30 Financial Tasks to Do In April

I like check off lists. They help me get organized and ensure that I complete everything that needs to get done (my memory isn't what it used to be!). Here's a daily financial task list for the month of April...

1. Check your credit report at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.
2. Open a (free) separate savings account for a major goal (like a family vacation).
3. Have a garage sale.
4. Have a no spend day (don't spend a single cent today).
5. Call all of your creditors/utilities/other bills and find a way to reduce each bill (ie: reduce the interest rate on your credit card, choose a cheaper cable package, etc).
6. Do one week's worth of grocery shopping buying only loss leaders and sale items.
7. Review all of your insurance policies and make sure they still fit your needs.
8. Sell something on eBay or Craigslist.
9. Eat all meals at home/from home for the next week.
10. Cut up all of your credit cards and cancel them.
11. Earn some extra money to put towards a debt (check Craigslist Gigs, sell blood, etc).
12. Make sure your Will, Living Will, and Medical Power of Attorney are all up to date.
13. Cancel something (a gym membership, the newspaper, a web hosting contract that you don't need, etc).
14. Check your last bank statement. If your bank charges you a fee to have your account, find a bank that offers free checking/savings accounts and switch.
15. Mail your tax return.
16. Devise a low cost/no cost side business you can start to earn extra cash (even if it is just a blog with some Adsense ads on it).
17. Watch a Dave Ramsey show on Fox Business channel or listen to his streaming radio show at his website.
18. Check your emergency fund. Is it at a minimum of $1,000? If not, get the money to fill it up ASAP.
19. Spend an hour or two reading good financial blogs such as Dollar Stretcher, Enemy of Debt, Man vs Debt, Frugal for Life, or Lazy Man and Money.
20. Entertain the family at home. Watch movies, play board games, build a fort in the yard, etc.
21. Enjoy free offerings in your community (the library, the park, free night at the museum, concerts on the pier, etc).
22. Clean the house from top to bottom. Minimize your stuff. And put the stuff you no longer/want need in a box to get ready for next month's garage sale or next week's clothing swap.
23. Go out and exercise for free. Walk around the neighborhood, do a day hike in a nearby forest, etc.
24. Organize a clothing swap with friends/neighbors who are similar in size to you and your kids.
25. Volunteer with the family at a soup kitchen, nursing home, etc.
26. Plan this summer's vacation with the family (also plan ways to make this a cash-only event).
27. Check around for free stuff for your home (fire departments sometimes provide free smoke alarms, utility companies sometimes offer free shower heads, the health district sometimes offers free safety items for your home, etc).
28. Get or give something on Freecycle.
29. Find someone to be your debt-free partner and help each other to get out of debt by planning together, offering encouragement to each other, etc.
30. Treat yourself and your family with a special dessert night (bake from scratch or have a homemade banana split blow out).