Paying Bills On Time
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Write The Date and Time Due on the Envelope
When I receive bills or any correspondence that has to be mailed at a certain time, I save time and aggravation by writing the date due to be mailed where the stamp goes. Only takes a second to let me know it is time to mail something.By Linda
Online Bill Paying
Use an online bill paying service. As soon as your bill comes in the mail, schedule the payment. If it is a recurring bill, many services will let you schedule it to be paid automatically each month so that you don't have to enter it each time.Paying Bills Right Away
I pay each bill the day after it comes in the mail. Then there's no forgetting a bill payment.By rabbithorns
Credit Counseling
We really got into hot water by not paying our bills on time. We were close to losing our house. We went to a certified nonprofit credit counselor and we are doing much better. We have been with them for a year. They charge a fee for their service, but we save that much money in interest fees. They negotiated lower interest rates with some of our creditors. We will be out of debt in less than two years.I mention this only because some of the people who visit this site are coming because they are in the same situation.
If you go to a credit counselor, make sure they are certified and non-profit. Also make sure that they are not trying to get you to sign another loan on your house. Some outfits are simply mortgage companies. The people we work with (GreenPath) are certified, nonprofit and they are also certified HUD counselors. All of this makes it easier to deal with the creditors. The phone calls have stopped. We shop at Aldi's for food and we shop at Thrift stores for over half of our clothing (I rarely find clothes for my tall son at thrift shops, the best I can do is clearance at landsend.com and oldnavy.com. I can never find his size at brick and mortar stores.)
By odeal59
My Three Rules
Rule #1:
Keep all your bills in one place. Take them there straight from the mailbox to avoid misplacing one.Rule #2:
Select one day of the week (or every other week) for paying bills. Sometimes time gets away from me and I realize I haven't paid bills in a while and there is something due tomorrow. If I pay bills every Thursday, I am unlikely to miss it. Then on that day I pay everything that is due within the next 10 days so I don't have to worry about them again until the next week. That gives enough time for them to get through the mail. This goes for online bill pay services as well because sometimes it takes up to 5 days for them to process it and mail it to the company being paid.Rule #3:
Keep a list of the bills that don't have a reminder coming every month, like rent or bills with a payment book. Better yet, keep a list of all bills you have due every month with the approximate date of the month they are due. Example:1st of month House payment
10th of the month insurance payment
This really helps keep track of auto debits because it is easy to screw up your balance if you forget that an auto debit posted. Also, when you pay regularly and get into a rhythm like this it becomes easier to know how much money you are going to need later in the month so you know when to quit spending.
By TabbyCat
Pocket Calendar
Purchase cheap yearly pocket calendar or better yet, get one from a vendor with advertising on it for free. Each month has a margin, write mortgage or rent, car payment, water, phone, electric, standard monthly bills. As soon as bill comes in, record the amount. When paid, check it off list. List credit cards and balances, add insurance payments to list on months due. I keep one in my desk at work.By Sandy
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