I am in the thick of things here at FinCon. Since I’m having so much fun wrapped up in this personal finance and blogging overload, I thought I would share some blogger love and list the top 10 articles I’ve ever read. Some are terrific stand alone articles and others were the post that got me completely hooked on someone’s blog (spoiler: they’re not all personal finance blogs).

Side Hustle Series: I Plan Group Cruises at Budgets are Sexy

I’m not 100% certain but I’m pretty darn sure this was one of the first ever personal finance blog posts I read. I knew zilch about personal finance and had no freaking clue what a side hustle was.

I did know about cruises though. And I believe it was a Google search of “make money + cruises” that led me to his site. I have been fully addicted ever since. And learned about 80 thousand gajillion ways to save and make money from there ever since.

The Danger of Doing What You Love at The Broke and Beautiful Life

The reasons I love Stefanie’s blog are pretty endless. She reeled me initially with her keen financial eye only to delight me further when I realized she’s an actress who is also all too familiar with the totally not living wage prevalent in the arts. She tackles the challenges of living on a strict budget with uncertain income with an inimitable flair and incredible sense of humor.

So – I just watched the episode of Ugly Betty where she goes overboard trying to describe a fancy hotel in NYC. The paragraph I just wrote reminds me of that, but really, her blog is that good.

Also I never get sick of posts about why you should follow your dreams and do what you love! …and how much it’s going to eff you up in the process.

Crew Bar – Deck 0 at I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts

 

So the reason I thought I could make money with (knowledge about) cruises was from 5 years at sea. If you spend that long living on a boat in the middle of the ocean, it changes you. Coming back to live life like all you normal folks who aren’t used to getting chocolates in St. Maarten on Wednesdays, crab from Tracy’s Crab Shack on Fridays and regular old date nights out in Croatia… it can be rough.

What? You don’t have a favorite Caribbean island?

Also, ship life in general is so freaking odd, sometimes you look back and think “seriously, did I imagine all that?” Mackenzie’s blog reminds me that it was. And that (possible lifelong) withdrawal is just the price you pay for the most insane and awesome way to spend part of your 20s.

If you’ve ever thought about working on a ship, I can’t recommend any other blog that so accurately captures what ship life is like.

Working in a Factory (and knowing you could be replaced by robots) at leslie beslie

 

I think I feel the way about this post as other people do when they comment on my cruise ship and circus stories. Everything about being a factory worker is so foreign and strange to me that this post fascinated me. I’m not sure I’ve ever read a story about someone else’s job that held me so captive.

The rest of Leslie’s blog is pretty good too – she has a penchant for hand drawing her monthly budget updates that I find irrationally fun. I have no idea why, but I love looking at them.

The Best Mystery Shopping Companies to Work For at The Penny Hoarder

 

Shortly after learning what the heck a side hustles was from J Money, I became a little obsessed with them. One of the best websites for hustling is The Penny Hoarder and his article on mystery shopping is, hands down, the best initial primer out there.

I’d heard about mystery shopping years ago but it always sounded very vague to me and I couldn’t get clear answers on how you do it. The companies recommended in this article are legit. I’ve since genericpropeciabuyonline.com gone on to work for several other companies who pay a lot more, but all of them require mystery shopping experience – which you get from these companies. They may only pay you $5-$15 a pop, but it also comes with a lot of free food and trinkets. If you live in a big city and can fit the shops into your lunch hour or commute, it’s totally worth it. I’ve since gone on to make as much as $75 a shop and I know there are even higher paying companies above the ones I work for now.

But I wouldn’t’ve known any of that without starting at this article.

Elefun Dress Vol. 2! at Refashionista

So, let it be known that I also have a fondness for elephants.

And people with incredible skills.

No website has ever made me want to bust my sewing machine out of the closet at my parents house, spend hours remembering how to rethread it and use it to sew something other than curtains.

Jillian is insane. And I’m pretty sure she’s actually a magician. Or a wizard. Or something.

She takes thrift store rejects and turns them into adorable outfits that look like they should be selling at Francesca’s or ModCloth.

So while not really personal finance related – the girl is the queen of frugal fashion.

Also, she is always having fun! How does she have to many places to wear all these outfits to?

Reader Stories: From side hustle to Full time: When it’s time to go all-in at Get Rich Slowly

 

Get Rich Slowly was another one of the first websites I started reading in the #pf blogosphere, although I moved past it pretty quickly. Nonetheless, stories about how to switch from side hustles to full time are some of my favorite. I’m not sure if it’s something I’d ever really want to do, but the freedom… I’m a little jealous of the freedom.

Lies. I’m a lot jealous.

Dealing with Setback at Budget and the Beach

 

So this is a very recent one, but it immediately made an impression on me. To not sugar coat it, 29 was hands down the worst year of my life. I’m still waiting to see if 30 manages to turn it around.

Sometimes just knowing you are not alone is helpful, but Tonya’s simple list of things to do when life is trying to knock out your teeth is so easy to forget when you’re overwhelmed and resonated really deeply with me.

In Which I Have a Long Run with a Show at Headset Chatter

 

I could sum this up with – one of the very few stage management blogs I’ve ever found.

Fortunately, Karen’s also got tons of great advice, tales from the trenches and reviews. It’s definitely a fun read and great resource for any stage manager (or anyone interested in stage managing – although be warned, she does go pretty technical, so if you just vaguely wonder what a stage manager does, this blog might not interest you). Also, she’s pretty much living me dream… other than the sheer terror of making a living as a freelancer.

I love Headset Chatter – my only complaint is she doesn’t update often enough.

Little Miss Money’s 2014 Resolutions at Fit is the New Poor (although they are Debbie from The Pursuit of Riches’ resolutions)

 

Debbie is a pretty amazing person with crazy, fun loving attitude that is infused in her blog. What I loved about her resolutions was that they were frugal and fun and tried to make the world a little better.

Also, I freaking loved the Post-It notes. I kept an eye out in my NYC travels for months for subway Post-It’s a la Debbie and never found any, but I’m sure they brightened other people’s day.

One of the coolest things about her resolutions is that she blogs on her site every day to keep you updated on them – and her other frugal and money making habits.

I’m also rooting for her fall in love resolution. Because maybe part of falling in love is just deciding to do it? I have no idea. It’s never been one of my strengths.

What posts have stayed with you?