In the Super Bowl battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers came out on top by the slimmest of margins. The battle between the game and the commercials was not nearly as close.

For millions of fans watching the Super Bowl from the comfort of their couch, the game is as much about the commercials as it is about the football. There are people who enjoy the game despite not knowing any names, players, or even teams. Their satisfaction comes from monkeys selling online investment banking and from the universal appeal of broad physical humor.

And most times, they get to see a better show than the football fans.

But Super Bowl XLIII was different. A great game overshadowed a merely solid lineup of ads - one that would have outshone Buffalo Bills blowouts of years past but couldn't top the thrill of Cards-Steelers. Immediately after the game, the impact of Pittsburgh's last-second touchdown could be felt across the country. Santonio Holmes' touchdown provided a clear winner. As for the commercials' best? Time will tell.

There were several good spots, several mediocre ones, and several bad ones involving Clydesdale horses. For a closer look at just how effective the Super Bowl ads were, you would need to ask the average consumer which ads really struck a chord. Fortunately for the purposes of this article, I am an average consumer. Here then is my analysis of some of the Super Bowl's biggest and most memorable commercials. (To see the ads, visit hulu.com.)

Budget meeting by Bud Light: Batting leadoff for Super Bowl commercials is no easy task, but at least Budweiser didn't strike out. On the contrary, to carry on the baseball metaphor to unnecessary lengths, they drew a walk or reached base on an error or had an infield single. In other words, they did their job in entertaining the audience (throwing a man out the window), surprising viewers (throwing a man out the window), and making their point (being a teetotaler gets you thrown out of windows). But it didn't really "wow."

Car chase through the decades with the Audi A6: If I am anything like millions of other people who watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, then there were millions of people who are not friends with Jason Statham and who could not afford to buy an Audi A6 for the sole purpose of tooling around in a sports car. Never mind the fact that this commercial, with Crank star Statham hitting the streets in classic/modern wheels, makes me want to be that type of person. I'm not. So I'll just be admiring Audi A6's from a distance for the foreseeable future.

Generational movie clips by Pepsi: I thought the production of this piece was well-done, but I'm a Coke guy. Seeing will.i.am sing/rap will not change that. But thanks for spending $3 million anyway.

Baby investment analysts by E*Trade: The concept for these advertisements has always gone over my head. I never have got them, which is why I so appreciated this year's version with the kids singing campy oldies. That I can get behind. Perhaps the initial shock value of baby animation has worn off on me, too, and I can finally appreciate these ads for what they're trying to say. Message received: E*Trade can help out in tough times like these. And singing babies are effective.

Confident man by Cars.com: This commercial was destined for great things, much like its subject who rescued animals, performed open heart surgery with a pen, etc. But when the climax was our hero, sitting in his care, doing price comparisons on his smart phone, I felt betrayed. I guess cars.com was trying to say, "If this man can't buy a car with confidence, then no one can!" Thanks for believing in me, cars.com. I'm going to console myself at autotrader.com.

Alec Baldwin for Hulu.com: Confession: I love Hulu, and I love Alec Baldwin. But after seeing this commercial, I kind of love both a little less. Something about it just came across as creepy. Maybe it was Baldwin's insanely red lips or the fact that he was encouraging brain mushing or the Men in Black vibe that came out with the alien reveal at the end. It won't stop me from watching Arrested Development on Hulu, but it did stop me from admitting to my friends that I use the service.

Pigeon attack by Cheetos: That Chester Cheetah sure has turned into a dirty old man. In this spot, he encourages a Cheeto eater to incur the wrath of pigeondom on a rude cellphone-talking diner. Hilarity ensues? Is that what that was? I couldn't tell because my moral compass was compromised trying to determine whether Chester was a puppet, a cartoon, CGI, or claymation.

3D dancing players and lizards by Sobe: This 3D commercial came with all sorts of anticipation. Pepsi and Sobe had been pushing it for weeks leading up to the big game. Did it disappoint? To some, it did - mainly the ones who were expecting things thrown at them so they could go "ooh" and "aah." I was impressed simply with the depth and feel of the 3D experience, and it made me forget for a minute that Sobe Life Water tastes like a super weak juice box. I imagine that this was Sobe's strategy all along: distraction.

Any of the Clydesdale ads by Budweiser: I found them tedious and pointless. Every girl at my party found them adorable. Coincidence?

