My Frugal Life: Dealing With Big Bills
I have been hit with many big bills lately. I have disconnected my caller ID, saving me $7.00 per month. When I drink milk or juice, I add water to the glass first.
I have gotten myself in a bind and don't know how to get out. I owe a lot of money for my property tax. I also owe lots of other little bills that add up to big bill. Does any body have any recommendations, insights, etc.?
Paying Your Bills on Time and Saving on Postage
I have been paying many of my bills over the phone with my debit card. It is a win-win situation. Not only do I save writing a check and saving a stamp...
Paying Ahead on Utility Bills in Australia
Once I got my act together and my finances I organised for all my regular bills to be paid by BPAY with the credit union (community bank) account...
Have you ever wanted anything so much that you were willing to put off your bills to get it? A lot of people have and some do it month after month. The worst part of this is that these same people wonder why they are having money problems.
Watch Out When Paying Bills by Phone
Our bank has encouraged it's customers to NEVER pay bills over the phone. They have had many scary stories about things that went wrong for their customers when they did that.
To avoid late payment fees and possible interest rate increases on your credit cards, make sure to send in your payment 7-10 days before the payment due date. Late payments on one credit card can increase fees and interest rates on your other credit cards.
Paying Off Your Credit Cards and Other Bills
If you maintain a balance on your credit cards you are probably paying hundreds of dollars a year in interest. This is money that could be put to better use.
Most checking accounts now include a Billpay feature. My account has Pay My Bills and it is free. It works better for me than Automatic Pay. We have a tight budget, and with automatic payments on my bills, I would have to worry about having enough money in the account when the creditor decided to withdraw his payment. With Pay My Bills, I choose the date the payment is made.
Benefits Of Online Bill Paying
Snail mail bill paying may not reach the company on time and they may assess you a late fee. Paying online, you set up a debit account with the company, so only the last numbers of your checking account show when you pay.
Saving On Postage, Pay Bills With A Credit Card
Mailing separate bills gets expensive and the postage is due to go up. I charge bills on a credit card and then pay it off each month. Only if you are a disciplined person and pay the entire credit card bill off each month should you consider this tip. You don't want to pay interest.
Paying Bills Online - Save Money on Stamps
Most utility companies, credit card companies, etc. offer the option of paying your bill on-line. This is an easy way to save money on stamps, checks, and bank processing fees. By Leann D
When you are budgeting for the year ahead, I have one of the simplest and worry free ways to deal with big annual bills like car insurance, property taxes and any other bill that is going to hit your pocketbook once a year.
Help Prevent Check Theft: Use Gel Ink Pen When Writing Checks
I used to work at a bank and once during our monthly meeting a couple of investigators from the DA's office came to talk to us about different scams; identity theft, etc. They told us to NEVER use a regular ball point pen to write a check as the ink could be "washed" and the check could be re-used. They said to always use a gel ink pen, that the gel ink wouldn't wash off. They demonstrated by putting some regular nail polish remover in a small bowl and dipping the check and using a cotton ball to wipe until all the ink was off. Some crooks are very meticulous and leave the signature intact; but that's not really necessary since banks clear clecks electronically and only spot check signatures. If there is such a problem, though, your bank will refund the monies lost after filing a police report. By Margaret
It took me several years, but I finally figured out how to manage my families finances so we never worry about the bills.
Budgeting When Your Paycheck Varies
How can you decide how much you have for bills and expenses when your paycheck varies from one payday to the next? That's a question a lot of people struggle with.
Change Your Bill Due Dates to Align with Your Paydays
Sometimes due dates on bills don't align with my paydays. If this happens, I simply call the company and ask if I can change when my account comes due. For example, payday is the 1st and 15th, so I ask for a due date of 8th or 22nd. This gives the mail plenty of time to get there.
What To Pay When You Can't Pay Everything
With ever increasing consumer debt more of us are finding ourselves robbing Peter to pay Paul each month. We go through our bills and find that the money just won't stretch far enough to cover all of the bills and expenses. It's hard to decide who you should pay when you have one bill that is stamped with "Final Notice" and you are behind on several of your other bills.
Gary,
My husband has been out of work for 5 months and the income he did bring in when he was working was double what I currently bring in. Needless to say, my checks and the unemployment is not paying the bills. I am starting to panic because bill collectors are calling daily. I cannot tell them when I can make payments so they continuously call at home and work. I feel like I am going to lose my mind because of this!
I am making sure that my house payment is paid, utilities, car insurance, but everything else is getting severely behind. What do I do? Do we have any way of getting out of this mess? Any rights?
SS in WA
Gary,
I once heard a financial planner say you can reduce the numbers of years it takes to pay your house off. She said that if you make one extra house payment a year, you could reduce a 30-year mortgage to 22 years and a 15-year mortgage to a 12 years. Can you please explain how this works?
RM in FL
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My Frugal Life: Dealing With Big Bills
I have been hit with many big bills lately. I have disconnected my caller ID, saving me $7.00 per month. When I drink milk or juice, I add water to the glass first.
