A few days ago, I noted that handling your personal finances responsibly and effectively was relative simple.  I also drew the distinction between simplicity in ease.  Basically, I maintain that the core principles to which one should ascribe in order to do well financially are simple, but the actual implementation of those ideas can be very difficult.

The main reason for that difficulty is that they often require us to change the way we think about money and our lives.  Implementing the basics of good personal finance requires breaking bad habits, developing new ones and remaining disciplined over the long haul.  That might be a lot of things, but easy isn’t among them.

That’s a common theme for me.  I’ve mentioned that I appreciate Dave Ramsey’s efforts at putting people on the right financial track because he has a real knack for coming up with approaches that address the psychological aspects of money management.  

In that same spirit, here are a few interesting items you might want to put on your personal finance reading list if you’re looking for a way to make the implementation of simple ideas a little easier.  I don’t think any of these readings will single-handedly usher in an epiphany that will suddenly put you on the fast track to financial success.  All of them, however, contain some solid actionable information that will help you improve your relationship with money.

Remez Sasson’s Affirmations.  Remez Sasson recognizes that our attitudes toward money are often rooted in our pasts and that those attitudes can be a barrier to success.  Even if you’re not a believer/practitioner in affirmations, this blog post is a great way to start directing your thoughts toward money management in a positive, productive direction.

Debt Fighter’s Signs You Have a Bad Attitude about Money.  The first sentence echoes my sentiments:  ”When it comes to your finances or anything related to finance, it’s all about the attitude.”  This post is a gem, listing several traits that indicate a need for a mindset shift.  If you have any question about your outlook and predisposition toward money, read through this list.

NDSU’s Financial Values, Attitudes and Goals.  Family Economic Specialist Debra Pankow put together a nifty worksheet that can help you to explore where your priorities regarding money really are.  Exercises like these can be eye-opening.  You might learn a few things about what’s holding you back and a few ways to start making more progress.  (On a personal note, I’m happy to include something from a state Extension office on this list.  I’m a former employee of a state Cooperative Extension office and I really believe in Extension’s potential.)

Dollar Stretcher’s For the Love of Money.  Jill Cooper penned this piece about the way many people develop destructive relationships with money.  She poses some good questions for readers to ponder.  I wholeheartedly agree with her alternative to comfort spending and similar bad habits:  ”Whenever you have any problem, especially if it is a problem that keeps cropping up in the same way over and over, decide whether it is an emotional, physical or spiritual problem and then find a solution that is emotional, physical or spiritual.”  If we all truly embraced that concept, we’d all be much better off in every sense, don’t you think?

Readings like these may not suddenly make smart money management easy.  They will, however, give you a chance at improving your outlook and at breaking some of the habits that make it so tough for some of us to implement very simple core personal finance principles.