As I mentioned on my post over at BabyCenter this morning, the mere mention of the word finance unleashes Olympic-level procrastination in me.

In all honesty, I’d rather be Pinning healthy dinner ideas than balancing my checkbook.

But the fact is, there are lots of things that you (and I) can do in ten minutes or less to improve the overall state of your finances. And some of them are downright enjoyable! Read on for ten ideas and then try kicking that procrastination to the curb – see how many of these you can cross off of your list within the next seven days.

1. Cancel Recurring Services You No Longer Use.

We all have signed up at one time or another for a service that we eventually (or maybe never) fully used. Scour your credit card statement for any such charges and cancel them. Keep a tally of the money you save and celebrate your savings. I recently checked my bills as part of the March GetButtoned Up Challenge and found money that I was essentially throwing away on online services I didn’t really use. It wasn’t hundreds of dollars, but if I just sweep that same amount into my savings account each month, it will add up significantly over time.

2. Eliminate Unnecessary Financial Accounts.

The more complex your finances are to manage, the less likely you are to keep them buttoned up over the long haul. If you have more than one (max two) credit card accounts, consolidate them.

3. Create a Bill Pay Station.

Establish one spot in your home where you organize and pay all bills. You should have a container to hold pending bills (a colorful bin, file folder or basket is always nice) as well as a basic filing system to keep receipts and stubs organized. If you don’t have one set up, pick the spot and order the components online in one ten minute block. Then set up your filing system in the other.

4. Opt Out of Pre-Approved Card Offers.

Nobody needs more temptation on the credit card front. The consumer credit reporting companies (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian, and Innovis) are required by law to offer consumers the opportunity to take their names off of lists sold to credit card and insurance marketers. Do yourself a favor and take them up on their offer to opt-out today. Simply visit this website: listhttps://www.optoutprescreen.com/, enter your information, and you will be taken off the list for 5 years. For a more permanent solution, mail in an opt-out request – details on the same website.

5. Make a Date to Pay Bills.

In our latest book Pretty Neat, we spoke about the power of simple routines that you do on autopilot. The principle can absolutely be applied to bill paying. If you’re paying bills as they come in, you’re spending too much time on them and likely making your blood pressure higher than it needs to be. Pick two or three set days each month when none of your bills will be late and set a recurring 10 minute appointment on each day to pay all due bills.

6. Set a Recurring Appointment to Track Your Weekly Spending.

If you don’t know what you’re spending on a regular basis, you simply cannot be in control of your finances. Set up a ten-minute appointment with yourself once a week to tally up everything you have spent. Make it easier on yourself by using this free monthly spending worksheet from Buttoned Up.

7. Prepare Your Car to Capture Car Expenses.

Keep a small notebook and pen or a Receipt.catcher for your car in your glove compartment. Use it to organize receipts and keep track of gas purchases, mileage, and any repairs done on your car.

8. Set Up a Digital Hub.

The more visibility you have into your financial situation, the more you will be in control your finances, and not the other way around. We are huge fans of digital programs and services that organize your total financial picture in one spot. Mint.com happens to be Sarah’s favorite while Quicken is Alicia’s preferred program. If you don’t already have one, pick a program that easily integrates with your existing financial accounts and then take ten minutes each day until you have it completely set up.

9. Establish an Automatic Savings Sweep.

People often make the mistake of saving last, not first. Put yourself on track to save more by setting up an automatic sweep from your checking account to a savings account. Ideally set up a savings account in a non-linked account so it is harder to “raid” when you’re facing a moment of weakness. Another easy option: sign up with your employer to receive two direct deposits from your job – one for your checking account and the other for your savings account.

10. Make a Change Jar.

It’s so simple. But if you save rather than spend the change that you get each time you pay cash on something, you’ll have a nice little bucket of savings at the end of the year. Multiply that by all of the spenders in your household and you could have hundreds of dollars in coins come December. Go get an empty bell jar or tall Tupperware container, label it CHANGE, and at the end of every day, empty any loose change you have accumulated into the jar.

If we picked your house at random for an impromptu inspection of your financial filing system would we find a streamlined filing cabinet or one that was overrun with paper clutter?

Don’t feel bad if you are in the latter camp. When it comes to financial records, most of us err on the side of caution. For some reason, our fear of “what if” keeps us holding on to things like phone bills, old bank statements, and health insurance records way longer than necessary.

As it turns out, those fears are largely unfounded. Use this list to help you weed out unnecessary papers and get your financial files organized for good.

Click here to download.

