and sense to those fighting debt and bad spending habits.

11,989 followers

16 tweets per day

@trenttsd and @thesimpledollar

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/

23. Out Of Your Rut

Jobs/business opportunities, expense reduction strategies, and savings programs.

11,049 followers

17 tweets per day

@OutOfYourRut

http://www.outofyourrut.com

24. Money Woman Women

Representing and giving a voice to women in today’s financial world.

10,409 followers

2 tweets per day

@moneymomma

http://moneymommablog.com/

25. Man vs. Debt (Adam Baker)

Microblogging a small family’s journey to sell their junk, pay off our debt, and start doing what they love.

8,630 followers

7 tweets per day

@ManVsDebt

http://www.manvsdebt.com

26. Calculated Risk (Bill McBride)

Tweeting about life, finance and money management after early retirement.

8,577 followers

5 tweets per day

@calculatedrisk

http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/

27. Team DINKS

Personal finance by and for couples:  dual income, no kids.
8,047 followers

1 tweets per day

@dinks_finance

http://www.dinksfinance.com

28. Bible Money Matters (Peter Anderson)

Financial tips based on Christian teachings for regular people to dump the chains of debt and live a financially free life.

7,955 followers

7 tweets per day

@MoneyMatters

BibleMoneyMatters.com

29. DebtDiva (Clarky Davis)

Money management and frugal lifestyle tips to pay off debt and build savings.

8,705 followers

5 tweets per day

@DebtDiva

http://www.thedebtdiva.com

30.  MaximizingMoney.com
Bonus offers, promotional discounts, cash savings, and other money-saving opportunities.

7,840 followers
7 tweets per day

@MaximizingMoney

http://www.maximizingmoney.com/

31. Kingdom First Mom (Alyssa Francis)

Honoring God with her finances... and tweets.

7,312 followers

10 tweets per day

@KingdomFirstMom

kingdomfirstmom.com

32. Budgets Are Sexy

Personal finance, life, and silliness, all within a budget.

6,981 followers

9 tweets per day

@BudgetsareSexy

budgetsaresexy.com

33. SmartyPig

Online social savings, helping you control the spending pig inside you to put your money in the piggy bank.

6,818 followers

4 tweets per day

@SmartyPig

http://www.SmartyPig.com

34. ThinkingFinance

Devoted to helping people learn finance and how to make money in the markets.

6,789 followers

<1 tweet per day

@ThinkingFinance

http://www.thinkingfinance.net/blog

35. NYTimes’ Your Money

Short messages from the New York Times money team on investing, pensions, retirement, mortgage rates, mutual funds, the stock market, bonds and notes.

6,259 followers

3 tweets per day

@Your_Money

http://www.nytimes.com/yourmoney

36. Marcel Papineau

Getting completely out of debt in 8 yrs and showing others how to do the same.

6,226 followers

11 tweets per day

@CancelDebtFast

37. OutofDebtChristian

Daily dose of personal finances, frugality and faith.

6,212 followers

1 tweet per day

@ChristianDebt

http://www.outofdebtchristian.com

38. A Frugal Friend

Stay-at-home mom who’s determined to help you cut your family’s budget.

6,146 followers

9 tweets per day

@AFrugalFriend

http://www.afrugalfriend.net/

39. Jean Chatzky

Making money make sense.

5,719 followers

8 tweets per day

@JeanChatzky

http://www.jeanchatzky.com

40. Financial Times Personal Finance

The Financial Times's personal finance microblog.

5,451 followers

8 tweets per day

@ftmoney

http://www.ft.com/money

41. Barron's Online

A premier financial news magazine that tweets good stuff too.

5,335 followers

4 tweets per day

@barronsonline

http://barrons.com/

42. Matt Krantz

Reporter for USA TODAY tweeting about investing you hard earned dollars.

5,103 followers

4 tweets per day

@mattkrantz

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/krantz/index.htm

43. It's Only Money

Personal finance tweets (sans the panic attacks) from Brent Hunsberger at The Oregonian.

4,972 followers

6 tweets per day

@onlymoney

http://oregonlive.com/itsonlymoney

44. Canadian Finance (Tom Drake)

From Edmonton, Tom has become one of Canada’s leading microblogs tweeting personal finance matters.

