The 2nd step to getting your monthly bills organized:
If step #1 is to
get all of your monthly bills in one location what is the 2nd step?
Overwhelming isn’t it? You have finally found a method to gather your monthly
bills in one location, at least for this month, and the pile… it just looks
overwhelming.
If you are using the snail mail method of gathering your monthly bills then you
probably had to dig through a pile about 5 inches thick of junk mail just to get to
your bills that are due. If you are using email to gather all of your bills
hopefully you used email rules to filter all of the bills to one folder or
you are just using one email address specifically for those pesky bills.
My preferred method is a single email box set up to capture inbound monthly
bills. I want one address that nobody knows but my vendors, an address that is
permanent, one that will
never change.
Regardless of your gathering method once you get those bills into a pile it’s time
to sit down and get them ready to be paid. This leads me to the 2nd step in
organizing your monthly bills. Step #2 is:
SCHEDULE A TIME AT LEAST TWICE A
MONTH TO ORGANIZE AND SCHEDULE THE BILLS FOR PAYMENT - PREFERABLY ON THE
DAY OR DAY AFTER YOU GET PAID
This sounds
simple, schedule a time, but I bet less than 10% of the people reading this pay
their monthly bills as they come in. If you are not paying them as they come due
then you are letting them pile up.
I’m okay with the pile, but the larger the pile the more time it takes to get
organized. If you are not organized then it’s more of a chore.
This 2nd step is simple but you have probably already found that without a
scheduled bill paying day it’s hard to make paying the monthly bills part of
your routine. After all it is a chore, worse than taking out the trash or mowing
the lawn.
This I have to insist on, put that time in your calendar, just like you do for
all your other appointments you have to keep. If you stick to a schedule each
and every month, I promise it will get easier. I want it
to become a habit, pay the monthly bills the day after you get paid.
The best method of setting the time to pay the bills is to set the time when you
get paid. If you get paid direct deposit every other Friday then set that
Saturday as the monthly bill paying day. The reason I like to schedule this
chore the day right after you get paid is... you will have the money in your
account to pay the bills!
Now there is a
simple but effective idea, pay the bills when you have money and the chore
doesn't seem as bad taking out the trash anymore. It seems doable, manageable,
and you will have a sense of satisfaction getting those monthly bills off your
plate.
One more thing that I would recommend when setting a schedule - set a time to
remind yourself a few days ahead so your monthly bill paying day doesn’t creep up
on you. If you set a reminder you will be ready for the monthly bill paying day and you will be in the right frame of mind
as well.
Step #2: In order to
get your monthly bills organized you need to set a schedule a bill paying day.
At least twice a month, preferably the day right after you get paid. |