Personal Finance

With six months of earning, saving, and spending under your belt, you've got plenty of data to project how 2012 is going to play out. So let's lift the hood on your finances and give everything a good once over.

Getting your finances under control on a tight budget is hard, But as Dana Burgess shows, it can be done. Here's how she racked up $63,000 in credit card debt, how she's digging her way out, and how she learned to enjoy living on less.

When is a bargain not a bargain? When the hidden costs of finding it outweigh the lower price. Costs like shipping, or gas, or your extra time. NetPlenish aims to solve all that for the real best deal, and eliminate the biggest hassle of online shopping, too: the annoying checkout process.

The number of consumers in the top credit score range has reached its highest level since fall 2008, a report by FICO Labs shows, which could indicate more Americans are working to better their personal finances.

Two new surveys suggest that financial optimism is on the rise. But even with the improving numbers, among average Americans, those who are upbeat about their personal finances are outnumbered by the pessimists, and we're still wary of buying stocks.

The economy seems to be turning around for recent college grads, so members of the class of 2012 may have the cash to make a dent in their massive student loans. Now all they need is a plan.

If you lack money smarts, you're not alone. But the ranks of the financially inept might shrink a bit over the next seven days, thanks to the Money Smart Week program, a partnership between the American Library Association and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

With student loan debt at a trillion dollars and rising, it's no surprise that more students are searching for creative ways to finance their college educations. Alltuition and CollegeNET are among the companies that want to help.

Feel like you're getting gouged at the gas pump amid rising prices? You actually are if you're using a debit card. Despite last year's banking reforms, gas stations have yet to pass along more than $1 billion in debit card transaction fee savings to consumers.

Every dieter knows you sometimes have to give in to your cravings on the long road to a weight loss goal. Turns out the same principle applies to personal finance: A splurge now and then can actually help you attain your budget and savings goals.