I am all about living within your means while still enjoying small indulgences, and Hot (broke) Messes: How to Have Your Latte and Drink It Too, by Nancy Trejos is a practical guide to doing just that.

Nancy is a personal finance columnist for The Washington Post , and while she was doling out financial advice to her readers, she was also struggling with debt.

Hypocritical? At the time, yes. But it makes Hot (broke) Messes that much more of a compelling tale knowing that the advice is based on personal experience.

As a reader, not only do we get advice about credit card debt, student loans, impulse buying and emotional spending, and how to have a social life on budget, but we also see Nancy’s journey from hot (broke) mess to financial security.

Have you read Hot (broke) Messes ? What did you think?

I received an advanced copy of Hot (broke) Messes a long long time ago and just recently got around to reading it. Affiliate links are included in my review if you’d like to contribute a few cents to help me out of debt when purchasing. Please see my site policy with any questions.

Congratulations to the winner…Ambre W!

Here are your random numbers:

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Timestamp: 2010-04-25 14:16:54 UTC

Great news! This giveaway is a Prizey Pick! Thanks to Prizey for recognizing what a great giveaway this is and welcome to everyone from Prizey – good luck!

I spent last weekend reading an advanced copy of Spent: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict by Avis Cardella and am amazed at the credit card mess Avis Cardella got herself into buying high-end clothes and accessories that most of us wouldn’t dream of charging. I’m equally amazed at the number of people in her life that either facilitated her out of control spending habits or bailed her out so she could continue to dig herself deeper.

Spent reads like fiction, so it’s a quick pool-side read. For as ridiculous as I think Avis’ spending habits were, it’s interesting to read how someone convinced themselves that shopping in excess was acceptable. “Splurging” on a designer coat is completely different than “splurging” on pair of shoes from a discount store. While neither are good decisions when money is tight, one is obviously wreckless behavior, and it’s a hard to understand how anyone could think differently.

Here’s a summary from Hachette Book Group:

As a child, Avis Cardella devoured the glamorous images in her mother’s fashion magazines. She grew up to be one of the people in them, living a life that seemed to be filled with labels and luxury. But shopping had become a dangerous addiction. She forwent food for Prada. Credit card debt blossomed like the ever-increasing pile of unworn shoes and clothing in the back of her closet. She defined herself by the things she owned and also lost herself in the mad hunt for the perfect pair of pants or purse that might make her feel whole.

If you’re interested to read what else Avis splurged on and how she bailed herself out (hint: it wasn’t all hard work and dedication), I have a copy of Spent to give away to one read! All you have to do is tell me…

What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever charged?

The fine print… Entries will be accepted until midnight, Saturday, April 24th. One (1) winner will be chosen at random and announced on Sunday, April 25th. Winner will be contacted by email and/or Twitter and will have 48 hours to respond. Please use your real first name a valid email address when entering. I am not responsible for incorrect contact information. Prize will be shipped directly from sponsor. Good luck!

This is a sponsored giveaway courtesy of Hatchette Book Group. I received a copy of Spent: Memoirs of Shopping Addict by Avis Cardella to read and craft my review. Please see my site policy if you have questions.

Affiliate links are included in this post.

Okay, it’s not quite that easy.

But the new year does means it’s time for a credit check! Your credit report contains all the raw data used to calculate your credit score – open accounts, current balances, payment history – and while it takes a bit of work to change your credit score, you have to know where you stand before you know where you’re going!

Ever since consumers became entitled to a yearly free credit report (September 1st, 2005 for those of you interested) I have ordered mine to review and I’ve found some pretty interesting inconsistencies – a medical bill from when I was a minor, a lingering credit account that had been paid in full, and a small student loan that belonged to someone with a similar name.

How you taken a look at your credit report recently? It’s a great way to start the year on the right financial footing!

Today was a GREAT day.

After tackling a stack of new work on my desk, my boss called me into his office for an impromptu meeting where he gave me a bonus and a raise!

There were also talks of a year end bonus!

Since we’re in the thick of saving for a home, I immediately set up an ING direct deposit for the amount of my raise every payday. I also deposited my bonus and it’s going directly to pay down a balance on a credit card.

Yes – today was a great day.

Do you keep a close eye on your credit? Check you credit reports regularly? Yes – reports is plural. You need to be making sure everything is in order at all of the 3 major credit bureaus – Trans Union, Experion, and Equifax.

If you haven’t ever taken a look at your credit report or its time to take another look, free credit reports are available though Freebie Credit Reports. With a 30 day free trial, you also get your FICO credit score and credit monitoring and alerts – which is especially helpful if you’ve ever had suspicious activity on your credit report in the past.

Over 70% of credit reports contain errors and Freebie Credit Reports can provide you with the tools to locate and correct credit report errors. They also have a great list of tools and calculators to help you compare interest rates, calculate income, and estimate loan payments.

As always, read the fine print and make sure any credit related service is right for you.

Practically everyone is on Twitter, and with good reason. I follow thousands of people and businesses, which makes Twitter one of my biggest resources for news and information. You can send just about any question out in a Tweet and get answers within seconds!

Even my mom has started using Twitter! Which is funny and frightening all at the same time.

If you’re on Twitter and interested in personal finance, you should start following @creditloan for information on personal loans, credit cards, and debt consolidation. The more information you have, the better equipped you are to get yourself out of debt, right? Right now, they are running a little contest to help you pay off some of that debt – or maybe just have a nice night out on them. Just follow @creditloan and retweet the following:

Just entered the CreditLoan Visa Giftcard Giveaway. You can win by following @creditloan and retweeting. http://creditloan.com/twcontest

That simple Tweet gets you entered into a contest to win one of ten $100 Visa gift card, which can be used anywhere Visa is accepted! You could pay a bill, go out to dinner, or fill up your gas tank. It’s entirely up to you. Take a look at the contest rules and follow @creditloan for valuable information and your chance to win $100!

I panicked when I got letter in the mail from Chase yesterday saying that they are closing one of my credit card accounts. The reasons stated were:

• Bankcard balance grew too fast compared to credit limit and time on file
• Too few accounts with time on file greater than 36 months
• The number of bankcards opened has grown too fast

After a bit of research, I found that none of the reasons given were legitimate. The account closed was my oldest credit card account and has not had a balance for over two years. On top of that, I closed a half dozen credit card accounts about six months ago and have paid off two more since.

Basically, Chase gave me the boot because they weren’t making any money.