Along with losing weight and getting organized, saving more money or clawing out of debt typically round out the top 3 New Year’s resolutions. As far as changes go, it’s probably the most difficult to follow through on. It takes hard work and, yes, organization. But the financial and emotional freedoms that come from not having to worry about money are worth every bit of effort.

We are often asked what are the most important things to organize when it comes to making good on New Year’s resolutions to become more financially fit. The good news is that there are only a handful that are truly crucial to success. Focus on these five and you will be well on your way.

1. Keep a Budget.

If you don’t know what your are spending money on each month, your chances of succeeding in your mission to get spending under control are slim to none. Keeping track is very easy as long as you have the tools for tracking ready as you go through your daily life. There are pen and paper tracking tools, like this free budget printable from GetButtonedUp.com and neat apps like Cashish for smart phones. Just get in the habit of jotting down every penny you spend. At the end of your first month of tracking, tally up each category. Then target areas to reduce spending. Track your spending again and see if you can hit those targets. After a bit, the entire thing becomes like a fun game. The trick is just to start. If you’re overwhelmed by the thought, use one debit card to pay for everything one month. Then download your statement and analyze to your heart’s content.

2. Eliminate Paper Bills or Organize Them in a Folder.

In this day and age, you can pay virtually every bill online. Subscribe to online statements or services like Manilla.com that enable you to organize all of your accounts and pay bills in one place. If you ever do need a copy of a bill, you can always print it out. If you are uncomfortable with paying bills online, invest in a project folder or binder with pockets that enable you to group bills by due date. Regardless of how you pay bills, schedule a time once a week and pay anything that is due.

3. Track Your Big Picture.

If you don’t have a snapshot of your total financial picture handy, you need to create one. It’s easy. Simply start a fresh spreadsheet and begin by listing your assets in column A: checking accounts, savings accounts, IRAs, cars, boats, etc. Starting in column B, across the top write the months of the year. Put the value of each asset under the current month. Do the same for your liabilities (credit cards, loans, mortgages, etc.). Don’t get discouraged if your liabilities are more than your assets. Watch the picture improve each month as you track your progress. Celebrate your progress at the end of each month.

4. Maximize Contributions to Your 401k.

Everybody needs to have a 401k and contribute to it every, single paycheck. If you are lucky enough to be employed with a company that matches, you would be crazy not to contribute the maximum amount possible to your 401k. All contributions are pretax, which means they reduce your total tax burden (because they are subtracted from your income).

5. Organize a Sweep Into Your Emergency Savings Fund.

Even if you can only afford to sweep $5 into an emergency savings account each month, having one is a must. Set one up that is NOT directly linked to your checking account (we love ING’s saving accounts as they are more difficult to take money out of). Then put in place a monthly, automatic transaction that deposits the target amount into your savings account. Once your emergency fund reaches 6 months of living expenses, start sweeping those savings into a different, long term savings or investment account.

Do you have these five areas buttoned up? If not, which of these areas do you struggle with? Ask us a question about your weak spot and we might be able to help.

Before the feeling of the New Year ebbs, jot down the items you need to save for in 2012– like, oh say, the 2012 Holidays!

I was back in Philly this morning – chatting with the amazing Lu Ann Cahn on NBC’s the 10! Show about organizing your finances. While it may be a bit too late to do much about getting organized for tax time this year, here are a few simple things you can do to get ahead of the curve for next year (and generally be more in control of your money).

View more videos at: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com.

Today is Tax Day. Take 10 minutes today to set up (if you don’t have already) a simple folder to put your tax items & receipts as you get them during the year. 10 minutes now will be worth many hours early next year.

If you find yourself getting hit with late payment fees, because you are waiting to get paid, call your credit card and have the payment date moved.

Is your New Year’s Resolution to better manage your finances?

Money matters seem to confound a lot of people. Although the math of saving is simple (more money in than out equals success), adopting any new habit can be difficult. Getting yourself organized is a critical component to managing your money well. Without a plan, you won’t get too far. That’s why we’ve designed this free printable Monthly Spending Form. It’s the easiest way we know of to keep track of where every dollar goes each month. Not too much detail, but enough to give you a clearer sense of where your dollars are going each month.

Track all of your expenses and start salting away those dollars!

Every dollar you save by spending smarter month-to-month represents ‘found money’ that can be used to buy something shiny and new today or to help you through some unknown event in the future—maybe six months from now, maybe thirty years from now. Happy saving!

Make copies of this form to use every month.

Download here.
Also, see below on ways to save.

Ways to save

If you spent more money than you earned this month, take a look at where actual spending differed significantly from your expectations. If you can figure out where the problem areas are (and why), it’s much easier to determine how to keep them from derailing you again.