4,967 followers

8 tweets per day

@CanadianFinance

http://canadianfinanceblog.com/

45. The Centsible Life (Kelly Whalen)

Kelly hyper-tweets about family, finances, and fulfilling your dreams on a budget.

4,903 followers

32 tweets per day

@centsiblelife

http://TheCentsibleLife.com

46. MiB Smarter Money

Tweeting and blogging about about $: getting it, growing it, saving it.

4,668 followers

11 tweets per day

@hank_MiB

http://myinvestingblog.com

47. Stretching a Buck Marcy

Marcy’s tweeting hard to live well on less and to help others do the same.

4,280 followers

8 tweets per day

@stretchingabuck

http://www.stretchingabuckblog.com/

48. Baby Cheapskate (Angie Wynne)

Savings for moms and moms-to-be: best baby, kid and maternity bargains.

4,261 followers

7 tweets per day

@BabyCheapskate

http://babycheapskate.com

49. ATL Bargain Hunter (Lauren Davidson)

Lauren shares tips on money, deals and savings for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

4,178 followers

3 tweets per day

@atlbargains

http://blogs.ajc.com/atlanta-bargain-hunter/

50. Tweeting for Change (Kim McGrigg)

Financial ideas from a mom who’s been known to regift.  Official tweets from Money Management International.

3,992 followers

3 tweets per day

@moneymanagement

http://www.moneymanagement.org/Community/Blogs/Blogging-for-Change.aspx

51. The Reformed Broker (Josh Brown)

Markets, politics, economics, media, culture and finance, all within 140 characters.

3,951 followers

21 tweets per day

@ReformedBroker

http://thereformedbroker.com

52. Shoestring Magazine (Melissa Massello)

Saving money (and the planet) within a shoestring budget.

3,834 followers

3 tweets per day

@shoestring and @stealfinder

http://www.shoestringmag.com

53. Frugal Dad (Jason White)

Making frugal cool again, with a conservative approach to personal finances.

3,788 followers

1 tweets per day

@FrugalDad

http://frugaldad.com

54. Young Money

Tweets from the staff at Young Money magazine on money management, business and lifestyle, and entrepreneurship.

3,781 followers

2 tweets per day

@youngmoney

http://www.youngmoney.com

55. Money Watch

Personal finance tweets from the UK, featuring money news, tips and money links.

3,657 followers

2 tweets per day

@moneywatch

http://money-watch.co.uk

56. Bargaineering (Jim Wang)

Doses of fun, personal finance, and interestingness.

3,651 followers

6 tweets per day

@bargainr

http://www.bargaineering.com/articles

57. Get Rich Slowly

Tweets about, well, getting rich slowly.

3,630 followers

15 tweets per day

@grsblog and @JDRoth

http://www.getrichslowly.org

58. Fiscal Literacy

Concise tidbits of facts, advice to educate people on financial literacy: money, finances, debts, mortgages, real estate, and budgets.

3,594 followers

1 tweet per day

@FiscalLiteracy

http://fiscalliteracy.wordpress.com

59. Almost Frugal (Kelly Rigotti)

Kelly is neither a financial guru, nor a personal finance queen, but that does not prevent her from sharing valuable advice on living frugally.

3,412 followers

<1 tweet per day

@AlmostFrugal

http://almostfrugal.com

60. Christian PF (Bob Lotich)

All about money: make it, save it, grow it, give it… tweet it?

3,377 followers

2 tweets per day

@ChristianPF

http://www.ChristianPF.com

61. Not Made of Money

Personal finances and all kinds of ways to save money: keeping it sane and out of debt.

3,148 followers

2 tweets per day

@NotMadeOfMoney

http://notmadeofmoney.com/blog/

62. Bargain Babe (Julia Scott)

Daily strategies, coupons, and inspiration to save money.

3,143 followers

4 tweets per day

@BargainBabe

http://www.bargainbabe.com.

63. Fabulous and Frugal

Living well & spending wisely… for girls.

3,123 followers

4 tweets per day

@FabandFrugal

http://www.fabandfru.com

64. Debt-Proof Living (Mary Hunt)

Equipping you with the best ways to get out of debt.

3,048 followers

<1 tweets per day

@DebtProofLiving

http://www.debtproofliving.com

65. PFIncome

A microblogger on a mission to generate passive income, stop relying on a job and, spend more time with family.

