Help with privacy if you have the time

I haven’t put on my tinfoil hat just yet, but I do, however, feel a very strong urge to protect my privacy as far as possible. I do possess some basic software and computer knowledge, but I would like to have some help. I don’t expect government fascist breaking down my door anytime soon, but I do want to protect my privacy never the less.

So if there are any hackers or regular people with good advice, please post those or send me an email. Basically want I want is to hide my IP (which I know how to do) – but without effecting performance to much, I want to be able to avoid most government and agencies traps, I don’t want to much spyware and such attacking me. I don’t want any police being able to track my movements or follow my every step from site to site. This is not so I can roam around looking for kiddy porn or build bombs, I just want to be able to have my own private sphere without worrying who (government) might be watching.

And as I have said before, I have no problem with people actually hacking into my computer, regular Joes that is just nosey; please go ahead, I have nothing to hide. Just don’t destroy anything or use my “fingerprints” to do crimes.

Please give me links, advice and help out in any way you can.