You know your finances could use some serious TLC, but you’ve been putting it off… and off… and off.
When you finally do sit down to think about it, you immediately become overwhelmed. Which goal do you attack first? You need a budget, a savings plan, a debt repayment strategy, a better credit score, a plan for retirement, and… oh, you’re running away again, aren’t you?
Calm down, and come back. To tackle big goals, you have to start small.
Here are a few simple steps you can take today to get your finances under control and start working toward a healthier financial future.
The first step we recommend for organizing your finances and boosting savings is opening a separate bank account.
Operating everything out of one checking account can make your finances muddy and contribute undue stress to your money management.
To simplify, open a second account for a dedicated purpose. One of our favorites is Aspiration’s Summit Checking Account — there are no fees and you’ll earn up to 100 times the interest rate of other banks.
This online-only checking account comes with a debit card and free ATMs, so you can easily access your money when you need it.
After you open your Summit Checking Account, use it to split your income:
Automatically deposit a portion of your income into your existing bank account, and use that to cover basic expenses like rent and bills.
Deposit what’s left into your Summit Account to use for fun stuff, like eating out, shopping or going on vacation.
We’re at no loss for smart ways to earn extra money without doing extra work, but here’s one you can actually start right now.
Sign up for the websites below on your smartphone, and earn start earning extra money every month — up to $600 per year!
Vip Voice: This website will reward you for participating in focus groups on food, politics, movies and more. After you join VIP Voice and take a few surveys, look out for a special survey that offers a $25 reward.
InboxDollars: These folks will pay you up to $225/month to watch videos online! This works because the videos are sponsored by brands who need to get them in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Every time you watch one of their ads, they’ll credit your account with cash. Plus, they give you $5 for free just for signing up.
Paribus: It turns out that deleting your emails could be costing you serious money. Intrigued? My new secret weapon is called Paribus — a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. Once you sign up, they will scan your email archives for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from Amazon, Target or one of the other 16 retailers listed on their website, it will track the item’s price and issue you a refund anytime there’s a price drop! It also checks the tracking info for your online orders. If something shows up late, Paribus will help you get money back for what you paid for shipping — up to a full shipping refund. You don’t have to do anything!
Nielsen Panel – If you have a PC or laptop, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50/year to keep this software on your computer and browse the web like you normally do.
This step could substantially lower payments you’re already making on your debt and help you save more money each month.
Most of us are being crushed by credit card interest rates that are north of 20%. If you’re in the same boat, it might be worth seeing if you can consolidate and refinance your debt.
A good resource is consumer financial technology platform Even Financial, which can help match you with the right personal loan to meet your needs. It can help you borrow up to $50,000 (with no collateral needed) and compare interest rates from several lenders. Rates start at 4.99% and repayment plans range from 24-84 months.
If you do decide to consolidate your credit card debt, be sure you don’t close your old accounts. A huge part of your credit score revolves around the length of your credit history and closing active accounts can definitely hurt it.
Are you still paying for Netflix, even though you use your roommate’s account now? Or paying for Spotify Premium — but always using Pandora instead?
You’d be surprised how easily those recurring expenses can slip your mind! They can add up and eat away at your bottom line throughout the year.
You can use the new (free) iOS app Clarity Money to find your forgotten subscriptions and cancel them.
The app can help you cut spending other ways, too, by negotiating with your service providers to lower your monthly bills. Plus, it tracks your spending, so you’ll see what habits might be blowing your budget.
With your expenses under control, the app also lets you set up an automated savings account, to set aside a few dollars every week or month toward your savings goals.
To connect your accounts and find your wasteful expenses this week, download Clarity Money for iOS.
Clear your shelves of unused video games, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays, and sell them on Decluttr.
Do you really need to hold onto your dusty copy of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” for another year?
Decluttr is a lot easier than selling direct through an online marketplace. You can unload all your old media at once, ship to Decluttr for free and get paid cash within a day, once they accept your order. Plus, enter PENNY10 at checkout to get an extra 10% for your trade-ins!
Similarly, get rid of old college textbooks and earn extra money using Bookscouter.
BookScouter helps you find the best-paying and most reputable textbook buyback companies online. Just type your book’s ISBN into the search, and you’ll see which companies will offer you the most for it.
Most buyback companies offer prepaid shipping, so you won’t have to worry about that. And you can choose how you’ll be paid, usually via PayPal.
For virtually anything, you can use letgo. This intuitive app lets you snap a photo and upload your item in less than 30 seconds. Not only does it remove a lot of the hassle of selling things online, it’s also 100% free to use.
I’m kind of obsessed with Stash (and not just because they give you $5 for signing up).
Stash is an app available for both Android and Apple smartphones, and it makes it super simple to (finally) take the dive into investing, even if you don’t have a whole lot of spare cash.
To get the $5 bonus, just enter your email here, download the Stash smartphone app and setup your account with the same email address. Within two business days you’ll see the bonus added to your account.
Want the guidance of a financial adviser, without the cost?
An app called Wela helps you manage your money for free. And its digital adviser offers suggestions to help you make smarter financial moves and grow your money.
Once you sign up and link up your bank accounts, you can see your entire financial profile in one place.
The app caters its advice to your situation, just like a real advisor. So whether you’re just starting to think about the smartest place for your money or you need help with the financial needs of a successful career and growing family, you’ll get the guidance you need.
We just learned about this new app, so we haven’t had a chance to test-drive it on our own finances. But when we heard about it, we realized it offers the kind of simple financial guidance we love — so we had to add it to this list!
To get started with Wela, you can sign up for free here.
Direct consolidation loans can help people repay student debt. Photobuay/Getty Images
Now that you know that little three-digit number assigned to your name, you probably want to try to bump it up, right?
Start by taking a long, hard look at your debt. (But not too long.) Then resolve to pay it off.
But you don’t necessarily need to rehash all the numbers and create a detailed timeline. An app called Qoins can help you get debt-free without really thinking about it.
After connecting your accounts and choosing the credit cards or loans you want to pay off, you’ll just go about spending money (smartly) as you always do.
Qoins uses a round-up feature, so for each purchase you make, it rounds up to the nearest dollar. That spare change automatically goes toward making extra payments on your debt each month. Users report saving an average $50 per month to put toward their debts.
Even better: If you download the app now, you’ll bank an extra $3. Every little bit counts, right?
I know, I know. None of us want to do this.
But did you know that 25% of Americans have an error on their credit report that is likely bringing down their score? And those poor scores can hinder every part of your financial wellness…
Banks and credit card companies aren’t the only ones that look at your credit score. I’ve had to authorize a credit check whenever I want to move into a new apartment, rent a car with my debit card and buy a new phone.
So, pour yourself a glass of wine and check your credit score for free on a free site like FreeCreditReport.com. This way you can find out if you have any negative marks on it before you’re trying to make a major life move.
Got a 401(k) but haven’t checked on it in a while? Honestly, you could be missing out on opportunities.
Rather than seeking out an investment advisor and forking over hundreds of dollars, opt for a robo-advisor like Blooom.
The online-only tool helps manage your 401(k) for you because, chances are, it can probably be doing a lot more for you and your retirement.
You don’t even have to move your account; you just connect it to Blooom, and the company’s professionals will start managing it for you. You’ll even find out if you’ve been paying tons of hidden fees.
Your first month is free if you sign up through this link. The service is $10 a month after that, and you can cancel anytime.
