Automate your finances

One of my favorite sites, Lifehacker has a post about how to automate some of the things you should be doing with your money, but always seem to forget. e.g. putting money into your savings account, deducting taxes (for you independent people) etc.

For example: you've got yourself a Roth IRA, and the contribution cap is $4000 this year. That's $333 a month, so schedule a monthly transfer of $333 to your Roth. That way you don't have to scramble at the end of the year to max your contribution, and you get the benefit of a monthly deposit, which will give your money more time to grow. Make sure you never miss a credit card payment and schedule auto-bill pay to avoid late charges. If you're saving up to go on a cruise in 2008, auto transfer X bucks a month to the "Cruise" account. If you've decided you're going to save 10% of your income, set up a weekly or monthly transfer to your "Nest Egg" account. Your mortgage payment, your electric bill, the car insurance - pretty much everything can happen automatically these days. Take advantage of it!

More here.