3,041 followers

1 tweet per day

@PFIncome

http://www.passivefamilyincome.com

66. Redeeming Riches

Restore your money, renew your mind.

3,023 followers

6 tweets per day

@RedeemingRiches

http://www.redeemingriches.com

67. Darwin's Money

Evolutionary Money, Investing and Career Advice

3,019 followers

17 tweets per day

@EverydayFinance

http://darwinsmoney.com

68. Monroe On a Budget (Paula Wethington)

Reporting live (and frugally) from @monroenews

2,942 followers

4 tweets per day

@MonroeOnABudget

http://www.monroeonabudget.com

69. Free From Broke

Personal finance tweets for regular folks.

2,900 followers

11 tweets per day

@freefrombroke

http://freefrombroke.com/

70. Personal Finance from The Associated Press

Trevor Delaney, Personal Finance Editor at AP.com, keeps us updated on the latest money news.

2,806 followers

2 tweets per day

@AP_PersonalFin

http://www.ap.org

71. Being Frugal (Lynnae McCoy)

Christian, wife, mom, friend, and woman trying to get out of debt.

2,786 followers

<1 tweet per day

@Lynnae

http://beingfrugal.net/about/lynnae-mccoy/

72. Lending Club (Rob Garcia)

Keeping peer-to-peer lending news to 140 characters or less.  Also timely tweets on financial innovation, disruption, social media and trends.

2,667 followers

13 tweets per day

@robgarciasj and @lendingclub

http://blog.lendingclub.com

73. Personal Dividends

Passionate tweets about creating true wealth and whatever makes you “rich”.

2,678 followers

5 tweets per day

@Arohan

http://www.PersonalDividends.com

74. Green Panda

Tweeting personal finance tips for college students and 20-somethings.

2,573 followers

1 tweets per day

@Green_Panda

http://www.greenpandatreehouse.com/twitter-green-panda-treehouse/

75. Consumerism Commentary

Personal finance tweets based on the quest for financial accountability.

2,674 followers

5 tweets per day

@Flexo and @ConsumerismComm

http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/

76. PT Money (Philip Taylor)

Frugal guy, husband, father of two, tweets about personal finance

2,540 followers

4 tweets per day

@ptmoney

http://ptmoney.com/

77. Evolution Of Wealth

Helping people find, keep and enjoy their money.

2,512 followers, <1 tweets per day

@EvolutionWealth

http://evolutionofwealth.com

78. Ron Lieber

Money scribe for The New York Times, keeps us entertained and updated on the latest money news.

2,501 followers

4 tweets per day

@ronlieber

http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/

79. AskLizPullman

Personal finance columnist sharing her thoughts on managing your money.

2,489 followers

9 tweets per day

@lizweston

http://www.asklizweston.com

80. Miranda Marquit

Freelance writer helping you putt your personal financial house in order.

2,438 followers

9 tweets per day

@MMarquit

http://www.allbusiness.com/personal-finance/2975922-1.html

81. Taking Charge (Dan Ray)

The musings of Dan Ray, the editor in chief of CreditCards.com.

2,427 followers

2 tweets per day

@takingcharge

http://blogs.creditcards.com/

82. Suns Financial Diary

An electrical engineer who happens to have passion for personal finance.

2,339 followers

6 tweets per day

@SunFinancial

http://www.thesunsfinancialdiary.com/

83. The Thrifty Divas

Elizabeth & Laura promise us they will save us time and money. That’s quite a promise, isn’t it?

2,418 followers

5 tweets per day

@TheThriftyDivas

http://www.thethriftydivas.com/

84. Squawkfox (Kerry Taylor)

She offers 397 Ways To Save Money. That’s right 397!  Hmmm, I wonder how she came up with that exact number.

2,339 followers

1 tweets per day

@SquawkFox

http://www.squawkfox.com

85. Fabulously Broke

Tweets about personal finance, loving your career, living life, minimalism, traveling, Starbucks chai lattes, & being debt-free. Wonder if dropping the lattes could help to be debt free?

2,310 followers

51 tweets per day

@brokeinthecity

http://www.FabulouslyBroke.com

86. Len Penzo

Off-beat personal finance tweets  from somebody who never met a polska kielbasa he didn't like.

