It is easy to forget to pay a bill when it gets mixed up with junk mail. With a system for organizing bills, you will always get your bills paid on time. This is a guide on organizing bills.
Organizing the household bills and making sure they get paid on time shouldn't be a problem. My process:
I open all mail immediately upon bringing it into the house. If I cannot do that, at least the bills are pulled out and placed in my bill-paying spot on my desk. This is where they stay until the next payday rolls around.
I pay bills on (or around) the 1st and 15th days of the month, paydays. I write my tithe check to my church first, then I go through all the bills that have already been placed in the bill slot of a table top organizer that sits on my desk. Any designated spot will do.
I use my credit union's free web bill-pay program and go through the pile to determine which are due before the next payday. Those get paid and all the related paper work is completed, notes made on the statements, and they are filed.
I do not use auto-bill pay for anything since I want to see the invoices before paying them to prevent any mistaken charges on the account being paid without my knowledge or permission. I also like the paper statements in my file so I, or anyone, can pull out any past statements without internet access or any passwords. This works well for me. I need the paper reminders and I rely on myself to get them paid, not my bank. So if anything goes wrong, I know I've done my part of the process and have no trouble being accountable for that.
By Leslie from Portsmouth, VA
I purchased a Rubbermaid sorter in the office supply section at Wal-mart. It has 4 slots in it and they go from small in front to large in back. It was only $2.00. When I get my bills in the mail, I instantly open them. On the front of the envelope, I put the date that the bill needs paid by and amount to be paid.
The 4 sections in the sorter are for each week in the month. I then put the bills in the slot that corresponds with the week it needs to be paid such as 1st slot is for 1st week of month, 2nd slot second week of month and so on. On Sunday of every week I make sure that all bills in first slot are gone and put in a folder marked paid. I do this for every week throughout the month.
I also have a small calendar that I keep with the sorter and I mark off each week and write the bills that were paid for that week. This way as new bills come in you will not get confused as to why there may be a bills in 1st week slot or so on. I have the sorter on my desk where I pay and sort all bills. It sits on top of the folder for paid bills so then everything is there together. You can also keep a notebook which does come in handy as well. This notebook is where I write everything down so I can keep track of how much bills were last to this month and so on.
By Karmen from Dupo, IL
I am on Social Security and I pay all my bills on the 3rd of each month. When a bill comes in I open it, write the amount in a notebook, and place the bill in a old refrigerator bin I keep in my desk. That way when the 3rd comes around all my bills and amounts are written down. I check them off after I pay them.
I have filled one notebook over the past 10 years and on my second one now. I can look back and see what I paid last year or last month.
By Marie from Gainesville, TX
I am the one who handles the finances in our home (and my husband is about to learn). One day, my husband called me and asked, "Where is the last cable bill and who is it with?"
It was then and there that I realized I needed to reorganize the tabs on the hanging file folders I use after paying bills. Instead of the tab reading "ATandT" for our cell phone, I changed it to "CELL PHONE"; instead of "City of Watauga" for the water bill, I changed it to "WATER"; instead of "DISH NETWORK", I changed it to "CABLE"; and so on. This has helped him greatly when looking for something and I'm not at home. I hope it helps you as well!
By Donna
A desk by the front door with a desk calendar are necessities for me. I open all mail immediately and log bill due dates on the calendar. Bills are then placed in an "accounts payable" folder with due date and creditor's phone number on the front of the envelope.
Most bills are paid over the phone. As a bill is paid, it is checked off the calendar and moved from the folder to a "paid" bin with date paid and confirmation number on the face of the envelope. At the end of the month, this stack is bundled with a rubber band and placed neatly by month order in a decorative basket for future reference.
I assign a pen color for each kind of notation on the calendar. Red ink notes bill and amount due. Appointments are in black ink. Birthdays are logged in with blue ink (18 grandchildren). A quick glance at the beginning of the week keeps me on target.
The desk calendar allows me to easily flip back to previous months for bill comparison or payment confirmation. By saving the previous year's calendar under the present one, year to year bills can be easily compared and birthdays can be transferred readily to the new calendar year.
By Marie from AL
I use baggies for everything. When all my bills are paid I put all the invoices in a baggie and put the month/year on the outside. That way if I ever have to go back to find something it's easy. I used to use folders but when I would pick them up all the stuff would fall out.
By Pattie Ochoa from San Diego, CA
I use a Home Finance Bill Organizer to organize when and how much I pay each month. It has a page for each month with a pocket for bills and notes, a section to list date due, expense type, amount and when paid. I fill each month out with the bills that are the same each month. Then I add all the other bills on the list that have varying amounts to be paid. As they are paid, I put a check mark beside them. That way I know at a glance what is still due and it is really helpful.
You can find these organizers at places like Office Depot, probably Wal-Mart, or some dollar stores. I found my last one at a church rummage sale. It was new and never used. It has pictures of beautiful plants and flowers on each page. I hope this will be as helpful to others as it has been to me.
By Gloria R. from Seguin, TX
Every year, I buy a monthly planner (approx. 10 x 8 inches) at the dollar store. When my bills arrive, either in the mail or online (I print them out ASAP), I put them in the appropriate month in my planner. I also write who I owe and the amount due in the box for the day its due. My planner stays right on my desk so all I have to do is turn to the current month; all the bills payable, the amount, and the dates due are right at hand.
I also picked a day of the month to sit down and pay all the bills. Doing it online, I can pay in advance. When the bill is paid, I write 'PAID' over it in red ink in my planner. Just don't forget to print a copy of the payment and confirmation number or write it on the bill. This has worked very well for me for years.
By vk from Midland, MI
As soon as I open a bill, I put it on my computer keyboard. Next time I'm online, I schedule the payment to be made 2 days before it is due. That feature allows me to pay when the bill is due without any fear of forgetting it. Also, making contributions this way gives you an easy way to keep track of when you last donated.
By Jen from Cincinnati, OH
How do you organize your files with your bank statements, credit card statements, tax deductible items, home insurance, medical insurance, pay stubs, etc.? Year after year.
By piki viki
11/06/2007
I have a realy strong magnet with a clip on it that I put all my unpaid bill on that I keep on my refig. I write the amount and date due on each envelope. When paid I write ck# on bill or staple online reciept to bill and place in monthtly bills file. I have files for credit card info, pay stubs, online purchases and bank statements. Just remember to file the same way everytime ie most resent in front. Also purge your files everyonce in a while. Might want to consider a fire safe for valubles like wills, home and car titles, savings bonds etc.
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