Predicting what the economy is going to do next is a bit like playing Russian Roulette.

And to tell you the truth... I've never been much of a gambler. (It must be my Swiss heritage.) I like to make "educated decisions".

That's why this week I've been "fishing" in Personal & Finance Confidential's "pond" of financial experts. Here's what they had to say...

Evan Pickworth (the unit trust portfolio manager for Personal & Finance Confidential) told me inflation will drop this year (along with interest rates.

Economist Chris Hart told Zurich Club readers that the JSE will stabilise.

Bill Bonner (the editor of the Daily Reckoning) believes the dollar will crash this year and the rand will strengthen.

And Red Hot Penny Shares editor Frank Black is certain that the gold price will stablise at around $1,000/ounce.

Sounds like 2009 might just be a good year.

BUT... I'd still prefer to play it safe. And you should too. That means no more reckless spending and we need to keep a close eye on our finances. According to the author of Secrets of Growing Rich - this is the easiest way to do just that...

1. File your bills by month instead of category: This is a simpler way of filing bills (as opposed to ordering them according to category). When hunting for a particular bill you need only flip to that month instead of having to try and remember what category you filed it under!
 
2. Archive documents according to their “shred date”: There’s no need to keep all your financial documents year after year. Instead, when it comes time to archive last year’s bills sort the docs according to when you can shred them. I.e. You should keep tax return documents for at least seven years – so put these in the box marked 2016.
 
3. File receipts according to room: For any major purchases file receipts according to the room it was bought for. I.e. File your TV receipt in a box marked “family room” and your fridge receipt in a box marked “kitchen”. That way you’ll never have to hunt for a receipt should you ever need to return a defective item. And have a designated place to store receipts (for smaller items) so you can return these easily.
 
4. Don’t let a file get thicker than 12cm: If it does, it’s better to recategorise the items inside and split them into two separate files. I.e. If the file “bedroom” becomes too thick – change it into “main bedroom” and “kids bedroom”.

5. Keep your tax-related stuff together: Before tax season, you’ll start to receive tax related information from your job, your bank, etc. Keep all of these tax-related papers in a labeled file folder. This way, when you’re ready to do your taxes, you won’t have to search for the papers you need. Also file your tax-deductible receipts together and keep your car “log book” in this file too. Also – don’t forget to keep a copy of last year’s tax return – you’ll need it for your next tax return.
 
6. Write expenses down on the back of ATM receipts: If you find it hard to keep track of where your cash goes every month. Then write expenses on the back of an ATM receipt until the cash is completely used and you need to draw again. This is a simple, hassle-free way to make reconciling at the end of the month easier!
 
7. Use a bill paying system: As soon as you get bills in the mail, they should immediately be placed into a bill paying system. All of your ending bills should be paid once a week, or once every 2 weeks, etc. Do the same for in-store account summaries. Here are some tips:

* Keep all bills together in a folder called ‘Bills To Be Paid’.
*  Include the date paid and cheque number on your copy of the bill.
* Include account numbers on all cheques.
* When you receive your bills, remove any unnecessary paperwork. Keep only the bill and the envelope you will use to mail it.
* Review bills when you receive them to make sure they are accurate. If there’s a discrepancy, call the company immediately.
 
Quick tip: Consolidate your credit cards. It’s easier to keep track of one credit card than three. So consolidate all of your expenses on one single credit card, preferably one that offers cash back or a frequent flyer programme.

The global economy is very unstable at the moment. And the truth is... No one really knows what's going to happen next. There are just too many factors too consider.

So don't put yourself under any unnecessary financial pressure. Keep your debts low. And definitely don't add any new ones to the pile. Don't buy property (until our experts tell you it's time to) and keep your spending low.

This is the time you need to be smarter than most other people. And thanks to our pool of financial experts - you'll have the "inside scoop" that you can't get anywhere else!