If getting your finances organized and learning how to manage money better was simple, then we would all be debt free or pretty close to it. Preparing for a stable financial future takes hard work and dedication, but it also calls for the right tools.

While it is never a bad idea to meet with an accountant, there are plenty of other cost effective ways to stay on top of your assets and expenses. Here are a couple of simple ways to manage money that I use every day to keep my spending in order.

Digitize Your Financial Documents – All of Them

I have an uncanny ability to misplace receipts and bills. One minute they’re in my pocket or padfolio and the next they are off in some other universe. This is terrible for my money management, especially if I pay for something in cash.

The best remedy I have found for this problem is digitization.

Scanners are a great option if you have the patience and don’t think you’ll have trouble keeping up with your receipts until you get back to your office. Lots of companies make very reliable scanners which are more than capable of handling the job of digitizing your receipts, bills and invoices. Most of them are even quite affordable as well.

Once you have scanned the documents and made sure that the extracted information is correct, the possibilities are endless. You can enter the data into spreadsheets to make budget graphs, generate monthly expense reports and even track the money you saved by using coupons. You can also categorize your spending so you know which credit cards you use the most often and how much it is costing you in interest. I also find this useful for tax season because I can enter all the data into the virtual accounting programs I use absolutely free. All of the data is searchable too, which makes it extremely easy to find specific purchases.

Even if you can only budget an hour or two per week to scanning your documents, it is well worth the effort considering your receipts are safe and you won’t have to spend time looking for lost ones. When using a scanner though, it is important to make sure that your scanned images are stored in the cloud and not just on your desktop. Local computers should never be the only place where you store your financial information.

Another good and often overlooked part of digitization is how helpful it can be for storing warranties. Warranties help you to keep more money in your pocket because they protect you from the diminishing value of the products you buy. Making sure that your warranties are accessible in the cloud means you will always know what maintenance and repairs are covered by the manufacturer and it will keep you from getting stuck paying for them yourself.

If you’re not the type of person who can keep up with receipts long enough to scan them, then it is a good idea to take pictures of them with your smartphone. While this sounds primitive, many smartphones allow you to email pictures to yourself which will archive the image in the cloud. Once you’re home you can extract the data and save the receipt image with your others. Did you know that the IRS accepts receipt images, even if you took it with your phone? Pretty cool right?

Track Your Card Spending

Although you should make an effort to keep up with receipts from all your transactions, the best thing about using a debit or credit card is that transactions are tracked online. Learning to take advantage of the online banking applications available to you is key to learning how to manage money better.

While not all banks are the same, many online banking features allow you to set up budgets, categorize your expenses, track debits/credits, set spending limits and they can even send automated alerts to your cellphone if your finances are running low. These applications can also be integrated with your savings accounts so you can really get an accurate snapshot of your finances.

Figuring out how to manage money better takes practice, but it is certainly an attainable goal. Using document scanners and online banking tools can help you stick to your budget while also eliminating the unnecessary time of sifting through piles of receipts.