DDFD at Divorced Dad Frugal Dad has some great thoughts on Dreams, Hopes, and Ambitions.  In it, he asks, and attempts to answer: “What holds us back?”  It’s a good post on inspiration and motivation.

Jeff at The Stretchy Dollar asks, “Do You Have a Jobby?“  A jobby is something that you do outside of your regular job for income, and hopefully it’s something you enjoy as well.  It’s always a good idea to start alternative flows of income.

Monevator also writes about alternative income, but its different in that it’s about passive income.  He has a great post on “Why a little passive income from side projects is worth a lot more than you think“.

Johnny at Wise Bread has a humorous, tongue-in-cheek rant about what it takes to be rich.  You don’t need to use one of those amazing “get rich quick” products.  Instead, you just need to be honest with yourself, and spend less than you earn.  There are no short cuts on the path to wealth.

Doctor S at Finance Your Life welcomes A New Member to the Unemployed.  One of his friends was recently downgraded from part time to outright unemployment.  He tells us about his friend’s state of mind, as well as what his next move is going to be.

And for the fun link, I found something that is kind of related to Valentine’s Day.  The Binder Park zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan, launched a new program for romantics this year: Zoorotica.  It’s a special zoo tour for adults-only couples, and gives people an intimate look at the mating habits and patterns of animals. 

Sounds weird, but apparently it’s a hit.  The tickets have sold out, and the zoo had to start a waiting list to accommodate everyone who couldn’t get in.

David at MoneyNing has a good article on the Two Things That Matter when it comes to wealth: increasing your income and decreasing your spending.  There are no secret formulas or magic rules.

MyWifeQuitHerJob.com has a good post on Dealing with People Who Doubt Your Business Ideas.  I just found out about this site recently, and really like it.  A husband and wife started their own home business, and it’s done well enough that the she could quit her day job.  Now they both blog about what you can do to make your business a success.

Jacques at The Smarter Wallet has some good ideas on Stopping Procastination by Knowing How Much It Can Cost.  It’s a way to stay motivated by assigning a cost for failing to achieve your goals.

JLP at All Financial Matters reminds us all to Stick to Your Guns when it comes to your 401K.  Pulling out your money may make you feel better now, but it’ll cost you in the long run.

J.D. at Get Rich Slowly has a great article on What it Takes to Suceed in 2009.  There’s no secrets here – it’s just patience and hard work.  Especially in the early stages of a business or idea, you’ll have to put in a lot of work and may not see any results.

And for the fun link, I’m going back to the Onion: Difficult to Tell if T.J. Maxx Hit Hard By Recession.  I got nothing against T.J. Maxx…I’ve shopped there before, and will again.  I just like the Onion and think it’s a funny article.

I hope you have a good (and warm) week.  Make sure to check back later this week.  I’m hosting the Money Hacks Carnival, and will be posting 40+ links for your enjoyment.

Free Money Finance is running a March Madness tournament for personal finance bloggers.  It’s a very cool concept.  64 blog posts go head to head, with the winner of each matchup advancing to the next round (just like the NCAA basketball tournament).  The top four posts get a donation made to the charity of their choice.  If the bracket isn’t already full, make sure to sign up.  It’s a good way to get some free publicity and maybe help out a good cause.

Andrea at Seven Figure Psychic warns readers of the Danger of Thinking (Only) Big.  I like the article, but only if you consider that it’s dangerous to think too big or too small.  The trick is finding the balance.  I realize that I’ve been focusing too much on the big picture in some areas of my life, so it was right up my alley.

MoneyNing has a list of 5 Surefire Ways to Stop Thinking Your Paycheck is Never Enough.  The easiest way to get ahead in life is simply to spend less than you earn.  Here are five tips to help you do it.

The Oblivious Investor recently posted his take on the food pyramid, but re-purposed for the finance world.  It’s a great summary of asset allocation.  Are you house rich, and have most of your net worth tied to real estate (even your own house)?  Do you have an adequate emergency fund?  Are you risking your portfolio by investing in the latest hot stocks?

And the fun link is back to just being fun, not finance related.  This week, It’s Copie d’Arte – Famous Paintings Redone with Lego Instead of People.  Great attention to detail.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks links!

Mike at Oblivious Investor ponders When to Panic and Stop Investing in Stocks, then decides that such a time doesn’t exist.

Josh at The Reformed Broker has some great advice on Rolling Over a 401K to an IRA.  If you’ve recently changed or lost your job, then you need to do something with your 401K.  Most people make the mistake of just leaving their 401K where it is and forgetting about it.

Meg at All Financial Matters discusses changes that the Credit Bureaus are making to their credit score formulas in 2009.  Your credit score greatly affects your life, so you should be aware of the changes, and how they affect you.

Doctor S at Finance Your Life has some advice for making your New Year’s resolutions, as well as a round up of some other resolution links.

 And for the funny link, a timeless source of knowledge: an old Calvin and Hobbes comic foreshadows the financial crisis.

JLP at All Financial Matters has an article about how the stock market has capitulated, meaning that things are finally so bad that they’re a bargain.  If everyone else is selling, then now is the time to buy.  To be richer than everyone else, you’ve got to be willing to go against the crowd.

Kristy at Master Your Card wrote a list of 10 Signs You’re Addicted to Debt.  The first step in overcoming addiction is admitting you have a problem.  These are ten signs you’re about to go over the edge.

The Consumerist questions whether Jim Cramer’s advice is better than a coin toss.  This is a great read.  For better or worse, Cramer is well respected and has a large audience and influence.  But does he know his stuff?  Apparently not.  He does better than the market average only 47% of the time.  Another reason why I don’t think you can get rich by buying the latest hot stocks.

Debbie Dragon (nice consonance!) at Wise Bread has some good tips for How to Host a New Year’s Eve Party on a Budget.  I’m still trying to figure out my plans, so hopefully this will help you too.  Whatever your plans are, don’t drink and drive.  It’s a good way to hurt others and wreck your life physically and financially.

Young Money Moguls has a list of the Top 10 Traits of Young Money Moguls.  If you want to be rich, you’ve got to have the right mind set.  Here are some great qualities to have.

And for the fun link, a picture from one of my favorite sites, failblog.org.  It’s a good reminder to always beware of the fine print, even if it happens to be on a billboard.

• Flexo at Consumerism Commentary is now debt free!  He finished paying off the last of the last of his debt on December 15th.  It’s very encouraging and motivating to read about the success stories of others.
• J.D. at Get Rich Slowly takes a detailed look at how much the stock market really returns.  It’s important to remember that even in a down economy, the stock market is still the best chance we have for building weath.
• The Oblivious Investor and Warren Buffett both agree – to reduce risk and be successful in investing, you need to be able to understand what you’re investing in.  Adivce like this could have prevented investors from falling for Bernard Madoff’s scam.
• The Money Hawk challenges Ramit Sethi (of I Will Teach You to Be Rich) on his recent advice to buy new cars instead of used.  I’m interested in it, because I agree with the Money Hawk that buying used is a better value.  I bought a used car three years ago and have never regretted it.
• Free Money Finance writes about how a hobby can be turned into a big source of income.  It’s a great eye opener and source of inspiration.  Who doesn’t want to get paid to do something they enjoy?
• My fun link this week is finance related, so I’ll give you two links to make up for it.  This week, the Onion explains why the economy collapsed, and also reported on how the Financial industry celebrated its $700 billion bailout with lavish $800 billion party.

I know its a holiday week, but I’ll still be here with new posts, so check back frequently.  And remember to have a safe and happy holiday!