NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Can we just forget the myth that New Year's Day is Jan. 1? For many of us, the real new year begins with Labor Day.

That's because it marks the end of summer, which means work is about to kick into high gear, and your kids are going to start a new grade.

(Even if you don't have children, you spent 20 years living on a school calendar, and it's still in your blood. Admit it.)

Either way, there's a distinct sense that it's time to get serious about your life: your career, your money, your relationships.

I can't really help with your love life (or my own, for that matter).

But with assistance from certified financial planner Barbara Steinmetz, I've worked up a quick checklist of things that will maximize your benefits, minimize your taxes, boost your savings and, with some luck, reduce some work stress.

There's money out there with your name on it. So go claim it. It will help you bolster savings, pay for upcoming expenses, or, in one instance, boost your credit score.

Here are some potential sources:

Medical expenses: If you went to an out-of-network medical or dental provider, your health insurance policy will probably cover at least some of the tab. So start submitting those bills now.

Likewise, start making claims on your flexible-spending accounts (FSAs) or dependent-care plans. (Into such plans you deposit pretax dollars from your paycheck that can be used to defray medical, vision, dental or dependent care costs that aren't covered by insurance.)

Transportation costs: If you have pre-tax money taken out of your paycheck to help defray commuting costs, make a claim on what you've accumulated so far.

Business expenses: It's nice that you're covering the company, but you deserve your money back. And if you're letting a balance build on a business credit card, beware: it will affect your credit score. So clear the balance off as soon as possible.

Loose change: Get thee to a coin-counting machine and see how much you've had lying around the house all year.

Your review at work may not be until December or beyond. But if you have reason to believe you deserve a performance-based raise, bonus or promotion, now is the time to plant the idea with El Jefe.

If you wait until your review, you won't have much negotiating room. By then, your managers already have budgeted a number for you. Requesting a change thereafter just makes them look like they made a mistake.

So compile your raise-worthy contributions now, make sure the market is willing to bear what you'd like, and ask for a meeting to discuss the issue with your boss at least three months before your review. (For more, click here.)

Look under the "YTD" column to see if you're really maxing out your 401(k). The federal limit on pre-tax contributions in 2004 is $13,000 ($16,000 for workers age 50 and up). Next year it goes up to $14,000 ($18,000 if you're at least 50).

Assuming your plan allows for contributions up to the federal limit, you can be sure you're not maxing out if you've only contributed $6,500 so far, given that more than half the calendar year has passed. So now is a good time to bump up contributions.

You'll not only boost your nest egg but will get a bigger tax break for 2004, since the bigger the contribution, the less you'll have in taxable income.

Check your pay stub, too, to make sure that what should be taken out pretax is being taken out pretax. (Pre-tax deductions are often marked with asterisks.)

Take premiums for insurance plans. Sometimes companies require workers to select a "pretax" option, Steinmetz said. If you don't select it, the premiums are paid with after-tax dollars. If that's the case for you, find out from human resources what you need to do to correct that.

Open enrollment -- the one time of year you get to pick your benefits such as insurance plans and tax-advantaged flexible spending or dependent care accounts -- typically occurs for a couple of weeks in October or November. That is to say, smack dab in the middle of all your project deadlines.

Your choices will affect your paycheck, your taxes and your out-of-pocket expenses next year. So think ahead, since you might not have much time later.

Calculate what you've spent on medical, dental, vision and dependent-care expenses that haven't been covered by insurance this year, including deductibles. Then project what your needs will be next year.

f you already have a flex-spending plan (FSA), figure out if you put in enough to cover you this year. If not, bump up your contributions for next year.

If you didn't have an FSA this year and anticipate a lot of uncovered costs next year, open one.

Also, research outside options for supplemental life insurance and long-term care plans, if you were planning to sign up for them. Sometimes company plans are not the cheapest options.

Perform a reality check on tax liabiltiy: If you got a big bonus, exercised stock options or had a lot of capital gains this year, estimate what your tax liability will be before spending the proceeds.

Get organized. At the very least, start pulling together tax records if you haven't already. It certainly will be easier now than if you wait until 10 p.m. on April 14. (For help creating a filing system, click here.)

See the doctor: If you've got health insurance, flaunt it. Take advantage of any check-ups or tests you need that will be covered. With employers seeking to cut costs this way and that, who knows if your benefits will be as generous next year.

If you have a flex-spending account (FSA), make sure you get those new glasses fitted or those cavities filled in 2004. If you don't drain the 2004 dollars you put in by bills you incurred in 2004, then you'll forfeit the money.

Shop as you go: A little holiday gift-shopping here and there is far preferable to a big-bear haul at the 11th hour.

Take a vacation. A lot of employers have a use-it-or-lose-it policy when it comes to vacation days. So if you have any left, make plans for how to use them before Dec. 31.

Even if you're allowed to carry them over, don't. You probably need the time this year.

Here's how I know: you've made it all the way to the end of this long list. You work too hard at everything. You deserve a break.

Jeanne Sahadi writes about personal finance for CNN/Money. She also appears regularly on CNNfn's "Your Money," which airs weeknights at 5 p.m. ET. You can e-mail her about this or any other column at everydaymoney@cnnmoney.com.