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Love the Worn and Ugly (Saddles)
Posts: 1937
   
| Besides the auto pay bills, how do you keep track of what is due and when.
Do you keep a binder seperates by month and put bills in that as they come in? Do you pay as soon as they come in or wait until a week before and mail out? Do you file paid bills somewhere else by month or by type? I am hoping to be more organized in 2014. |
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 Dancing in my Mind
Posts: 3062
Location: Eastern OH but my heart is in WV | I am no help with the organization part but up until early this year, I refused to get on board with the auto pay thing. All the bills would get paid every month but I am not going to lie, not every thing was on time. A large part of that had to do with my lack of time and organization. However, I finally got on board with the auto pay and I have to say now "Why didn't I do it sooner!" It has made life so much easier and one less thing to worry about. I just watch the bank account and make sure every thing is covered. Would not want to go back to mailing in my payments. |
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 Works Hard For The Money
Posts: 4469
Location: Memphis, TN | Do you have an iPhone? I use an app called BillTracker. I just use the lite/free version. I set up an account for each bill and for the ones that fluctuate each month I will enter my amount due as soon as I receive the bill. We get paid every two weeks so what I do is a month ahead I total up the bills due within each pay period and budget each paycheck. I take out tithe, bills, and then what we average for gas in a two week period and a trip to the grocery store. I buy groceries to last 2-3 weeks. Past that is what we know we will have for "play money". We have it set so that a certain amount comes out of each pay check automatically and goes straight to savings. When I budget the paycheck I budget off of what the total is after savings come out. We usually buy our dog food and horse feed once a month. Diapers every two weeks. Walmart items like paper products and cleaning items once a month. The idea is not to be buying smaller items every single week. I still file our paper bills just as a second check thing. We bought a simple file holder from Walmart and made a file for each account. I stack each bill in order due on top and after I've paid a bill I put it into its file for record. I know what is still on top is what is still due. I try to pay online or by phone as much as possible. Specifically if there is not an extra fee to do so. With our water bill they charge a small fee but I pay it because it's cheaper than driving into town to pay it in person. I only mail off doctor bills, lawyer bills, or bills that aren't a routine/monthly occurrence. It will take some time to get it where you want. We had to stop "playing" for a while until we got ours straight and on schedule. |
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 GRD's Fan Club Advisior
Posts: 6750
Location: Lost in Texas | I have a app on my phone plus a huge calendar that hangs in the kitchen that shows what is due and when. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 816
| pay as soon as they arrive in the mail. Most get sent out the next day. I only keep a copy of the bill until the check clears the bank and then shred them. No need to hold on to all the paper unless it can be written off on taxes. If it can be wrote off then I will file it under that GL account. Vehicle maintenance, fuel, vet bills, copy of checks from jackpots, rodeo, etc, for proof of income.
Edited by JRC 2013-11-11 9:10 AM
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 Dr. Ebay
Posts: 8507
Location: Land Of Oz | I am on a mac at work and I use the iCal. I enter the bill due date and choose for it to repeat monthly. As I pay the bills, I delete each off of the calendar for that one only (it asks). I sync with iCloud, so it's on my phone calendar also. If I add something on my phone it shows up on my computer calendar and vice versa. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 667
| I plan out every month old fashion.... pen and paper... I write down the usual bills that I have every month.. rent..phone..electric..cable...insurance..water ect.. I have set dates on those.. most are set up on auto pay. Then I have another column for bills that I didnt expect, but know that I have.. I put checks that I wrote in this area too. I check my account daily and hight light off my list as each bill goes through.. That way when I check my account I know the balance is less the highlighted bills... works for me this way. |
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 Popped
Posts: 20421
Location: LuluLand~along I64 Indiana | my auto pay is with my bank. i enter each bill as it comes in (or when i sit down with a stack) and enter it to be paid on its due date. other misc bills i will fit in in a pay period that has extra cash left over. if i run short a week i will change a due date to accomodate the shortage that week.
