Like most people, your life is likely a whirlwind of activities from work to family to leisure, which means even crucial aspects of managing your money and credit can get sidelined. When this happens, you might incur extra fees on some accounts, lose track of spending, and find you don’t have enough for everything you want or need.

What’s the solution? Set up—and nearly forget—as many financial tasks as possible. Here are seven financial tasks to automate now.

1. Bill Payments

Take full advantage of the free online bill pay systems offered by nearly all banks and credit unions. Simply add all your regular bills, from mortgage to mobile payments, into their online bill pay service. It’s a quick and simple setup process. Once done, the bank will deduct the appropriate amount from your checking or savings account on your chosen date and send it to the payee.

This is particularly useful for credit cards, helping you avoid late fees, accumulating interest, and credit damage. You have options. You can set up bill pay through your bank account, so a fixed amount is credited to your balance each month. Or, establish it with your credit card issuer to pay the minimum, a fixed amount, or the full statement balance.

2. Start and Increase Savings

If you receive an employer-sponsored retirement plan, like a 401(k) or 403(b), you already appreciate the benefits of diverting money into savings before you have a chance to spend it. Apply the same principle to personal savings. Don’t count on having enough cash after expenses; set up an automatic transfer to your savings account so it becomes the first “expense” paid from your salary.

Several ways to automate savings include:

• Direct deposit. Arrange with your employer to have a fixed amount or percentage of your wage deposited into a savings account.
• Savings apps. There are numerous financial apps on the market, nearly all of which offer free versions. One such app is Guac, designed to help you save effortlessly by automatically allocating funds towards your goals when synced to your bank.
• Round-up programs. Many financial institutions offer systems to help you save when using your debit card. For example, with Bank of America’s “Keep the Change” program, purchases are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the difference is transferred from your checking to your (or your child’s) savings account.

3. Monitor Your Credit Card Activity

You know you should scrutinize your monthly credit card statements to track your activity and spot potential errors or fraud. However, you might dislike this task and thus procrastinate or forget. Simplify this by registering for mobile credit card alerts from your issuer.

Upon registration, you’ll receive instant notifications based on the types of information you desire. For example, you might get a text or email after each charge and an updated balance, or alerts for when the next payment is due or if charges exceed a certain amount. With registration, you’ll get all this information effortlessly.

4. Invest Your Funds

Setting aside cash for vacations and emergencies is one thing, but having your money work for you generating long-term investment returns is another. While entering the stock market can involve many complex decisions, you can use automation to reduce much of the legwork.

5. Stick to a Budget

There are several ways to automate your spending to stay within budget. The cash envelope system is a classic low-tech option, where you decide the amount to spend in certain categories. Then, you simply place cash in envelopes. For instance, you might put $200fordiningoutor$500 for monthly groceries in envelopes, using them as needed. When an envelope is empty, you stop spending in that category until it’s time to refill. However, this method has drawbacks, including the effort to keep up with envelopes and the risk of carrying cash. Instead, apps like GoodBudget automate this process, allowing you to create virtual envelopes for budget categories and spend according to those allocations seamlessly.

6. Track Your Credit Report and Score

Regularly checking your credit report is advised if you’re curious about how businesses view your credit and debt activities. The information in these reports is used to compile your credit score, which affects your ability to secure the best credit products.

7. Look for the Lowest Prices

It’s wise to buy what you want at the best prices, but checking multiple websites for price comparisons can be time-consuming.

The good news is that finding deals doesn’t have to be laborious. Free shopping browser extensions can do much of the work for you. Once installed, the browser searches the internet, finding and applying coupon codes and cash-back offers at checkout.

Maintain Personal Oversight

Even if you’ve automated your personal financial activities and decisions, it’s wise to periodically involve yourself directly. Try not to over-rely on technology to stay on track. These are tools you can use, but you also need to ensure they work in your favor.