Is there such a thing as too many carnivals? Carnival overload? Not at Control Your Cash there isn’t. It’s an endless midway of mirth here – full of the personal finance equivalents of The Zipper; the livestock show; and the kiosk serving Dippin’ Dots, The Ice Cream of the Future. In addition to our own weekly hosting of the Carnival of Wealth, this week we’ve decided to cram yet another traveling roadshow into our busy schedule. Presenting the Best of Money Carnival.

This one works a little differently than most carnivals do. As the hosts, we’re supposed to exercise some judgment with the BoMC and not just run every submission we get no matter how lame. No, the Best of Money Carnival actually rewards excellence. We peruse the submissions, cull the herd and present the 10 best for your reading pleasure. They follow. Thanks again to the incredibly organized* FMF at Free Money Finance for letting us host, and now, let the carnival begin:

10. The Family Wallet has an amazingly insightful recommendation if your income has fallen: you should…(wait for it) economize. Yep, spend less than you did before. There’s nothing in this post that isn’t glaringly obvious, but his spelling and grammar were nails. That’s good enough for a top 10 spot.

9. Joe Plemon makes a guest appearance at Christian PF, explaining 4 relatively painless ways to pay your mortgage off faster. (He left out one: make the occasional off-schedule payment and stipulate that it’s to go completely to the principal.)

8. Want to attend college and defer the productive part of your life for a few years? America needs more sociology majors. Roger the Amateur Financier explains how to secure a student loan, when to pay it back, and how to avoid paying it back. (Spoiler: you have to die or get permanently disabled.)

7. If you’re reading this in a chair, go find a bucket. Preferably one with a non-porous lining. You’re going to want one after reading this post from Flexo at Consumerism Commentary. Did you know that the Federal Reserve authorized $1.2 trillion in secret loans beyond TARP? Whatever Rick Perry wants to do to Ben Bernanke should he ever show his bearded mug down in Texas, it won’t be enough.

6. A guest poster at Experiglot has a new ruthless, demanding boss who expects him to work 10-15 hours a day for very little money. The boss is Chris Thomas, who recently decided that the best way to work down his 6-digit student loan debt was to quit his 9-to-5 gig. And you know what? We actually support him. Not financially – that’s his wife’s problem – but we give him kudos for realizing that self-determination and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand. Well, maybe just a single kudo. One tip, Chris? Pay GoDaddy so your link will work. (Still though; >$100,000 in student loans?)

5. “Extended warranty? How can I lose?” – Homer Simpson
Then there’s Jason at Live Real, Now, who explains that the extended warranty on most items is a gigantic waste of money. However, rather than just criticizing the idea of purchasing one, he suggests what you can do with the money you save.

4. We normally eschew list posts – the reality TV of blogging – and especially when they come from what looks like a link farm, but we’re willing to make an exception for Online Masters. This week Marino Dixon gives 15 legitimate ways to reduce college expenses.

3. It’s appropriate that a guy who appears to be wearing a cast on the landing page of his website would write about whether disability benefits are taxable. Neal Frankle of Wealth Pilgrim reminds us that the last thing you want to do is run afoul of the IRS, who aren’t above throwing blind and crippled tax evaders in jail. (Wait, it’s his daughter’s cast. Never mind. Optical illusion.)

2. Mike Piper calling himself “The Oblivious Investor” is like a fat guy with the nickname “Tiny”. It’s irony (in some form)! Alright, the title of the blog doesn’t necessarily pertain to its creator, but still. Mike loves to buck conventional wisdom, which is one of the reasons we dig him. This week’s butchered sacred cow is the idea that you shouldn’t withdraw more than 4% of your nest egg in the early stages of retirement.

1. Yesterday we discussed the possibility of us being one pinprick away from gold reaching bubble status. Kevin at Invest it Wisely takes that hypothesis into exciting new places today, with this heavily researched post on gold’s value throughout the years vis-a-vis that of the greenback and other major currencies. Read the comments, especially the one that predicted that this just might be the Post of the Week.

That’s it? Wow. That was easy. Every carnival should have exactly 10 entrants. Next week, the carnival touches down at Complex Search. ‘Til then.

*Seriously. Not only does he write 8 million words a week, FMF has already figured out the carnival’s hosting schedule through next May.