By Linsey Knerl

Welcome to Wise Bread’s Best of Personal Finance roundup. This week, we’re offering encouragement for those around you with no job, a better way to buy used online, and 10 ways you can actually improve yourself with no money to your name. (Oh, and did you hear the news about Hulu.com no longer being free in 2010? Good thing you can still get a free credit report!)

Top 5 Articles of the Week

How To Get Your Free Credit Report Online: A Step-By-Step Guide — Very rarely does one post answers to about every question one could have about how to get your free credit report online (the real one, not one offered by some pay-to-play company). This post by Man Vs. Debt’s Adam Baker does it all, and check out the neato screenshots! Get Rich Slowly

Shop Goodwill Brings the Thrift Store’s Best Online — Wondering where all the good stuff is at your local Goodwill store? It may actually be waiting for you to buy it via their online website. Get all the details on this new way to shop used. LifeHacker

10 Ways to Improve Yourself While Broke — Well, it’s good to know that you don’t have to actually have any money to better yourself these days. These ten tips might make you forget that being poor can really stink (and help you to remember that “character development” is really good for you). Dumb Little Man

How You Can Help the Unemployed Today — There are so many we know who are out of work and struggling. What can we do about it? Surprisingly, a lot. These inspiring tips range from costing a few dollars to just a few minutes of your time. Mom Advice

How to Save Money for Christmas in a Short Amount of Time — Save $50 a week from now until the holiday? We are not kidding! These tips make it possible to pay only cash for this year’s gifts (and leave your credit cards in the freezer where they may be better off). Generation X Finance

Other Essential Reading

5 Steps to Follow to Make Sure You Don’t Lose Everything to the Next Bernie Madoff — If you carefully follow any one of these five steps, you’re probably better off than the many who lost their shirts (and homes) to Ponzi schemes. (Take notes.) Gather Little by Little

Stocking Up On Recession Collectibles — Not that we’re convinced that there will ever be a market for this stuff (I still remember how hot “Free O.J.” t-shirts never were), but it’s fun to browse this list of recession pop culture brick-a-brack. My fave? Merril Lynch’s 2004 Annual Report for a mere $29.95. Recession Wire

Hulu Will No Longer Be Free in 2010 — What more can you say about what may be the worst thing I’ve heard in a long time? Turning into a subscription-based service will be a kick in the teeth for many who’ve abandoned cable in lieu of totally-free online streaming content. Milk Your Money

Teach Kids Money: Tying Chores and Allowances — This eye-opening discussion of why you should offer allowance only when chores are done is something that parents have been divided on forever. I happen to follow Danny Kofke’s reasoning in my own home (more on that here). What do you say? Bargaineering

The Frugal Traveler: Road Entertainment for a Song — Looking for low to no-cost entertainment for your next long journey away from home? Consider any of these unique, useful and — most of all — cheap tips for keeping a fresh soundtrack going for the entire adventure. L.A. Times

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