In the world of password-management applications, the program that saves you time gets the glory. pwSafe serves as a secure repository for your various passwords. You can enter individual URLs with the site’s username and password, and optionally sort them into categories, like Finances or Social Networking. When you want to log on, select an entry and click the Open button. pwSafe will open the site in your browser and load the password in your clipboard—you just enter your username and paste in the password.

For the price of a happy-hour pint, SimpliBudget can cover the basics of financial planning and budgeting (including earmarking some funds for happy hour). The program features password protection, and iCloud syncing to other Macs or the $1.99 universal iPhone/iPad app. Support for QFX, QIF, and OFX file formats allows you to download and import your bank statements. And the simple interface makes it easy to tell where the lion’s share of your dough is going.

When I kept paper to-do lists, I used to draw two lines to divide the page into four sections, and group tasks based on if I needed to do them today, next, or later. (Later got two sections to hold all the stuff I didn’t want to forget but couldn’t do right away.) Paper is great for this, because rewriting the lists every day made me think harder about how many things I was mentally committing to do—and purge or delegate as many as I could.

Appointments go on the calendar, and tasks go on the to-do list, right? But when are you going to get these tasks finished, then? You could schedule them on your calendar, but if you don’t actually do them, the calendar keeps marching on, and your task could be forgotten. SmartDay links your iCal calendar with the tasks on your Reminders list, so open space in your day is filled up with tasks you have to do. But if you don’t do them, they don’t just vanish—SmartDay keeps moving those tasks into free moments until you check them off.