My husband and I have our annual appointment with our tax guy this week, which means we’re spending the next few days poring over our spending from the previous year, including bank and credit-card statements. I always find this to be a cathartic experience, because, inevitably, we discover some way to fix our money habits in a way that benefits us financially.

Last year, we discovered that Weight Watchers Online was charging us monthly for access to its online site, something I’d signed up for a few years ago. This website is handy, to be sure, for counting points, but I could just as easily count points with a pen and paper–and save a couple hundred dollars each year.

The year before that we discovered, much to our dismay, that we’d paid out a couple of late charges on credit card bills because we hadn’t been doing a good job of sending payments in on time. After that discovery we switched all of our bill paying to paperless billing, automatic debit and electronic payments through out bank. That stopped late charges in their tracks. Good thing, too: late charges could have led our credit card companies to raise our interest rates. Ouch!

Just this morning we discovered that we’d been paying $12 a month for an online gaming website that was all the rage with my kids last year but which they hadn’t logged onto since before the school year started. It was a no-brainer to get rid of that expense.

With tax appointments coming up for most Americans–even those that file for extensions–now is an excellent time to do an early spring cleaning of your expenses and spending. Think of it like your employer’s open enrollment period, when you get to rethink your insurance choices and see if they still make sense for you, both in terms of coverage and how much they cost.

Maybe you’ll stumble upon some automatic monthly charge that your eyes have just glanced right over each month when you’re reviewing your bills. Perhaps you’ll take the time to review your phone expenses for the entire year (cellular and landline), along with your Internet charges, and see if your current plan still makes sense for you. If it doesn’t shop around for something that will meet your needs and fit your budget, too.

One caveat, though: I’m a big believer in NOT putting all of your service eggs in one basket. In other words while it may be slightly cheaper to have one company providing phone, Internet and TV service, if the sevice goes out on one, it usually goes out on all. That’s why I think it’s smart to avoid these kinds of monopolies, even if it means spending a few extra bucks a month. Sure, you might save money, but in the long run, how much will these kinds of hassles “cost” you? Perhaps you don’t agree with this approach, but it’s what works for me and gives me peace of mind.

Finally, if you haven’t made the move towards automatic bill-pay options, why not do that this year? A recent study from the American Banking Association and Dove Consulting showed that 52% of Americans are now using automatic payments for handling bills and 39% have made the switch, like I have, to paying bills online through their bank. Not only do these methods ensure that you can streamline your bill paying but also that your payments are sent out on time.

And you know what some of the added benefits of paying your bills online and on time are?

* You’re saving paper and remaining true to your green mission

* You’re avoiding paying late charges

* You’re improving your credit–or at least that’s what happened for us.

I’m curious to hear from you, if and when you do a spring cleaning of your expenses, if you come up with any significant savings like we did by stopping paying for that online video game my kids no longer play and my online subscription to Weight Watchers. Together, those added up to about $500 a year in savings. What about you?