Moose head by Monster.com: The simplicity of this ad was what I appreciated the most. Monster nailed the joke: a boss with a moose head mounted in his office and the plebe worker with the moose's backend mounted over his cubicle next door. If Monster had wanted, it could have Super Bowled us over with the moose relieving himself, monkeys invading the scene for no particular reason, or a celebrity being the fauna-afflicted employee. Their restraint was admirable. I'll remember this next time I get laid off.

Mob breakfast by Denny's: Here is my Super Bowl winner. The Denny's spot really took the cake for me above and beyond any other commercial. First off, it was entertaining. I'm a sucker for spoof humor, so seeing a send-up of mob shows that I never really understood the popularity of in the first place was too much. Plus, it included a whipped cream pancake face. Does it get any better than that?

The real clincher, though, was Denny's free breakfast offer at the end of the clip (a free Grand Slam to everyone in America from 6:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesday). What greater call to action can there be? I appreciated this because it showed that Denny's wasn't wasting my time by giving away a free orange juice or something needless. They were giving away their signature breakfast, and you'd better believe I'll take them up on the offer.

Even better, as far as Denny's is concerned, if I like it enough, I'll come back for more. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes a great Super Bowl commercial.

Circuit City's loss is a gadget collector's gain.

When the nationwide electronics chain announced its going-out-of-business sale, wide-eyed guys and opportunistic gals took notice and flooded their local Circuit City stores with the big sales starting last weekend.

Were there deals to be had? You betcha. Was there that aroma of sweaty people fighting over discounted electronics? Sure thing. Circuit City's untimely end was a rare opportunity for consumers to stock up on the gadgets and toys they had been frugally pining after. In many locations, the savings started at 10 or 20 percent, which was more than enough of a drop to get the Rock Band crowd out of the house and back among the living. They needed a new drum kit, apparently.

It is a wild world we live in where the failure of one can be celebrated by many, yet it is a reality that could very well be par for the course over the next several months. Slate's Daniel Gross outlined an alarming trend of retailers gone under, including such fixtures as Linens 'n Things and Sharper Image. With the state of the economy the way it is, business as usual is out. Liquidation is in.

With this in mind, it makes money sense to be patient as a consumer and plan before you spend. Going broke for an item today will look irresponsible if the same item is marked down in a liquidation sale tomorrow. But save up in hopes of a steep discount, and you very well may be rewarded for it.

Liquidation sales are perfect for frugal consumers. The discounts typically start small with prices marked down 10 or 20 percent, but as the days drag on and the businesses get more desperate to dump their inventory, the savings will increase exponentially. A month or two later, there could be anywhere from 50 to 75 percent off deals storewide on the remaining products, and there will never be a better time to buy.

Still, it pays to shop conscientiously. Just because everything is cheaper doesn't mean that there are no strings attached or risks involved. Yahoo's Ben Patterson has his own list of buyer-beware truisms that make sense for closeout sales like Circuit City's. Among the best are:

• Remember: All sales are final. No returns.
• Markdowns might only be canceling out markups.

The first liquidation rule makes a lot of sense. You had better make sure that the item you're buying is the item you want because there is no going back once you leave the store. Sometimes this can scare consumers away from liquidation sales because there is a finality and pressure that typically doesn't come with big-box store shopping. Returns, exchanges, and refunds make the shopping experience easy and regret-free, so don't be surprised if an itchy trigger finger rears its ugly head when you're mid-Blu Ray player purchase in the Circuit City checkout line.

Patterson's other tenet is the one that really should strike a chord with careful shoppers. Another way of saying it: Just because it's a liquidation sale doesn't mean it's the best price.

On the surface it seems like the opposite should be true. Liquidation sales are, by reputation, notoriously cheap. But if there's still a buck or two to be made, these stores are going to do everything they can to make it.

The big discount signs draw people in, and they have a mystical power of making a consumer gloss over a price tag. "Thirty percent off a $40.00 Animal 2 DVD? That's amazing!" The allure of saving money can simply overpower the reality that the prices might not have been all that competitive to begin with. Marking down a steeply marked up product is not going to equate to the savings you would expect. Saving 10 percent on a $20.00 movie only makes the final price $18.00, and there are plenty of other stores that are selling flicks for cheaper than that.

Need proof? The prices from Circuit City's opening days of shopping nirvana were not even as cheap as some of its competitors (Best Buy and Wal-Mart, notably). The 10 to 30 percent savings storewide was more like 10 percent storewide and 30 percent in the Christian/Gospel music section. Consumers who came looking for steals left empty-handed.

