Bill paying is not for the faint hearted -- who wants to
part with their money? Sometimes it's dread--do I have enough in the bank? Complicating
matters, bills have a highly erratic personality, arriving at various times
throughout the month, offering staggered due dates and a myriad of payment
options.
Regardless of income, honest folk have been known to come
home to no lights, or destroy their credit because they can’t keep track of
dates and account balances. Try explaining that to the cable company!
Swashbuckle the onslaught with a simple, reliable system
that minimizes the torture and maximizes your confidence in the information you
are working from....
Some time ago, I set up online payment for all our monthly bills, and the initial effort has been totally worth it. Now, several months can go by without me writing a check: it's freed up a lot of time!
This has totally been the best step I've taken in getting my finances under control. I have a reminder that pops up on my work computer on the day before payday, which gives me two days to remember to bring the bills to work with me. Then I spend about 15 minutes paying them with my online bill pay. Paying them first lets me know how much money I have left over for groceries & discretionary spending. Plus I can schedule payments bi-weekly, monthly, or even quarterly, so I don't forget infrequent bills and I can double up on payments when I'm trying to pay down debt.
I used to pay the bills whenever I got around to it and sometimes I had already spent the money on other things and had to scramble. This way is MUCH better!
