In the midst of going to school and work, there's the water bill, the electric bill, the gas bill, the car insurance bill, the credit card bills-and all these bills inevitably find themselves on my table in disarray.
My dear cousin purchased an organizer (a box w/ compartments) so as I received my mail I could put my bills in the organizer. Unfortunately the box now has accumulated cobwebs and dust! lol
Tell me, how do you organize things so that you still pay your bills on time and manage everything else financially speaking? When do you find time to do this?
2007-12-29 13:49:02 · 7 answers · asked by AK17 4 in Business & Finance ➔ Other - Business & Finance
No system will work if you do not use it. That being said, get a monthly erasable calendar and mount it on the refrigerator door. Mark the day each bill needs to be paid by. (NOT THE DAY IT IS DUE.) Then you can hide your bills where you want in the disarray you are accustomed to. One look at the fridge and you will know today is a day you need to pull out the checkbook or go online and pay a bill.
The reason I find people are most often disorganized is because they really HATE to do financial things and will do anything to put it off. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy ...you hate to do it so you are late and pay extra fees which only reinforces that is a repeating unpleasant experience. Break the cycle and keep current. You can even use your computer to preprint addresses and envelopes for those companies that do not include a return envelope. (It is just as easy to print up 12 of the same address as it is to print one.)
I HATE paying bills too. It's my most disliked part of doing business yet I hate paying other people interest or late fees even more. If I work hard for my money then I don't need to throw more of it on payments needlessly. Being late by one day can mean a 5% penalty. Extrapolate that interest rate over 365 days a year and you are paying annualized interest rates several times more than loan sharks go to jail for.
2007-12-29 13:56:14 · answer #1 · answered by Bob 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I use my bank's bill payer and direct deposit my paychecks. I actually use two banks one for my mortgage and one credit card and one for all other expenses. I charge as much as I can on the credit card so I only pay that once a month. The utilities run about 366 a month on average so I put a few hundred in there each payday and leave a nice cushion so I never have them near the bottom of the account. I schedule those that aren't automatic for more than I expect the bill to be but many like electric just draw what they want.
2007-12-29 13:54:09 · answer #2 · answered by shipwreck 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I used to not care about bills....if it was a credit card, i was like, "it doesn't matter"..."so they charge it off....who cares"...but that was the biggest no no of my life.
I think that the thing that works for me is the following:
1) the bills I receive I place next to my computer
2) on payday....i pay everything that is due during that pay period IMMEDIATELY....what's left is left and you have to just deal with it
3) balance your checkbook as you are paying.....once you are done...you're done!!
Bills are paid...and what's left you have to make due....if bills override your paycheck.......you better find a rich roommate or be filing chapter 7.
2007-12-29 14:09:28 · answer #3 · answered by Gunnarlicious 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a seperate calendar that I write when bills are due. The key is to look at it. I send credit card bills out at least a week before they are due. The other bills that don't have late fee, I send about three days before they are due.
2007-12-29 15:05:44 · answer #4 · answered by Melissa F 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I remember being in your same shoes about 6 months ago. Argg! There is this book at wal-mart, it has seperate folders for every month. With a zippered pouch for all of your supplies...envelopes, stamps, pens etc. Set aside one day of the week to review, mine is Monday. Go through everything and write down the date they are due. There are columns for this info. on each monthly folder. Once things are paid, write down how much and when they were taken care of and file them in an empty folder in the back and label it " to file". Hope this helps......it was a life saver for me..
2007-12-29 13:58:03 · answer #5 · answered by Kenda D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Pay your bills the day you get them. You'll save interest and build good credit. It only takes a minute. Once you start it's sooooooo easy.
2007-12-29 13:54:36 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
MS Money - once you have entered initial info - it will warn you when bill due dates are coming up. It has sooo many other features - trust me - you will like it if you need to be organized.
2007-12-29 13:53:14 · answer #7 · answered by chasetwins05 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