However, just because shopping at liquidation sales has its downsides, there are still plenty of reasons to try your luck and find a deal at these stores. For starters, many people who were disapopinted with the Circuit City experience did not have the proper expectations going in. Circuit City employees were not going to be handing out iPod accessories as door prizes; expecting huge savings is not the right approach.

The people who left the happiest were the ones who knew what they wanted and had done their research. Take, for instance, the Rock Band crowd. Video games and video game accessories are more or less the same price no matter where you shop. Let's assume that the Rock Band drum kit was $30.00 at Best Buy and $28.00 at Wal-Mart. If Circuit City were selling the kit at a 20 percent discount from its listed price of $30.00, the sale would have made the price an affordable 24 bucks. No doubt the Rock Band fan would have left a happy customer.

Another way to not be disappointed with your liquidation experience is to wait a few days before you hit the sales. When the doors open on the first days of liquidation, the stores will be packed with folks looking to save a few bucks. And that's really all they'll be saving. But if you wait a few extra days, you'll have a better chance to save a greater amount of money because the discounts will be steeper and there will be less demand for what's on shelves. Provided you didn't have a particular product in mind, this alternative works great. You can stock up on gifts and even find some super cheap items for yourself.

The best advice to give as it relates to liquidation sales is to simply be smart. Going-out-of-business sales do not give the consumer a free pass to not think through their purchases. They give the consumer a chance to get ahead of the game by saving on desired items and scouring for good deals. Liquidation can be your gain if you let it.

Picking a video used to be the toughest part about home movie watching. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or Fletch Lives? Gremlins 2 or Steel Magnolias?

But nowadays, the toughest part of home movies isn't which one we're going to watch. It's how we're going to get it.

With the introduction of movies in the mail (Netflix, Blockbuster) and movies in a vending machine (Redbox), compounded with cheap prices at big-box stores and movie downloads and online streams, there are more ways to watch Keanu Reeves act than there are roles that he is capable of playing. Having a movie night at home is now akin to planning a political coup or picking a college major. Will you regret the decision later? Could you be getting a better deal elsewhere? How come nobody has Babe 2: Pig in the City?

These are real questions that people are dealing with, and they are doing so in very different ways. With such a wide variety of choices for a movie watcher, there are just as many styles that people have adopted to fit in with their habits. The following is a quick list of a number of the different movie profiles. See which one best describes you.

Netflix snob. People who subscribe to the movie-in-the-mail service Netflix invariably think it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. They swoon over its convenience. They gush over its lack of late fees. They coddle their online movie queue as if it were a nursing infant. And they are 100 percent sure that Netflix is the best (and only) way to watch movies.

Their loyalty is admirable. Netflix is a great service that provides easy access to an endless supply of movie choices, so it makes sense that so many people have fallen in love. But with the most popular plan being $17.00/month, its cost is not an option for many. Just don't tell that to a Netflix snob.

Indie Redbox hipster. Redbox kiosks are the Arrested Development to Netflix's Two and a Half Men. Those who take advantage of the $1.00-per-night vending machine rentals at places like McDonald's and Albertsons feel as if they have stumbled upon a utopian wormhole in the movie rental world that no one else knows about. Seriously, who in their right mind would rent a movie at the same place one can purchase a Big 'N Tasty? And therein lies the indie Redbox hipster's secret weapon.

Redbox is a smashing success, but it remains largely under the radar compared to new services like Netflix. This is part of the appeal for the hipsters. They take great pride in stating to their friends that they rented the movie at a Redbox. And they take even greater pride when their friends respond in kind, "What's a Redbox?" The fewer people who know, the better chance that Juno will not be check out.

Thrifty Redbox family. The thrifty Redbox family and the indie Redbox hipster live completely different lives, brought together by a giant, red, movie-spitting machine. Where the indie hipster likes Redbox for its cool factor, the thrifty family likes it because it is cheap. One-dollar-per-night can't be beat, especially for families with a big brood to entertain.

Redbox realizes this, which is why their coffers are often crammed with Carebears, Mario and claymation. The Redbox really does make a perfect option for a thrifty family because the price is right, the movie selection has kid fare and adult fare, and the Big 'N Tasty value meal is just a few steps away.

