With all of this snow we’re having here in Boston, we’re all thinking of warmer places. But have you saved up for a sunny vacation or are you wishing that you had? Getting financially organized can seem like a daunting task on your To Do list but it doesn’t have to be. We’re here to help you organize your finances by using our favorite financial app – Mint & Mint Bills!

Here are 4 steps to get your finances organized in Mint:

1. Create free Mint & Mint Bills accounts (you can use the same login information for both) and download the apps on your smartphone. Mint lets you see all your finances in one place, from money and budgeting, to customized tips and more. Mint Bills keeps all of your bills together and paid on time, so you never stress about missing a bill again. Then add each of your online financial accounts to Mint & Mint Bills.

2. Create customized budgets so that you’re aware of how much you have actually spent on dining out, shopping, etc. Here are some of the categories that most of our clients use- Home, Groceries, Dining Out, Transportation, Health & Fitness, Personal Care, Pets, Entertainment, Shopping and Gifts. Mint auto-detects which categories your purchases fall into but it doesn’t always get it exactly right so it’s good to double review your transactions once a week.

3. Use Mint Bills to view and pay all of your bills and say goodbye to late fees and penalties. They will let you know what bills are due, what’s coming up or if funds are low in your accounts. Schedule your payments through Mint Bills and even in your personal calendar as a back up (you can set it up as a recurring event to remind you on the same day each month). A combination of both auto pay and scheduling is a great safeguard to be sure you’re making your monthly payments on time.

4. Check your FICO score for FREE through Mint.com right here (no credit card required…ever!). Plus, you will also receive a free credit report summary that helps you understand the factors impacting your score so you can learn how to improve it and check for identity theft.

Mint will give you a clear view of your entire financial life in one place so that you know whether you can afford to get out of town before the next snowstorm! Keep an eye out for our next post about planning that vacation you’ve been saving up for. We’ll share tips on how to organize and plan for your next trip.