10 New Year's Resolutions for Babes On A Budget

1. Pay your bills on time. That $35 deal you got on a pair of designer boots suddenly isn't such a deal if you get slapped with a $35 late fee for a missed payment. Pay bills online, or better yet, set them to autopay so you never forget a payment again.

2. Follow up with your credit card company to have late fees waived. Okay so you didn't follow resolution #1. All is not lost. Call or email your credit card company and see if they'll waive the fee just this once. If you're in good standing, this shouldn't be a problem. Just don't make it a habit.

3. Keep your coupons handy. You got a 20% off coupon in the mail from Kohl's, but oops! You forgot to bring it to the store. Have a system so you don't miss out on savings. I like to use SnipSnap so my coupons are always available on my iPhone. I also try to check the Cartwheel savings app before I get to the checkout lane at Target.

4. Return items you don't love. Another source of lost cash is probably hanging in your closet in the form of clothes with the tags still on them, pieces that didn't fit or you didn't love but forgot to return. My system for this is to keep the receipt with the item in the original store bag, and toss it in my car trunk. Then when I stop by that particular store again, my items are on hand and ready to be returned. That's money back in my wallet!

5. Stop shopping at the last minute. I am totally guilty of this, whether it's maternity clothes (I'm suddenly in my third trimester and don't fit into any pants, so I head to Target and buy maternity jeans full price) or a special event (hey my birthday is tomorrow, better splurge on a new look!) Plan ahead for weddings, holidays, job interviews and what not so you can get that special look on sale or discounted.

6. Cash in on items in your closet. With a little planning you can make money selling items you no longer want through services like ThreadFlip or Poshmark. Don't wait until you're buried under a sea of clothes that just end up getting tossed or donated to Goodwill (which is always a good idea, too, but it's nice if you can get some of your hard earned money back for like-new duds!)

7. Save money on gifts. This also requires some planning. Buy greeting cards and gift wrap from the Dollar Tree or the Target dollar aisle and keep them stashed for moments you need them, rather than paying full price at the last-minute at a specialty store.

8. Buy second hand. If you've never shopped at thrift stores or consignment stores, make 2016 the year to dive into this eco-friendly, budget-friendly world! I've been finding incredible steals on new and like-new kids items lately at a local consignment store that have me thinking, why did I ever pay retail??

9. Treat your clothes better. Do you throw things in the dryer that say "lay flat to dry"? Do you throw your shoes in a big pile by the door (raises hand) and then wonder why they look scuffed and battered after one season of wear? Resolve to treat your clothes with a little more TLC this year, and they'll make you look spiffier in return.

10. Organize your closet. I'm not saying you should overhaul your entire closet (who has time for that?) but think how nice it would be to tackle one or two projects, whether it's organizing your dresser drawers or coming up with a storage solution for your scarves or necklaces. Pick a project from Pinterest and aim to implement in 2016. (Check out my Get Organized board for inspiration!)