Walmart bargain bin diver. You may have seen this person (or been this person), elbow-deep in a pile of Mickey Blue Eyes and Super Troopers, straining desperately in hopes that The Horse Whisperer: Director's Cut is sitting at the bottom of the bin. Those $4.99 movies can be quite a draw for some people, yet the bargain bin diver loses all sense of what makes a good movie when the price drops that low, focusing solely on what a good deal they just got on Candace Bergen's breakout hit.

The taste of cheapness is what drives this type of person, and since there's a good chance they have never heard of alternatives like Redbox or Netflix, they feel that dumpster diving in front of the Walmart entertainment section is the best way to go. And maybe it is. After all, some day The Horse Whisperer: Director's Cut might actually be on the bottom.

Sunday ad movie hoarder. There are those who just love owning movies. They appreciate the autonomy of settling down for a movie night and choosing from their library of flicks without worrying about going out or waiting for the mail to see what's on.

Of course, buying movies isn't cheap. Just ask the Walmart bargain bin diver. That's why this person uses the Sunday ad to her advantage. Each week, stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, and Target mark down the prices of select DVDs, and a wise hoarder keeps an eye out to see when her favorite films go on the cheap. Though the more affordable option of one-time rental still remains, the movie hoarder makes up for the difference by snatching up movies that will get repeated playback and in warming her soul with the comfort of owning free-and-clear.

Reclusive cable/satellite downloader. Services like DirecTV and Comcast allow subscribers to choose new release movies to watch through the comfort of their cable box. But have you ever met anyone who watches movies this way? No doubt these pay-per-viewers exist, but they are so incredibly rare (or so incredibly reclusive) that they barely register in the movie watching conversation.

The convenience of pushing a button on the remote is the biggest draw for this type of movie. But with non-competitive prices and with unclear viewing rules, the on-demand movies tend to only cater to a small population - a small, agoraphobic population.

Nostalgic in-store rental geezer. Some people still get their movies the old-fashioned way: at the movie rental store. Places like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video aren't as popular as they once were, but they still pose a certain familiarity for people who are used to getting their movies by staring blankly in a store for 30 minutes trying to pick out what they want.

It is safe to assume that mostly old people do it this way. Some of the newer technologies just don't work with their lifestyles, so they end up heading down to their tried-and-true movie store instead. Don't be surprised if Blockbuster starts stocking more Charlie Chaplin films.

Chameleon. Most of these movie types are extremes. Chances are that most people take a chameleon approach, choosing bits and pieces of each depending on their mood or needs. With so many movie watching options available, can you blame them?

What type of movie rental personality are you?

I'll be honest. I am intrigued by the ShamWow.

Anything that can soak up that much liquid and have the capability of being used over and over and over again is okay by me. I never thought society would be able to top the paper towel. I stand corrected.

And the price can't be beat either. When I first heard the price of the ShamWow being $29.95, I was thrilled. Less than 30 dollars for a life-changing product is a steal. But then the affable ShamWow spokesman dropped the price to $19.95. And then he added another ShamWow towel for free. Even better, he had operators standing by to take my call. How could I say no?

I didn't, and now I have two ShamWows collecting dust in my garage, waiting for me to spill motor oil (not included). Those ShamWow people got me with their infomercial, and they got me good.

My ShamWow experience is probably like any number of infomercial tales of attraction, hasty decision, and regret. Infomercials have a strange, likable quality that gets the American consumer in the buying mood. But how do these interminable ads do it? It's not like they are well-produced pieces of television art. It's not like Mighty Putty keeps us alive. And it's not like we have to sit there and watch the entire infomercial through to the end. We can change the channel. We just don't.

The infomercial folks are doing something right because for every one person who guffaws at the audacity of hot dog bun warmer, there is another person out there dialing the phone. Whether it be a two-minute blurb on World War II DVDs or a 30-minute "Set it and forget it" marathon, infomercials have found a way into our hearts and our wallets. Here are some of their tricks of the trade.

Repetition

I cannot tell you how many garden hose infomercials I could recite to you word-for-word. Infomercials have a way of seeping into our consciousness, burrowing a consciousness cave, and hibernating until our payday. We simply cannot get some of them out of our heads.

They accomplish this feat by airing constantly during the same program. On some stations or at certain times of the day, you can see the same commercial three or four times during a movie or sporting event. And when you magnify that commercial into a two-minute sales pitch, it becomes much more noticeable, annoying, and - oddly enough - memorable.

