Week-by-week guide to getting your financial life in order

If your finances were a mess in 2014, now is the perfect time to get a fresh start. Organizing your finances probably ranks No. 4,832 on the list of things you like to do; it’s overwhelming, confusing, stressful and — to be frank — boring. It’s no wonder 71 percent of financial New Year’s resolutions failed last year, according to Fidelity Investments.

Instead of making a financial resolution you won’t keep (again), follow this easy week-by-week guide to getting your financial life in order. Make 2015 the year you finally get it together.

January: Get Organized

Week 1: Order a copy of your free yearly credit report from Experian. You get a free yearly report from each of the three major credit bureaus, but it’s advised to space them out every four months so you can keep a closer eye on your credit.

Week 2: Create a budget, but don’t over think it too much. You’re not locked into a budget and it’s advisable to make adjustments each month so that your budget truly meets your needs. You can sign up for a free budgeting tool like Mint, Level Money or Personal Capital.

Week 3: Automate your bill payments. This is the easiest way to stay organized, maintain healthy credit and get your bills paid on time.

Week 4: Automate your savings account contributions and start building an emergency fund. Making your savings plan mindless will help you reach your savings goals quickly and painlessly. Set this up to occur each month and pay yourself first to make saving a priority.

February: Create a Debt Repayment Plan

Week 1: Make a master list of your debts and put them in order of priority. Some people like to prioritize their debts using the snowball method or the avalanche method. Here is an article that explains the pros and cons of each.

Week 2: Use a debt repayment calculator to devise a plan to pay down your debt.

Week 3: Automate your debt repayment plan. Just like your automatic bill payments and savings contributions, automating these payments is the best way to ensure they’re made on time.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

March: Prepare for the Future

Week 1: Set a date to file your own 2014 taxes or make an appointment to meet with a CPA who can file them for you (the IRS tax filing deadline is Wednesday, April 15, 2015).

Week 2: Set up an automatic transfer to a retirement plan, like an IRA. Do you see a theme here? Automate everything.

Week 3: Rebalance your retirement accounts and investments. This will boost returns and reduce risk. You can do this yourself or ask your plan administrator for assistance.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

April: Negotiate a Better Deal

Week 1: Call for a discount on your insurance rates: car, renters and homeowners.

Week 2: Negotiate a better rate on your utilities: cable, cell phone and internet.

Week 3: Cancel any subscriptions and memberships you no longer use: music and video streaming, magazines, gym, etc.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

May: Go Paperless

Week 1: Order a copy of your free yearly credit report from TransUnion.

Week 2: Scan and download all tax year 2014 documents, including bills and receipts. Shred the paper and save the documents to an external hard drive or secured cloud storage. Here’s a guide of what to shred and what to keep.

Week 3: Cancel your paper statements and opt for electronic delivery instead.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

June: Declutter

Week 1: Clean out all your closets, shelves and drawers.

Week 2: Clean out everything from any rented storage spaces; make a commitment to live with less.

Week 3: Host a garage sale and donate any leftover items to a local charity.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

July: Kick Your Savings Up a Notch

Week 1: Conduct a mid-year tax checkup. Get your bills, receipts and records up to date and organized.

Week 2: Increase your automatic savings contribution by 5 percent, or what you can reasonably afford.

Week 3: Increase your retirement savings contribution by 5 percent, or what you can reasonably afford.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

August: Take Some Time Off

Week 1: Plan a staycation.

Week 2: Host a potluck dinner party.

Week 3: Finish a book you’ve been meaning to read.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

September: Plan for the Holidays

Week 1: Order a copy of your free yearly credit report from Equifax.

Week 2: Make a holiday spending budget.

Week 3: Automatically aside a specific dollar amount for the next 10 weeks to meet your holiday savings goal by the end of November.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

October: Reduce Your Grocery Bill

Week 1: Plan a week’s worth of meals and commit to eating every work-night meal at home for the month.

Week 2: Sign up to receive coupon alerts from your favorite stores. Try sites like CouponAlert.com or MyGroceryDeals.com

Week 3: Make a grocery list before every shopping trip and stick to it — don’t stray from the list.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

November: Take Control of Your Career Path

Week 1: Update your résumé and LinkedIn profile.

Week 2: Prepare for your annual review with a list of accomplishments and goals for the year. If your company doesn’t typically offer a year-end review, ask for one.

Week 3: Negotiate a raise, ask for a track to promotion or start looking for a higher paying job. The end of the year is the perfect time to think about your career goals for the new year. Here are some tips on how to negotiate a raise.

Week 4: Review last month’s budget and make adjustments as needed.

December: Get Ready for Next Year

Week 1: Conduct a year-end financial overview. How much debt did you pay down? How much money did you save?

Week 2: Set one or two new financial goals for next year.

Week 3: Take advantage of any last-minute tax deductions.

Week 4: Rest — you deserve it!