My dusty little blog was named one of CreditCard.org’s 10 Best Undiscovered Money Blogs. It looks like my story of paying off $70,000 of debt in 14 months has reached a new audience.

Happy Monday Morning. This week is Spring Break in the Six Figures and Broke household. My husband took the week off work and although I still have blogging to do for clients, I only need to put in about 10 hours of work this week. We’re spending Spring Break this year by staying local and enjoying the outdoors, taking a shopping (not buying) trip to Ikea (the kids love that store) and hanging out with family. Definitely Spring Break on the cheap!

Without further ado, I present you with this week’s Monday Morning Personal Finance News featuring stories on how you can help with the relief efforts in Japan and a spending limit on debit cards.

• If you have money left in your giving envelope and want to help out with the Japanese earthquake efforts, read this article on CNNMoney.com with ideas on how you can help.
• If you’re a debit card user, this story on a possible $50 spending limit on debit cards should have you a bit concerned. I know that I am! If this limit is implemented, it will also limit your purchases if you use your debit card as a credit card. This may force many of us to bust out the ole checkbook again!
• This headline certainly caught my eye: Factories having trouble finding workers.
• I’m not a big doom and gloomer but this is a bit worrisome: 10 Reasons to Worry About the Stock Market.
• Are you heading into retirement? If so read this article on dealing with inflation risk during your retirement years.
• Although I’m not a fan of credit cards, this story did have me a bit miffed. The recent credit card reform is having an unexpected yet negative impact on a specific population – stay-at-home-moms (SAHMs). If a SAHM wants to apply for a credit card, she can’t use her household income but instead needs to only use her income. If she doesn’t have any then she needs her spouse to co-sign. Again, I’m not a fan of credit cards but this is just silliness IMO.
• Here’s another reader story from Get Rich Slowly – How I Avoided Student Loans – great read!
• Check out Julie’s article on finding money to get out of debt and while you’re at it, check out the other great posts on her blog, The Family CEO.

Happy Monday Morning! It’s been a great January for the Six Figures and Broke household but I am amazed at how fast the month has gone by. Here’s this week’s edition of the Monday Morning Personal Finance News including stories on credit card interest rates, the 8 least evil banks and smartphones as credit cards.

• In case you didn’t already know this, interest rates on credit cards are near record highs.
• This CNNMoney.com list made me laugh – The 8 least evil banks. #1 – Ally Bank.
• Smartphones – the new credit card? Sure, let’s make it even easier to spend money we don’t have!
• We’re happy to make six figures a year, check out how John Paulson made 10 figures last year!
• What is your opinion on personal finance books for women?
• This post title just made me laugh – Are the Self-Employed Tax Cheats Or Financial Failures?
• Did you know that last year’s tax compromise included a $5 million lifetime max on charitable giving? I didn’t but if you’re uber rich you have until 2012 to help out your favorite charity without paying taxes!

Happy Monday Morning! Catch up on the latest personal finance news including an increase in both the use of food stamps and the gap between the rich and middle class as well as boomerang retirees!

• The use of food stamps increased by 16% in 2010 and now 1 in 7 American families are living on food stamps. Here’s hoping 2011 brings millions of new jobs!
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, the gap between the rich and the middle class continues to widen.
• Forget boomerang kids, more retirees are having to move in with their children these days.
• If you didn’t already know, student loans can leave a new graduate with a crushing debt burden.
• If you’re at the investing stage of your life, check out this investing to-do list for the end of the year.
• If you’ve had problems with credit cards and spending in the past, stay strong because easy credit is back!

Happy Monday Morning! Here are some personal finance stories that made news over the last week. Don’t forget, these links will open in a new window.

• Read about the new consumers’ guide to credit scores and reports at SmartMoney.
• If you’re looking for seasonal employment, read these 4 Steps to Help You Get a Holiday Job before you start your job search.
• More first-time homebuyers are receiving cash gifts for their down payments than ever before.
• Although this article is a bit older, it is a great compliment to last week’s post 6 Must Read Posts to Boost Your Twitter Job Search – 7 Ways to Use Social Networking to Land Your Next Job.
• CNNMoney.com asks us to take a different look at the tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of this year: The Bush tax cuts: What nobody is talking about.
• If you want to make more money next year, get prepared to ask your boss for a raise.
• Will we see an AMT patch for 2010? Only a few short weeks left for Congress to make a decision on the alternative minimum tax.