I like doing it thru the bank vs thru setting it up with each biller. i have more direct control on when they are pulled from my account and i dont like having entered my banking info into each of the billers data bases. this way they get their checks on time and i dont have the hassle of worring about entering the info on more than one site or keeping track in two places. |
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 Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| I haven't quite moved to the auto pay … on everything. Some things require it. I created a table or chart that lists all my monthly bills .. mortgage, insurance, etc … in one column, the date paid, amount paid, any confirmation code from on-line pay any notes to myself (i.e. due dates, balances, etc). I also have space for extras … HOA (that occur quarterly), taxes, etc … I print off 12 sheets - one for each month. Since I work at home, I pay bills once a month … everything. When I was paid bi weekly, I would alternate … one paycheck the mortgage and the other the smaller bills … I also pay it whether its due or not. I also round up bills, such as a car payment. If a bill is 280, I try to round up to 300 and budget that way. You eventually end up ahead and that has saved me a time or two.
I need to get better and more organized, however, this has worked for me in the past. It also makes me feel a little more "in control" if I write it down. With the auto pay stuff, I forget its coming out sometimes. Plus, actually having to sit down and pay makes me pay attention to what I spend. If I auto paid everything, I probably would be in major broke status! |
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 World 4D Champ
Posts: 28264
Location: PA | I have a two part system.
I keep an excel spreadsheet. One the first tab is the budget, the second tab is my receipt tracker for the month, and the third is all the bills I pay a month. On the Bills tab I have all the bills in order of when they are due down the one side, and across the top is the month. After I pay a bill, I put PD in the month/bill slot.
The second part to my systen, is paper/pen. For the month, I write down each paycheck day, and the bills I will pay out of that paycheck, and then as the month goes on, any bills that pop up, i'll go to that page, and add it in.
I used to be really bad with budgeting and keeping track of expenses...its way to easy to spend spend spend when you don't keep track. Been doing this for almost 2 years, and I won't do anything else. It works for me. |
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 The Bird Lady
Posts: 6440
Location: The end of the Earth, SE AR | We get paid every two weeks. I have my bills grouped into "pay by the 5th and pay by the 20th. I sit down twice a month and pay bills. If I can pay online, I do, but I don't do auto-pay. I have a basket that sits just above my pc monitor and I have the bills in there and write on the envelope the due date if its something that needs to be paid on a specific day without penalties, such as credit card bill. That way everytime I sit down at the computer I glance up and see the bills due date!
My system is not the best because if bill doens't get to me cause it gets lost in the mail, I forget to pay it.
I also enter everything into MS Money.
I wish magic fairy would take over bill paying as well as put an extra $10k in my checking account every month. See, I don't ask for much.
Edited by rollingrfarm 2013-11-11 9:46 AM
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 963
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas. | I use a bullitin board by my front door beings we never have company and i hang the water and light bill there and a note to remind me to make the house payment. and we both save 80 dollars for gas. Every year we pay our Car insurance out for the whole year so we don't have to make a payment each month. and if there is any money left over i get like 20 bucks a month and so doesn't hubby. once they are payed i wright payed on the bill and i also wright the date i payed it.
Edited by txkrystal 2013-11-11 4:59 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 232
| I just pay them as I get them weekly. Then I don't have to worry about them. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 733
| This is what I do because I am horrible at remembering stuff. I have a "bill" account, a separate checking account that I put x amount of dollars in every month (or when ever depending on when you get paid) I am self employed so on the first of every month I put the money in their. I then have online bill pay through my bank, it will mail checks out for you so I have all my monthly bills set up through that. Its nice because even if the company doesn't have auto-pay this just mails them a check. I have most of them set up on auto-pay but for other bills that the amount varies I just get on my computer, log into online banking, put in the amount, and set the date it needs to paid, for some reason that is just easier than physically mailing a check. For other bills that are not monthly I make sure I pay them right when I get them other wise I will forget. I have found since I started using a bill account my life got alot less stressful, I am not constantly worrying about how much money I will have left after I pay my bills and everything. I just sat down did a budget of my monthly bills the my gas and grocery money (I get that out in cash). I put the amount needed to pay my bills in my bill account, a set amount goes in my "rodeo" account, a set amount in my savings account and the extra goes in my money market account.