Plus, the way that infomercials work adds a sneaky subconscious quality to the equation. They are designed to stick in your head by repeating themselves over and over again (especially those hypnotic phone numbers). They are the antithesis of vague jean commercials; they prefer to drive home their point so that you'll be sure to know what they're selling. Don't get down on yourself if you can't seem to shake products like the Bejeweler. That's the way the Bejeweler people wanted it.

Deals

If there is one thing that consumers like, it is getting a deal. It doesn't matter if the product is a piece of junk or not; deal hunters are just happy to be saving a few bucks. Hence, Big Lots.

Infomercials take full advantage of this flaw in humanity by fire-selling their junk to a laughable degree. No matter the starting price at the beginning of the commercial, that price will be hacked and slashed to pieces by the end. Infomercials have sneaky ways of adding value, too. They split the big payment into tiny, baby payments. They double the offer or throw in more free junk. They add expediency to the issue by claiming a "limited time offer."

And one of their favorite tricks is marking down prices until they get to that magical, mystical, hypnotic price of $19.95. What is it about that price that gets people scrambling for their cordless phones? You'd think the whole world was taught to "Act Now" whenever they hear those digits. In a sense, we were. Prices that end in odd numbers (like 99 cents, for instance) appear less expensive to us than do numbers ending in evens. Also, setting a price that is right below a commonly used currency, like the 20-dollar bill, helps us see exactly how feasible a purchase would be. We can't help that we bought three backpack purses. It is in our nature.

Meeting a need

Every great infomercial aspires to create a need for the product. Well, almost every great infomercial. We've yet to figure out the need for the Obama coin.

Creating a need and selling a product that meets that need is the infomercial calling card. You might think that your skin care is taken care of before you watch that Proactiv commercial, but by the time Jessica Simpson breaks out the photo album of her breakouts, you'll be throwing out the oxy pads and phoning in for a money-back guarantee Proactiv sample. Whether it is through personal testimony, visual aid, or real-world application, infomercials have their methods of convincing us that life isn't complete without a little more junk in our lives.

One of their methods for doing so is in their marketing. The brains behind the infomercials know what works to get consumers to buy certain products. They write the correct dialogue and create the optimal graphics. They know when to take a humorous, light approach to a new-fangled gizmo and when to go the traditional, serious road with a fancy doodad. The writers of infomercial copy have a way of making the most useless product seem valuable. Well, except for the Obama coin.

With these infomercial strategies in mind, hopefully you'll have a little more perspective next time the ShamWow commercial comes on TV, and maybe you'll even be able to resist that urge to "Act Now" no matter how great the price looks. After all, aren't two ShamWows enough?

One of the most popular resolutions to make every New Year is to budget one's money. Not surprisingly, it is also one of the first resolutions to fail.

Budgeting is a big task for those who have never done it or for those with an abhorrence of Microsoft Excel. And it is made worse by the fact that it brings up a painful truth: you simply don't have as much money as you thought you did. No one wants to be reminded on a monthly basis that expenses exceed income; we'd all rather be reminded of this fact several months down the road by a large burly man named "Knuckles." Delayed punishment is better than current (monthly) disappointment.

Budgeting is hard, too, because it is a beast to remember. If you go out to eat on a Friday night, that bill needs to go in the budget, not in your pants pocket, on a subsequent journey to the center of the washing machine (note to self: possible movie sequel starring Brendan Fraser). Budgeting is hard to get in the habit of doing, and it is made harder each and every time you forget.

Then, before you know it, you are right back where you started pre-resolution, spending money like a carefree young adult, throwing credit card debt to the wind. So rather than embark on a resolution that is doomed to fail from the beginning, why not break off one of these more manageable money goals this New Year and save yourself the inevitable failure. Or, at least, postpone the failure for longer than usual.

1. Save your change

If our culture is so enamored with money, then why are we so disinterested in the small stuff? Hatred of certain Presidents? Metallurgy boycott? For whatever reason, change seems to get tossed out of wallets, purses, and couch cushions with little to no regard for one's bank account.

Nevertheless, it remains actual money, and if you are wise enough to hoard it all year long, you can see a mildly appealing paycheck at the end of the year. Keep a jar beside your bed at home, and deposit all your loose change at the end of the day. Pennies, nickels, Sacajawea dollars - the jar can hold all shapes and sizes. There's no sense throwing away free money simply because it makes your wallet uncomfortable to sit on.

