Do you have an easy bill paying system... or does your mail lay in piles around the house? Are your bills sandwiched between Southern Living magazine and the Ballard Design catalog and lots of messy papers?
I HATE PAYING BILLS!
I don't have a mind for numbers and I think accounting is my own personal h__l!
But I'm not really into the idea of bill collectors calling me on the phone or knocking at my door...
So, I came up with an EASY system to pay all our bills. A system that is very clear cut and organized and doesn't take a lot of time...
I know that many of us have bills paid automatically these days or pay most of our bills online.
What a huge help!
But what about all those paper bills in our mailboxes that continue to come every day?
Don't keep piling them up...
Put all bills in a safe, organized place and then make an appointment with yourself to pay them!
Here's where I keep all of our bills...
In a spiral bound binder with pocket dividers.
You could use a loose leaf binder with pocket dividers, or regular old folders with a rubber band around them. It really doesn't matter. It's the system that does!
The first file pocket holds stamps, envelopes, and return address labels... as well as a check book.
The second file pocket holds all bills that I must act on NOW!
Like proposals, bills that you think might be wrong, etc. Deal with them daily... EVERYDAY!
The rest of the file pockets are labeled 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28 and 29-31... the number of days in the longest months of the year.
When a bill comes to StoneGable I file it in the appropriate pocket by the due date.
Let's say that my monthly car payment is due on the 13th of a certain month... the bill and envelope goes into the pocket labeled
8 ~ 14
Or my annual sorority payment is due on the 20th of a month... this bill along with the envelope goes in the pocket labeled
15~21
File the bill in the pocket that corresponds to the due date.
Do this EVERY DAY for EVERY BILL!
(What do you do with the rest of the mail, you ask? Great question. That was covered in a recent post...
If you do this EVERY DAY for EVERY BILL you will never misplace or lose another bill again!
My mailbox is at the end of our driveway. I sort all the mail in my car or garage and throw away all mail that isn't important before I take it in the house!
Open your mail the day it is delivered and put all bills in the bill paying system!
Now here come the really hard part!!!! You MUST schedule an appointment to pay your bills in a consistent manner!
You need to find a comfortable way to pay your bills according to the money coming into your home.
MAKE A DATE TO PAY YOUR BILLS... AND KEEP IT!
Here's how I do it.
I like to pay bills weekly. I set an hour aside once a week to deal with all upcoming bills!
I like to pay bills 10 days ahead of their due date, especially if I am mailing them.
Remember you are paying bills that are coming due!
So.... If it is the 15th of a month, I subtract 10 from 15 and get 5. Five falls in the 1~7 file pocket range. I pay all the bills in the 1~5 pocket on the 15th... online or by check!
These bills are all due on the next month between the 1st and the 7th.
If it is the 20th of a month, I subtract 10 from 20 and get 10. Ten falls into the 8~14 file pocket range so I pay all the bills in the 8~14 pocket... online or by check!
These are bills that are due on the next month between the 8th and the 14th.
Let's pretend it is the 3th of August. Then I need a calendar and count back 10 days. That would be the 24th. The twenty-fourth falls in the 22~28 pocket range.
I would pay all the bills in the 22-28 pocket... on line or by check!
These are bills that are due between August 22nd and August 28th!
It's really very very easy!
Remember to set up a bill payment schedule that works for you and be consistent!
I keep my easy and organized bill payment system in a mesh file holder along with my CLUTTER BUSTING FILES!
That is the whole CLUTTER FREE, EASY AND ORGANIZED PAPER AND BILL PAYING SYSTEM!!! All in one file holder!
A thing of beauty!!!!
NO MORE MESSY PILES OF BILLS
NO MORE LATE BILLS
NO MORE MISPLACED OR LOST BILLS
EASY TO USE SYSTEM
KEEP ORGANIZED
Isn't that EASY and so ORGANIZED! ...I know!
I hope you try this system!
Pin this to your Pinterest Organization board for future reference!
