8 Steps to Declutter and Simplify Your Finances

The average person receives 560 pieces of junk mail each year, or about 1.5 per day. A great way to minimize the clutter is to stop junk mail and opt out of pre-screened credit offers, leaving you with the more important pieces of mail to deal with. From there set up a system that works for you. Some people find it easier to do batch processing, where they go through a week’s worth of bills and correspondence at one time, and others prefer to deal with it immediately. Experiment to find which method is best for you.

Opt to receive electronic statements, which has multiple benefits, including less mail to process and a lower environmental impact. Some companies will also waive fees if you go paperless. If you prefer paper statements, then get an all in one printer so you can scan the document for your records. Then shred it; reducing clutter at home.

Most online savings accounts offer free bill pay as part of their service, and it has become very common through most brick and mortar banks as well. Set up as many bills on auto pay as possible, reducing the amount of mail you send and receive, and reducing the time you spend worrying about paying bills. You can also link some payments to your credit card each month so you can take advantage of rewards points or cash back. Only use this method if you are certain you can and will pay your bill in full each month.

Just like paying bills, it is easier to invest when you don’t have to sit down and write a check or initiate an electronic funds transfer each month. Set your basic asset allocation and make automatic payments for your investments. This can often be done through work via 401k contributions or a payroll deduction. You can also do automatic transfers through many brokerages, investment houses, or other financial institutions. Be sure to go over your asset allocation every so often to maintain a balance with your investments.

Managing money is much easier when you know how much is coming and going, and where it is coming from and what you are spending it on. There are many great financial management tools including You Need a Budget, Quicken, Quicken Online, and a host of free online money management tools.

It’s not uncommon for people to have several bank accounts, but most people can get by with a local bank and an online bank for better interest rates. Many people also have multiple retirement accounts because they change jobs often. Depending on your needs, it may be a good idea to consolidate these accounts. Find a bank with high interest interest rates and nice features and park your money there. 

Access to easy credit can be convenient, but it can cause problems for some people. Reducing the number of credit cards you keep can reduce the amount of mail you receive and make it easier to manage your money. Just keep in mind that canceling a credit card can affect your credit score, so you should probably leave the oldest card open and make sure canceling any credit cards won’t make your credit utilization too high (amount of credit used vs. amount of available credit). Here are more tips about the affects of canceling a credit card.

This won’t apply to everyone, but it may be a lifesaver for some. If you are making multiple credit card and other payments each month, then you might consider reducing the number of bills you receive and need to pay each month. One way to do this is by consolidating your debt. Don’t worry, you don’t need to pay a company thousands of dollars for this because you canconsolidate your debt on your own. An easy way to consolidate your credit card debt is through a 0% balance transfer, which allows you to transfer your credit card balances to a new credit card at a 0% interest rate. There is usually a fee involved to do this, but it usually maxes out around 3-5%, which is much lower than the average credit card interest rate, which hovers around 20%. This tip can simplify your bill paying and save you money.

Simplifying and automating your finances only takes a small amount of time and effort to set up and maintain and it can save you time and money by reducing clutter and wasted energy. It’s a win-win situation.