Edited by Rope-N-Run 2013-11-11 5:39 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 172
| TNcowgirl88 - 2013-11-11 10:10 AM
I plan out every month old fashion.... pen and paper... I write down the usual bills that I have every month.. rent..phone..electric..cable...insurance..water ect.. I have set dates on those.. most are set up on auto pay. Then I have another column for bills that I didnt expect, but know that I have.. I put checks that I wrote in this area too. I check my account daily and hight light off my list as each bill goes through.. That way when I check my account I know the balance is less the highlighted bills... works for me this way.
this is exactly what I do! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I have reminders on my iPad calendar. I already have a good idea of what bills get paid with what paycheck, so When I get paid, I pay all my bills at once, that way they are never late. The only time I will write a check is if there's a convenience charge to pay online (school tuition) and if the timing won't be right....like if I don't have the full amount due, but will by the time they deposit the check and it clears with the bank. I do that with my student loan at the end of the month....sometimes I can't decide which paycheck will cover that one.
i don't like doing automatic payments because my paycheck amount varies, plus I like to pay more than the minimum on my cards and it all depends on the current balance. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | recarlerrab - 2013-11-11 4:56 PM TNcowgirl88 - 2013-11-11 10:10 AM I plan out every month old fashion.... pen and paper... I write down the usual bills that I have every month.. rent..phone..electric..cable...insurance..water ect.. I have set dates on those.. most are set up on auto pay. Then I have another column for bills that I didnt expect, but know that I have.. I put checks that I wrote in this area too. I check my account daily and hight light off my list as each bill goes through.. That way when I check my account I know the balance is less the highlighted bills... works for me this way. this is exactly what I do!
Big ditto. I balance my checkbook as well. |
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 Own It and Move On
Location: The edge of no where | Online bill pay thru my bank.
Easy to see exactly what the monthly bills are, and schedule when to send them.
That way there is always an easy record going back as far as I need to track something. |
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10D Crack Champion
| Good thread. Anyone get paid once a month? If so, do you split your bills over the month? Do you pay them all at once? ....and then just eat feathers the rest of the month. LOL |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 963
Location: Deep in the heart of Texas. | sodapop - 2013-11-11 7:17 PM
Good thread. Anyone get paid once a month? If so, do you split your bills over the month? Do you pay them all at once? ....and then just eat feathers the rest of the month. LOL
My husband gets payed once a month. We pay our house payment first then food , water , lights and gas for the car and truck then if anything is left we may have some spending money. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | I have everything on autopay - loan payments, mortgage, insurance, gas, transfers to savings, etc. I have all my accounts email bills (eco-friendly)I keep an excel sheet to track my balances. |
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 Texas Lone Star
Posts: 5318
Location: where ever my L/Q trl is parked | I get paid on the 1st of the month everything gets paid that day no matter when it's due. I pay cash for everything , no credit cards, so only have mortgage and utilities. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8552
Location: sunny california | i get paid once per month and would rather have all of it come out the first week. I use auto pay and the bills I pay are the same month to month. |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 443
Location: Southern IL somewhere between KY and MO | barrelracin85 - 2013-11-11 8:55 AM Do you have an iPhone? I use an app called BillTracker. I just use the lite/free version. I set up an account for each bill and for the ones that fluctuate each month I will enter my amount due as soon as I receive the bill. We get paid every two weeks so what I do is a month ahead I total up the bills due within each pay period and budget each paycheck. I take out tithe, bills, and then what we average for gas in a two week period and a trip to the grocery store. I buy groceries to last 2-3 weeks. Past that is what we know we will have for "play money". We have it set so that a certain amount comes out of each pay check automatically and goes straight to savings. When I budget the paycheck I budget off of what the total is after savings come out. We usually buy our dog food and horse feed once a month. Diapers every two weeks. Walmart items like paper products and cleaning items once a month. The idea is not to be buying smaller items every single week. I still file our paper bills just as a second check thing. We bought a simple file holder from Walmart and made a file for each account. I stack each bill in order due on top and after I've paid a bill I put it into its file for record. I know what is still on top is what is still due. I try to pay online or by phone as much as possible. Specifically if there is not an extra fee to do so. With our water bill they charge a small fee but I pay it because it's cheaper than driving into town to pay it in person. I only mail off doctor bills, lawyer bills, or bills that aren't a routine/monthly occurrence. It will take some time to get it where you want. We had to stop "playing" for a while until we got ours straight and on schedule.
Could I marry you?? Or would you be my accountant/bill organizer LOL |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| BRcwgrl81 - 2013-11-11 9:22 AM I have a two part system.
