SEVEN DAY PLAN FOR A GREAT NEW YEAR!

Welcome to the quiet week - that week between Christmas and New Year when everything seems to slow down after the madness and you wonder where everyone's gone.

So are you going to just veg out and wait for things to happen again, or are you going to use this lovely, empty week to make yourself some easy tax-free money?

Click on my video below (where the picture is) to find out what we suggest you do each day to get ahead of yourself and get that cash in - or rather, stop it leaking out.

Because when I say you can 'make' money, I really mean you can save it without effort just by making a few tweaks each day this week. If you think about it, saving an extra £100 a month is better than making an extra £100 a month because you don't have to pay tax on money you've saved.

SO...

...here's what we suggest you do each day...watch my video and read our ideas then GET YOURSELF SORTED. Now is a fantastic time to do it! 

DAY 1 (TODAY): MAKE THE MOST MONEY WITH YOUR SAVINGS AND CURRENT ACCOUNTS

Savings accounts are (slowly) picking up and it is actually worth looking at the rates again and switching to better deals.  So take a look at the savings rates on offer here and switch to something that will make you more money!

Also, there are even better rates being offered in current accounts - some are offering more on your savings than savings accounts. Go figure! It's worth moving your current account now as it's easier, quicker and safer than ever before. 

Find a MUCH better current account here.

DAY 2 (FRIDAY 27TH): MAKE THOUSANDS ON YOUR INVESTMENTS

Really? Make thousands? Long-term yes, actually. Over time your investments should be making you thousands and thousands while you sleep, so even if the thought of digging out those letters from your pension company and statements from your fund managers makes you tired, today is the day to look at them and get them in order.

So start with your pension statements. Boring but necessary. If you don't think your personal pension is making enough, open a different one. We like Stakeholder pensions because they're cheap and easy and SiPPs (Self-invested Personal Pensions) because you get to run them yourself. 

Get free guides on pensions, investments and planning your future here.

Then your investments. Have you used your ISA allowance yet this year? If not, we think you should open a stocks and shares ISA rather than a Cash ISA.

Still, if you'd like to put money in a Cash ISA, find out the best rates here and get the money in now so that you can make the most of the three months left of this tax year.

Once you've found all your paperwork to do with your savings, pensions and investments, why not get a list together of what money you've got where? You could do it long-hand on a piece of paper or create a simple Excel spreadsheet which you update once a year just to keep tabs on how much money you've got and where it is. It just keeps you in control, which is the name of the game!

DAY 3 (SATURDAY 28TH): SAVE HUNDREDS ON YOUR INSURANCES

Yawn...insurance. Oh dear, this is the one we are least likely to want to tackle. It all looks so dull! But that's what the insurance companies bank on. They make it all so dull that we can't bear to think about it. But this is where you can save serious money just by switching.

So....start with your car insurance. There's serious competition in that market and you should be able to save at least £100...more likely a lot more...just by switching.

Then there's your home insurance - again, there's a lot of competition here so play hardball with the insurers. Don't underestimate the value of your goods, though. Clothes, bedding, furniture all adds up. How much would it all cost to replace?

DAY 4 (SUNDAY 29TH): SWITCH TO THE CHEAPEST GAS, ELECTRICITY AND PHONE

If, like me, you've been putting this off for months (yes, I know, I've been telling everyone else to do it and haven't done it myself!), then NOW is the time to get better rates - ideally a fixed rate - on your gas and electricity. 

While you're at it, look at these great money-saving and energy-saving gadgets to cut your bills down even further

DAY 5 (MONDAY 30TH): BE A MONEY MAVEN...DO A BUDGET!

Yes it sounds dull but, seriously, doing a budget is probably the most important thing you can do to build up your wealth. Knowing what money is coming in and going out gives you control over your cash and helps you get on top of things.

You can do a budget on the back of an envelope if you like (just do two columns, one for outgoings and one for incomings each month). But it's easier and more accurate if you fill in an online calculator like our one here. 

So get your bank statements out and any receipts you can find and go fill in that budget!

The American money expert Suze Orman says "if you have debt I'm willing to bet that general clutter is a problem for you too."

She has a point. Getting your money sorted and getting your 'stuff' sorted go hand-in-hand. So use this time to open those cupboards and drawers that haven't been cleared for years. Fill up boxes and bags of things you don't want: some to go to the charity shop and some to sell at a car boot sale.

You might find that you need better things to store the stuff you're keeping too. If so, we've found some nice, cheap storage solutions here.

DAY 7 (NEW YEAR'S DAY): ENJOY SIMPLE PLEASURES...YOU'VE EARNED IT!

• If the weather's fine take a walk in the country, create a bonfire in the garden or on a wild stretch of the beach and bake potatoes in it.
• Splash out and have high tea in a country house hotel.
• Go see a West End show for a tenner by booking here.
• Get some mates round and spend an evening playing games like Charades and Monopoly.
• Stay in, lie on the sofa, open a box of chocs and read a book all day. You deserve it!

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