With the low interest rates available and the challenge of many women to manage their family finances, their business finances, and the changing needs of family - from children going to college to elderly parents needing care, we're finding a great need for education and self-awareness about personal finance options.

A great place to get started learning about finances is Investopedia. You can also learn about personal journeys through blogs like I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Millionaire Mommy Next Door, or Get Rich Slowly.

The beginning of the year is a great time to get organized and review (or start) your savings plan.

Money expert Clark Howard's "Living Large in Lean Times" is a resource with 250+ tips on how to save money and spend wisely during these challenging times. In his "Improve your Personal Finances in One Week" challenge, he recommends you do the following:

1) Switch to internet-based phone service.
Many have ditched their land-line entirely, and as long as you have an internet connection, you can get good service from a provider like Ooma.com.

2) Get your prescription eyeglasses online.
For as little as $7 per pair, you can find prescription sunglasses and regular glasses through the ZenniOptical service.

I'm a big fan of monitoring your success "by the numbers," meaning finding a number and tracking that over time, to get a sense of how your project is going.

For example, in a business, you could track income and expenses per month (your profit and loss statement) as well as your balance sheet (how much the company is worth at any given moment). In a household, consider tracking how much is being spent on specific items such as food (groceries and meals out), housing (mortgage or rent), taxes (local, state, and federal), transportation (bus or train fare, gas costs), entertainment (outings, films, events), and/or school expenses/tuition.