Your budget is your financial foundation. You need it to be able to set goals and create plans for your money, as well as make informed decisions based on your situation. Without the visibility into your finances that a budget provides, the best you can do is guesswork — which is a rather risky approach.

To make budgeting easier, we recommend using a budgeting app. If you’re new to budgeting, Goodbudget can be a good option. The app uses the envelope method where “envelopes” represent spending categories you divvy up cash into. Goodbudget is free for the first 20 envelopes.

Debt repayment can be a huge undertaking. To be successful at it, you’re going to need a method. Here are a couple of popular strategies to consider:

• Snowball and debt avalanche methods. With these two strategies, you’re simply focusing on which debts to pay off first. With the avalanche method, you pay off the balances with the highest APR first to save on interest. With the snowball method, you start with the lowest balances to get quick wins and keep you motivated. Whichever one you choose, make sure to always make at least minimum payments on the rest of your balances.
• Debt consolidation: When you consolidate debt, you’re rolling multiple balances into one to have a single monthly payment and (hopefully) a lower interest rate. You can do so with a balance transfer card that allows you to move balances from other cards and pay them off with 0% interest over a promotional period. For instance, the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card offers 0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers. After that, 18.24%, 24.74% or 29.99% variable APR kicks in.

With tax day approaching, you don’t want to be scrambling to find a tax specialist a week before April 15. It’s best to book your appointment early and have your taxes done sooner rather than later — or even worse, late when the IRS will charge you penalties.

Consider automating your savings to help you stay on track with your savings goals. And make sure your emergency fund lives in a high-yield savings account. This way, your money can grow even more thanks to the interest earnings. The type of account is important here as traditional savings accounts often offer meager APY.

We recommend high-yield savings accounts such as the LendingClub High-Yield Savings. It offers one of the highest returns on your money and charges no monthly or minimum balance fees.

A sinking fund can be kept in any deposit account (like a high-yield savings account), but you can also consider a certificate of deposit (CD). A six-month term CD opened in May would mature by November, just in time to help you pay for holiday travel and gifts.

Look into banks that offer strong returns on six-month CDs. For instance, Ally Bank advertises solid yields and terms ranging from three months to five years. The CD comes with no minimum balance requirement and charges no monthly fees.

Take the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, for example. It earns 2X miles on all purchases, meaning you get rewarded for everything you buy. With double rewards, those miles will likely add up quickly. You can use them to book travel directly with Capital One Travel or to cover your recent travel purchases. Another option is to transfer your rewards to the issuer’s airline and hotel partners. On top of all that, you’ll get benefits like travel insurance, airport lounge access, expedited airport security and $400 worth of annual bonuses and credits to offset the card’s $395 annual fee.

You have a credit card that earns rewards to fund your travel. But what about the rest of your discretionary (and essential) spending?

A cash-back credit card can also be a good idea as it allows you to earn rewards where you spend the most. If groceries are a large expense for your family, for example, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is an excellent choice as it earns 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1%).

When you already have an insurance policy in place, it’s all too easy to let it renew automatically. But this is how you miss out on potential savings.

We recommend reviewing your policies once a year to make sure you’re still getting the best deal for the coverage you have. It’s also a good excuse to consider whether your coverage still meets your needs or if you want to change it.

You’re entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each credit bureau once a year — you can request them at AnnualCreditReport.com. Currently, free weekly online credit reports are also available. And for regular credit monitoring, you can sign up for a free service such as Experian Dark Web Scan + Credit Monitoring. You’ll get an updated Experian credit report and FICO score once a month, as well as real-time alerts about new inquiries and accounts opened in your name.

It’s hard to build wealth without investing. If you haven’t started yet, now’s the time.

While you’re on it, it might be a smart move to take a look at your other benefits too. Your 401(k) plan is especially important to your financial well-being. See if you’re on track with your contributions and if not, adjust accordingly. At the very least, you want to max out your employer’s match (if offered).

And of course, make sure you take advantage of all of your paid time off. This is a part of your compensation package and no one will pay you back this money if you don’t use it.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every personal finance guide is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of financial products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.