2,227 followers

1 tweet per day

@LenPenzo

http://www.lenpenzo.com

87. Five Cent Nickel

Thoughts on various topics related to money and finance sine 2005.

2,198 followers

9 tweets per day

@fcn and @fcnfeed

http://www.fivecentnickel.com/

88. Money Ning (David Ning)

Personal finance tips to help individuals reach their retirement and financial freedom goals.

2,198 followers

6 tweets per day

@moneyning

http://moneyning.com

89. Tip'd

Your daily dose of crowdsourced financial news.

2,197 followers

9 tweets per day

@tipd

http://tipd.com

90. The Daily Crux

Unashamedly claiming to be the world's top financial media digest.

2,181 followers

8 tweets per day

@TheDailyCrux

http://www.thedailycrux.com/

91. Money Crashers

Guiding you to financial fitness with personal finance tips.

2,154 followers

8 tweets per day

@MoneyCrashers

http://www.moneycrashers.com

92. In Good Cents

Beth tweets about her love for saving money and finding great deals.

2,137 followers

15 tweets per day

@INGoodCents

http://www.ingoodcents.com

93. Money Strands (Lucia Giacomantonio)

Lucia shares money saving tips and interesting articles, while answering questions about MoneyStrands.com

2,096 followers

1 tweets per day

@moneyStrands and @luciagia

http://money.strands.com/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=biolink&utm_campaign=twitter

94. Moolanomy

Pinyo is all about building wealth and helping you achieve your financial goals.

2,095 followers

2 tweets per day

@Moolanomy

http://www.moolanomy.com

95. The Frugal Find (Julia Wessels)

Julia tweets about transforming the way you shop and thinking beyond coupons, deals, and savings.

2,066 followers

9 tweets per day

@thefrugalfind

http://www.thefrugalfind.com

96. Life Turner Personal Finance (Lisa Byrne)

Money for the rest of us, with non-profit, unbiased financial education.

2,061 followers

8 tweets per day

@LifeTuner

http://www.lifetuner.org

97. Move Your Money

The #MoveYourMoney team is on a mission to help you take your money away from the “Too Big To Fail” Wall Street Banks.

2,056 followers

4 tweets per day

@moveyourmoney

http://moveyourmoney.info/

98. Forbes Money Builder

Personal finance coverage from Forbes.

2,039 followers, 1 tweets per day

@MoneyBuilder

http://forbes.com/moneybuilder

99. Money Funk

Releasing the bounds of Consumerism to live a life more simple in Nature… while paying down debt.

1,957 followers

9 tweets per day

@MoneyFunk

http://www.moneyfunk.net

100. BSimple

Helping us find ways to simplify our personal finances so we can live a healthier and wealthier lifestyle.  Sounds good, no?

1,940 followers

6 tweets per day

@BSimple

http://simplefinanciallifestyle.com/welcome-twitter-followers

There you have them, the best 100 personal microbloggers of 2010.  Follow them, tweet at them, and more importantly encourage them to keep up the good work.

Stay tuned for the complete list of Top 250 personal finance microbloggers next week.

@RobGarciaSJ

Did you make the list? Grab any of these badges to show it off:

With many Americans still struggling financially, there is a push -again- this year to spend less on gifts, decorations, and all the trappings of the Holiday season. But it’s easy to hesitate, particularly if you’ve seen a friend or a relative do something that borders on tacky, irreverent, or just plain cheap. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to save on the holidays without compromising any of the things that make it special.

Use Traditional Decorations
This works especially well if you like to have a theme to your Christmas decorating. It doesn’t cost much to string some popcorn, hang candy canes on your tree, make a wreath out of branches you pick up at the park, and set up some strategically decorative pine cones.

If you’re particularly crafty, you can take it even further. Make some patchwork stockings, set up a gingerbread house or two,  and even make your own wrapping paper out of butcher paper and paint. Be creative, and you won’t have to worry about looking cheesy.  Here are some ideas from the CBS team in Los Angeles.

Contribute to a Group Gift
If you like buying nice gifts but can’t afford it this year, rally a group to get nice gifts for the people you know. This is a great way to continue offering high-quality gifts without breaking the bank.

Another option here is to purchase a gift card toward a nice present if you can’t buy the whole thing yourself. While your recipient may not get everything his or her heart desires, they’ll know that you care, that you see what they would really want or need, and want to be a part of purchasing it for them.

