(1) Mint.com - which you should know is a free money management program. I have not personally used it because I do not like disclosing all information such as account numbers, etc. I imagine with this program and others, money management requires patience. You will have to enter your account numbers, track expenses and more. There are times when you might not be in the mood; however to get the best result I would recommend you set aside a certain amount of time each week and on a specific day to do this. Sure, I know that some of you will get on there daily and what I want to say to you is this – DO what works for you. CAUTION: Do not neglect your finances and money management.  That can bite you in the end.

(2) Rudder.com - This is one that I have not heard of it. This is a free service as well. They make their money by including money-saving offers and coupons in their regula email. Also whenever one of its subscribers make a purchase they make a commission. As I was looking at this program, it almost has me interested enough to go in and give it a try. There was a feature that showed how much was left after the bills were paid.  According to their site, Your free account comes with 200 transactions worth of storage space, once you run out you can always delete old data or buy more space.

(3) Quickbooks – This is a program I have used for several years to manage our businesses. You have to purchase an initial license and it is good for a year. Renewals are not that expensive. I tend to like this program because as a home-based business owner, I have found this to be the best tool for business. It is very easy to use which is always a plus when learning something new. I generate business reports and submit them to our accountant at the beginning of each year to aid in our taxes.

(4) Moneystrands.com - Last year I had the pleasure of speaking with one of the representatives of Moneystrands by conference call. This is a free money management program as well. Requires account information. In the beginning, it will require some time to enter in all of this information. With any program you choose, make sure you are getting the most out of it. Strands can also be accessed via iPhone.  For those that will use their program daily, this is an advantage.

Money management is important to the overall financial health of any relationship. Take the time today and decide which system works best for you.

Let’s talk about the best ways to manage your money if you do not want to utilize the computer:

(1)  Checkbook – What you would do is make sure your checkbook is in balance with the bank statements, then pay your tithes and offering(If applies), pay yourself and them pay your bills. Be very disciplined when managing your money and knowing what fees are automatic deductions from all accounts. Otherwise, this will throw off your money management system.

(2) Envelope System – I remember when I first met my husband he told me that he used the envelope system. He was tracking his income and expenses via a ledger and then would place the money in an envelope for the appropriate bills which would also have a date on them when the bill was due to be paid.

Tips:

Establish a budget if you have not already.

Set goals that you can achieve. I am not saying make them so easy that it does not even present a challenge. However, it is important to not set yourself up to fail.

Track, track, track your financial pattern.

Do not be in the position in 2010 of not knowing where your money went. New Year better choices and better decisions.

If you truly want a free credit report and you cannot wait for snail mail, the only authorized site to give a free credit report is www.annualcreditreport.com . I recommend you only order one and not all three since you can only get them one time free during the year and you don’t want to get them all at once. This would keep you from being able to see how your credit is doing the remainder of the year.

I recommend you do it the old fashioned way by sending a letter in the mail. Be sure that you understand that you are not getting a credit score on this free report. In order, to get your credit score on your credit report, it is going to cost you.

I do believe that if you are in the position of cleaning up your credit, you should know what your credit report is when you start. This way after you do all the work, you can see how much it has improved.

The process should be as follows:

(1) Order the credit report from one of the major credit bureaus

(2) Once received, go through the report and decide which information is incorrect.

(3) Dispute the information that is in error in writing and attach your proof.

(4) Mail your erronenous credit report. When you mail it, be sure to include certified receipt so you can pinpoint when you should receive a response.

(5) The credit bureaus have to respond within 30 days.

(6) Once you receive the corrected credit report back, then prioritize your outstanding bills. *I recommend from lowest to highest.

(7) Pay the lowest one off first even if you have to budget it out over a couple of months. If you are paying by check or credit card, make sure you get a receipt or copy your check.

(8) Once the first one is paid off, make sure you get documentation that it is paid and keep copies of checks. Believe me this helps you in the long run.

(9) Move on to the second one and apply money that you utilized to pay the first one to also aid you in paying the second one. 

CAUTION: Do not contact all your creditors at once to pay off your debt. Take it one creditor at a time!