Happy Monday Morning! If you were offline over the weekend, you can quickly get caught up with the latest in personal finance news by reading the Monday Morning Personal Finance News post for November 1, 2010. Please note: links will open in a new window.

How to Maximize Savings During Open Enrollment – SmartMoney

Starting Monday, companies around the country will enter “open enrollment,” the short window when employees get to switch their health insurance plans. In addition to regular price increases across the board, anyone shopping for family coverage this year can expect a new slate of expenses. But with calculated plan shopping, a married couple could actually come out ahead.

Seniors going destitute because of credit card bills – Wallet Pop

Credit card debt is something many Americans struggle with, but a new study shows that senior citizens are particularly at risk for crushing debt, so much so that an increasing number are turning to bankruptcy for relief.

According to research done by the University of Michigan Law School, a whopping two-thirds of older Americans say that high credit card debt is a reason behind their choice to file for bankruptcy. In addition, the total credit card debt of senior bankruptcy filers is 50% higher than that of younger people seeking debt relief through bankruptcy.

Inflation? Gary Shilling Says Deflation Is the Real Problem – Daily Finance

Perhaps the greatest debate over the economy this year has been whether the U.S. is in for a period of inflation or deflation. Those who fear inflation point to the recent rise in the price of Treasury Inflation Protected Securities. TIPS, as they are called, are U.S. Government bonds linked to the consumer price index. In an inflationary environment, investors in TIPS benefit.

Housing woes hit job seekers where it hurts – Fortune

Not so long ago, you may recall, plenty of employers were willing to foot the bill for moving expenses, and maybe even compensate you for a loss on your house, if you pulled up stakes to accept a job in a different locale.

These days, as they say in Brooklyn, fuhgeddaboudit.

Demand for executive talent is slowly rising, but not enough to loosen the purse strings for relocation, according to a new study from Chicago outplacement giant Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Top cities for Halloween loot – CNNMoney.com

Real estate website Zillow.com ranked the 20 best cities to trick-or-treat in this Halloween — and then picked the best neighborhoods in each of those towns.

“I usually get too much candy and I don’t eat all of it,” said Seattle native Courtenay, 12. She and her friends scout out the best locations in advance and set their sights on houses that are fully decorated for the holiday.

Attorney Joseph Mauro discusses abusive debt collection practices with Dave Ramsey. Watch the two videos below.

I saw an article on MSNBC.com that really drew my attention – 8 reasons you spend too much. Guess what was number one on the list? If you guessed using credit cards then you’re right so put away the plastic!

Multiple studies, including this 2008 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, have found consumers are willing to spend more when they pay with a credit card instead of cash. “Credit cards allow consumers to focus more on what they’re getting, or buying, than what they’re losing, or spending,” explains Kit Yarrow, a professor of psychology and marketing at Golden Gate University. Credit cards “buffer the reality of spending because they leave more cash in our pockets and purses and provide a delay before payment is required.”

When you buy something with cash, you feel as if someone is trying to take something away from you – your money! If you swipe a credit card your brain doesn’t register this immediate loss of something that is yours.

So what else made the list of reasons why you spend too much money?

• Listening to music
• Buying in bulk
• Dieting
• Tracking exact costs
• Buying clearance merchandise
• Shopping without a list
• Falling for clever pricing tactics

So what’s your downfall?

As promised, here is a video from the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 live chat hosted by CreditCards.com on February 22, 2010.

Note to email subscribers: There is a video embedded in this post, please click through to the blog to view the video.

Tomorrow, the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 goes live. According to the White House Blog, “The law bans unfair rate increases, prevents unfair fee traps, requires plain language in plain sight for disclosures, increases accountability all around, and institutes protections for students and young people just for starters.”

If you have a credit card, you may have noticed some new information on your statement. This information is just part of the credit reform act. In addition to your minimum payment, you will now see how long it will take you to pay off the credit card only paying the minimum payment every month (think 25+ years). There will also be a second figure showing how an increased and regular monthly payment will allow you to pay off your card much more quickly (think 3 years).

The credit card reform can be a bit confusing and to help alleviate this confusion, the White House Council of Economic Advisors is hosting a live video discussion tomorrow. The chat will be hosted on the CreditCards.com website at 2:00 pm ET.

If this video chat follows others that the White House participates in, a video archive of the chat will likely be available as early as tomorrow evening. I will keep an eye out for it and post it here at Six Figures and Broke as soon as I see it.