Keep it Simple
If you don’t have the money for a lot of nice decorations, just buy a few. It doesn’t take much to make a home Christmas-y, so a couple of strategic pieces can go a long way. And you can add to your decorations every year, until eventually you have the Christmas spread you’ve always wanted.

Shop Around for Sales or DIY
Many stores give discounts as you get closer to Christmas day.  So you don't have to spend all the money in early December when everything is at full cost.  Also, shopping around is the best way to lower your expenses.   For instance, when doing holiday greeting cards, look at cheaper options like Costco, instead of the fancier The Picture People.  Embark on a DIY picture session this year, instead of handing over the dough to the Santa at the mall.  Online is your friend this holiday season.

Bake Gifts
Flour, butter, sugar and eggs: your 4 basic ingredients to get some good cookies, sweet bread, or cakes going.  You don't have to play Martha Stewart, but a simple budnt cake wrapped nicely goes a long way to show your spirit this year.

How have you managed to keep a reasonable Holiday budget without feeling like Ebenezer Scrooge? or mean like the Grinch? Share your tips with fellow readers in the comments.

Image courtesy of Kevin Dooley.

REMINDER: Lending Club's 2010 holiday promotion is under way.  Get a gift card with up to $3,000 for holiday shopping.  Hurry, this promotion ends soon.

The following is a guest post by Francine L. Huff, Editorial Director of Super Savvy Publishing and the author of The 25-Day Money Makeover for Women. She writes about personal finance for a variety of Web sites and magazines, and has appeared on many TV and radio shows.

Starting a new life together as Mr. and Mrs. is exciting. But that wedded bliss can quickly turn into a squabble fest for couples who aren't on the same page financially. To avoid letting poor fiscal habits wreck your marriage take a look at three common financial mistakes made by newlyweds and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Not Talking About Money
The biggest mistake couples make before getting married is not talking about their finances. Money can bring out a range of emotions when people handle money differently. You must talk about how you plan to spend and save money before you get married or you'll end up fighting about it afterward. Many couples avoid discussing the specifics of their financial situation until they begin to have problems. However, it's important to talk about how much debt you each have as well as any other financial obligations that are being brought into a marriage. Newlyweds should also discuss their financial goals, such as retirement planning or buying a home. Discussions should include your beliefs and values concerning money. Get a copy of your credit reports and review them together.

2. Keeping Finances Separate
Marriage is a partnership. That's why it's important for spouses to work together to manage money and set financial goals. Many newlyweds make the mistake of assuming they can keep their money separate and never get on the same financial page. But combining finances and discussing money issues is important for a strong marriage. It can also help you increase your household's net worth. "A healthy marriage provides for the pooling of all resources, has a system of checks and balances, and in turn, provides security for long-term investment," writes Mary Hunt in Debt-Proof Your Marriage. "Prenuptial agreements and separate financial lives say in very loud terms: Don't expect me to be here for long." Find a time when you can discuss money without finger-pointing and accusations. Set up a system for paying household bills and make sure you decide who will be responsible for that task. Find out what your common financial goals are and set up a plan to reach them. If children are in your future it's better to discuss that before they arrive. Perhaps you and your spouse have differing views on whether or not one parent should stay home with children and how that will impact your finances.

3. Loading Up on Debt
Many newlyweds enter marriage with individual debts, as well as debt resulting from a lavish wedding. Spending on the average American wedding is $19,581, according to The Wedding Report, and that does not include the cost of a wedding ring or honeymoon. Even if you strive to keep your wedding to a humble budget, expenses add up, and much of that spending ends up on credit cards. If a couple carries credit-card balances and has other loans, one of the smartest things they can do early in their marriage is set up a plan to wipe it out. Paying down debt will free up more money to buy a home, establish an emergency fund and save for retirement or other large goals. It also can free up cash for fun things like traveling or pursuing hobbies together. After all, if you carry so much debt that you feel like you constantly have to work overtime just to make the minimum payments, you'll probably end up spending less quality time with your spouse. Financial goals shouldn't stop after the wedding since that's just the beginning of a couple's life together. Whether you're newly married or soon-to-be married don't put off having that important money talk. If you're still in the planning stages of your wedding consider scaling back the event to avoid taking on a lot of debt.