I keep an excel spreadsheet. One the first tab is the budget, the second tab is my receipt tracker for the month, and the third is all the bills I pay a month. On the Bills tab I have all the bills in order of when they are due down the one side, and across the top is the month. After I pay a bill, I put PD in the month/bill slot.
The second part to my systen, is paper/pen. For the month, I write down each paycheck day, and the bills I will pay out of that paycheck, and then as the month goes on, any bills that pop up, i'll go to that page, and add it in.
I used to be really bad with budgeting and keeping track of expenses...its way to easy to spend spend spend when you don't keep track. Been doing this for almost 2 years, and I won't do anything else. It works for me.
This is exactly what I do, too. I have a "budget binder" that I carry with me everywhere that is filled with looseleaf paper, and I typically have the next 6-12 months budgeted at any given time. That way I can make sure I've planned for things like propane, property taxes, etc at a time when we have the extra room in the budget to pay for them, or save over a few pay periods if necessary. For instance, since we had to turn our furnace on in October this year I know that we will most likely need to buy propane in late Dec/early Jan and probably again in March. I will write those into the budget for those months and adjust the "left over/savings" amount. At the beginning of each month I re-write the budget so that it looks nice.
We are each paid every two weeks, but on opposite weeks, so a paycheck comes in every week. My husband makes more so I use his paycheck as the starting date for a two week period. I write all bills for those two weeks in a column, including gas, food, animals and savings. In the next column I write what I am budgeting for the category and in a third column I write what I actually spend. With what's left over I plan exactly what I want to do with the extra and make sure that gets done right away also. I also keep a running total of what is in our savings accounts (I have multiple dedicated savings accounts for various things) each month so that I can see the progress we're making.
In Excel, I do the exact same thing as BRcwgrl81, but I also have another spreadsheet that lists any debts we have, how much is owed, the interest rate, and the monthly payment.
I love to budget, it's my favorite  |
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Love the Worn and Ugly (Saddles)
Posts: 1937
| I havent gotten a chance to read through all these yet but i saved the thread so i can in the morning. Thank you for the tips! |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7264
| Wow, I get a bill and pay it. You guys make it sound so complicated! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 425
Location: GA | I haven't read all of the replies so if someone already said this.. sorry!
Most everything is on auto pay, but I have a calendar hanging on my fridge in the kitchen. It shows when everything is due so I know what's coming out of the account that week.
There are a couple of things I have to send a check for.. let's say the bill is due on the fifth of the month, I have it writtin on the first saying "send check out for water". It works pretty well for me because I'm always in the kitchen for something and it's always there for me to see.
I also have a file in my desk for each bill that comes in.. even if that bill is on auto pay, I slip it into it's file.
Hope this makes some sense. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 806
Location: Arkansas | sodapop - 2013-11-11 7:17 PM Good thread. Anyone get paid once a month? If so, do you split your bills over the month? Do you pay them all at once? ....and then just eat feathers the rest of the month. LOL
I get paid on the 20th.. My check pays all of the bills. I have it go into an account that is for paying bills only. All bills are on autopay except for specials like medical, copays, memberships for insurance, etcs. I have each written in my check register and I write each bill in as soon as I get them in the mail or email and deduct it from the balance right then. I will check it off as it clears. This way I know how much I have. My husband gets paid twice a month and his check is auto deposited into that account as well. I transfer our "weekly allowance" into a joint account, and 10% of each check to savings. When it is time for my payday to role around again, IF any money is actually "earned" or left in the account it is transferred to savings as well.
When we get our taxes back, we go pay our property taxes for the year. We try to make an improvement to our place, pay on something we may owe on, and put the rest to savings. We have managed to pay off our vehicles, and we do not have any credit card debt. I check our accounts daily and watch where our money is being spent each month to see where we can make some cuts. Last month, husbands job was transferred to a different location and fuel took a huge % of our earnings. We did the math and saw that if we bought an older (90s-early 2000s) model car that we could pay cash for and got 25+ mpg then we would make money. Things like that...
I have never been good with keeping up with my money until I had children. I always thought I would make more next month, and I ate a lot of 25 cent crackers for lunch! Now, that I have began really watching it we are much less stressed knowing exactly where we are. I think you just have to find what works for you! Good luck to the OP!
