Free software: Budget for Windows

Download a free version of Budget for Windows 4.5.4, courtesy of CNET, a tech blog that gives the software 4.5 stars. Readers give it 3.5 stars. The software uses the envelope method to help you save and pay yourself first.

"With Budget for Windows, everything old is new again: Up-to-date, easy-to-use personal finance software based on a tried-and-true method," a CNET review says. "It's free to try and fully functional except for a nag screen and a few other limitations; the registered version is thirty bucks and comes with lifetime upgrades."

Budgeting may not be sexy, but it's a great way to start the new year!