The following is a guest post by Craig Ford from MoneyHelpforChristians.com who writes about personal finance as a set of tools to manage life, not money. He is also a missionary in Papua New Guinea.

In your lifetime you will need discipline.  Discipline primarily comes from one of two sources – internal or external.

Internal discipline shows that you are self-aware enough to recognize dangerous limits and unhealthy habits.  Once you’ve recognized those inadequacies, you discipline yourself and exemplify control over your life.

External discipline means that you have shown an inability to recognize or control your limits and unhealthy habits.  Since you cannot control them, someone else (police, government worker, or family member) will be forced to intercede.

Those with internal discipline have the potential to better manage their finances.

What I’m going to suggest to you today I cannot enforce, but I promise that if you enforce them on yourself you will see an improvement in your debt situation.

So, don't cheat yourself.  Don't cross your fingers behind your back.  What you're about to swear on will lead you to financial freedom.

Now, raise your right hand and repeat after me …

6 Promises That Lead to Debt Free Living

I will not take on any new debt.

You’ve got to stop digging if you ever hope to get out of a deep hole.  You cannot take on any new debt.

Commit that you will not take on any new debt, and when a crisis arises, solve the problem without using credit as an option.  Creativity is usually unleashed when your options are reduced.  Don’t cheat and take on new debt, but work really hard to solve your financial issues without credit.

If you are trying to get out of credit card debt then you may find that you’ll need to do something drastic like cutting up your credit cards.  Just be willing to do whatever it takes.

I will get organized and take an inventory of my debt.

You cannot fight an enemy that is unknown.  You need to know (even if it is scary) exactly what you are up against.  You’ll need to develop a plan, and you can’t develop a plan until you can properly diagnose the seriousness of your situation.  But if you are organized and committed, you could get out of debt by the end of 2011.

Any time someone goes to the hospital, that person is immediately evaluated in terms of the seriousness of their injury.  If you have a runny nose, you’ll probably wait longer in the waiting room than someone who just cut off a hand.

Get online.  Open your filing cabinet.  Make a few calls.  Your end goal is to make a list of how much money you owe to creditors and at what interest rate.

I will get on a written budget... and will stick to it!

Hopefully getting organized and taking an inventory of your debt will put you into enough of a state of shock to motivate you to do whatever is necessary.  Good.  That means you’re prepared to learn how to budget, but more importantly, how to stick to it.

Budgets only have one rule – what you spend cannot be more than what you earn.  If you are in debt, you need to try and push that rule a little further and say – what you spend must be less than what you earn.  This way you’ll have some available cash for debt repayment.

I will establish a debt reduction plan, and I will stick with it (unless it is a bad plan and needs to be revised).

At this point, you’ve already figured out two sides of a very important equation – how much debt you have and how much income you have available to attack the debt.  It may also help to shop around for a loan that would allow you to consolidate your debt into 1 monthly payment.

Now you need a formal debt reduction game plan.

• You could start by paying off the debt with the lowest balance (usually called the debt snowball).  Here’s a sample debt snowball spreadsheet.
• You could pay off the debt with the highest interest.
• You could pay off the debt you hate the most.

Whatever plan you use, this is the time to develop and commit to a plan.

I will sacrifice and start using the word ‘no’.

You cannot say ‘yes’ to everything and still get out of debt.

Sometimes you’ll need to say no to yourself.  Sometimes you’ll need to say no to your children.  Sometimes you’ll need to say no to your friends.  Until you learn to sacrifice, your pile of debt is likely to continue to grow.

I will do geeky things like crunch numbers.

Typically, those with debts tend to be more unorganized.  However, you’ll need to get set up with a good personal finance software so you can track your spending and debt repayments.

At this point, you can look into the value of credit card debt consolidation.  You might even consider calling to ask your credit card company to reduce your interest rates.

Too often people think they will solve their debt problem by focusing on credit tricks and interest rate reductions.  These make no difference until you’ve first set up the first five rules mentioned above.  However, after you have make some firm commitments to yourself, you might as well get the math on your side to help you pay off debt faster.

Remember, there is no one who will be able to force you to say or keep these rules.  However, if you commit to following and implementing these ideas, you’ll officially be walking in the direction of debt free living.

Image courtesy of Carmela Fernando.