Aren't a big cash spender? Well your bank might just have a solution for that. Certain places offer you the option of rounding up your bill each time you pay with a card, and saving the left over change in your account for later. So if you grab a breadstick for $1.09 and pay with plastic, the bank will charge your card $2.00 and put the extra $0.91 into your savings account. Big whoop, right? Well by the end of the year, you'll have saved enough for an extra present, an extra night out, or an extra armload of breadsticks.

2. Understand your statement

Far too many people receive their monthly statement from the bank, credit card company, or investment firm, take one bewildered look at it, and throw it in a pile of papers to be filed away, never to be heard of again. Blame it on the intimidation factor of a spreadsheet of numbers and figures. Blame it on general malaise for money management. Whatever the reason, it pays to pay attention to those discarded docs. Discovering the language of a statement can prove to be a fantastic journey, like meeting the Indian in the bank account (note to self: possible Matthew Broderick star vehicle).

For this resolution, you will need one of two resources: A) the Internet, or B) a dictionary. Of course, the Internet is preferable because it is both vast and does contain Bejeweled2, which will come in handy when you desperately need a distraction. But a dictionary works fine, too. Basically you just need to look up the terms on your statement that you don't recognize. For instance, I looked up "revolving credit line" and found out that it is not, in fact, a carnival ride and does, in fact, mean that I will never be able to put anything greater than a set of tires on my credit card.

If a bank statement is too elementary for you, why not try tackling something a little denser, like a finance book? The more you learn about money, the better off you'll be when you're trying to save it, earn it, and make it grow.

3. Give yourself an allowance

This one should please consumers because you'll actually be giving yourself money. Who doesn't like that? OK, maybe the Amish.

Here's a fact: People spend more money than they should. And if you think back far enough, you'll realize that this was never really a problem when you were growing up as a kid. The reason why is because you didn't have much to spend. That is the idea behind this resolution. Make all of your money off-limits except for a weekly stipend of cash that you can spend on whatever you want. For the silver spooners, it might be $50.00 per week. For the frugal at heart, it might be $15.00. Basically, whatever amount of money you can arrive at that will not completely ruin your social and entertainment-driven life is a good number to settle on.

And then from there, go spend it. Saving money doesn't have to be like taking a vow of poverty. In fact, that is why so many savings resolutions fail. This way, you still get to spend on the things you love; you just can't spend that much. It's like high school all over again.

4. Bank online

Save a tree and save the hassle of ignoring statements and bills as they pile up at home. Of course, it probably isn't much of a hassle if you never really do anything about them. The real hassle is when you awake in a cold sweat, wracking your brain trying to remember if you mailed in the electricity bill. Oh well. Guess you'll find out in the morning when your coffee maker gets repo'd.

Online banking is a very achievable New Year's resolution because banks make it so simple nowadays. At US Bank, you can enroll in bill pay and never have to see that pesky power bill get soggy in your mailbox again. Bills can be delivered to your inbox and you can wire your payments at your convenience (provided it is convenient for you to be at a computer and have a fast Internet connection and not mind the small risk of identity theft).

Banking online will save you time in the long run, some banks offer an incentive to get you started, and your letter opener can finally, peacefully realize its place next to the staple remover in the junk drawer.

5. Start your taxes early

Ew, taxes. I am a little disappointed in myself that I even brought it up.

But that's the point I'm trying to make, in a roundabout way. No one likes to talk about taxes until it is almost too late, but if you get a head start on tax season you could find yourself saving money and sparing possible marital strife. Filing taxes is a stressful encounter, made more stressful by the pressure of getting them done. When placed under a time constraint, people tend to freak out, forget that they donated large sums of money to charity, and just mail the sucker in with a blank check, hoping that it all will go away.

That's no way for a responsible money manager to act, so consider being tax proactive this New Year instead. The IRS does not dictate any particular day when it is okay to start working on your tax return. They do not drop a giant protractor in Times Square; they don't send out an e-blast. You are on your own.

So why not use as much time as you can get to make sure that you're doing your return correctly? This resolution is as easy as can be. You'll be motivated to complete a New Year's resolution for at least the first couple weeks of the year, and by the time you hit the wall and wish you'd never committed to anything ever, your taxes could very well be done. It is the perfect resolution because it doesn't take the whole year to complete. It's like finding a loophole in time (note to self: possible sci-fi flick starring Vin Diesel). And the IRS never has to know.

Bonus item:

6. Budget.

Seriously. It's a good idea.