Financial Clutter

I have been reading Adam Baker 's e-book Unautomate Your Finances and so far, within the first 15 pages I've learned a huge lesson that was like a smack in the face. Now most of us who have or have had credit cards, probably had more than one. That's not so unheard of or crazy, right? But what about checking accounts, savings account, money markets, 401k accounts, Paypal accounts, etc? When I wrote down every account I have open I almost fell out of my chair. How many do I actively use and seriously pay attention to? Just a handful. It hit me that I have been collecting financial clutter for the same reason that I have accumulated material stuff that I don't need...because it was on sale, or had a low interest rate, or in the case of some accounts, a higher interest rate (by a quarter of a percent. I mean really, will this really be a real source of added income? Doubt it!), or because it symbolized a new start. "This account will just be for saving for that trip to India," I'll tell myself. Flash forward a year and that money was spent on...I can't even remember on what. So my pact for this month is to figure out what financial baggage I'm dragging around and get rid of what isn't essential. Close accounts, cancel cards I don't use, and create more space in my life. I'll have less paper to file (filing is one of my least favorite tasks), fewer boxes of paper to file, and some peace of mind knowing more clearly what my financial picture is without all the extra stuff.