Edited by Esther 2013-11-12 8:45 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 1392
Location: Central Texas | I get paid once a month. I sit down and pay everything at one time. Most bills I pay online but not autopay. Then I try and put some money in savings and the rest is what I have to live on....food, gas, going out etc. |
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 Dr. Ruth
Posts: 9891
Location: Blissfully happy Giants fan!!! | I use an excel spreadsheet. I have two columns-one is my budget and one is what I actually spend. The bills and expenses that are regular occurrences for I know how much they will cost me. I know generally how much I will have left over at the end of the month.
Everyday I go in and check my bank account and have my spreadsheet open. Every single thing that I spend goes into that spreadsheet so I know how much is going to what.
I get paid every two weeks and I make sure I know what discretionary spending I have or what can be moved to savings. I am religious about monitoring my bank account and my excel spreadsheet. |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | We only have our vehicle insurance on auto pay. That's a scary deal to me. I don't like people reaching into my account. LOL. We have a list of our bills, magneted to the fridge. As the bills come in, they get paid, then get crossed off. Very simple. Efficient. And I know exactly what money is coming and going. |
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 Ms. Potato Head
Posts: 9162
Location: BFE, Idaho | JRC - 2013-11-11 8:06 AM pay as soon as they arrive in the mail. Most get sent out the next day. I only keep a copy of the bill until the check clears the bank and then shred them. No need to hold on to all the paper unless it can be written off on taxes. If it can be wrote off then I will file it under that GL account. Vehicle maintenance, fuel, vet bills, copy of checks from jackpots, rodeo, etc, for proof of income.
I am paid only once a month so have to really be careful.
This is exactly what I do. I do have a written budget but have used it for so long that unless something changes I do not need to look at it.
I pay within 3 days of bill arriving.
Monthly: I only have 3 bills that are not auto pay. And 3 that are auto pay.
Every 6 months: Car/trailer insurance/property taxes
Every year: Home insurance
Also every month I have a set amount that I put into a savings fund, one for horses and general house, then one for taxes and insurance(It does not come out of my mortage), and one for emergency.
The thing I really need to work on is eating out, we live so far out of town that if I have meetings or daughter has a game we eat in town. I need to organize my fridge/freezer better so I can have things to pack in the cooler and not spend that wasted money.
Gas and diesel are my biggest expense it is 17+ miles one way to anywhere. And I have two vehicles going back and forth everyday. At least for one more year then daughter is off to college.
Edited by Idaho 2013-11-12 10:45 AM
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Tell It Like It Is
Posts: 22025
Location: Wyoming | I refuse to have anything on auto-pay.
I pay bills as they come in.
I write everything down. I don't balance the checkbook every month, ( I know I should, just don't )
but I do keep really good track of what is paid out and double check my math.
I also keep quite a bit hidden in the back...just in case. |
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Love the Worn and Ugly (Saddles)
Posts: 1937
| Does anybody use one of those binders I see everywhere on Pinterest for home life organizing. I started one but its overwhelming. I do like the bill binders tho and I think it'll help me be more organized. |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I honestly just like my lists and have all the websites saved so I can pay online. Sometimes I'll map out 3 paychecks just in case there is something special coming up. Helps you get a good idea or what's coming up and what you might pay early to allow for a bigger bill next month. And balancing my checkbook!! This is a must for me. All I need is my calendar, and the checkbook register. Spreadsheets and planners and organizers seems like they are more work than it's worth. I also shred all my bills that I've paid--everything is confirmed online, and I write down confirmation numbers as I pay stuff. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1295
Location: Chehalis, Washington | I have a planner I buy for the year. I use it to keep trak of when I buy hay, get feet done, when I work, when we get paid, when bills are due, etc.
Each month I write down what bills we have. I start with Mortgage, then PUD, then car payements, etc etc etc. I write the day they are due, the amount, if there auto pay, or if I need to write a check and mail it etc. I then once it clears via auto pay, or I send out a check I mark it off.
I use my paycheck to pay the mortgage sense Im paid the last day of each month. Then we use the hubbys checks to pay the misc bills and for gas and groceries hobbies etc. It has taken me 8 years of marriage to figure out a system that works!
I do not pay bills when they come in, I pay them on time though. I send out checks a few days before there due. Just because of the way our pay periods fall.
Start out with a piece of paper and write down ALL of your monthly bills expenses and in coming. And figure out a method that works for you! I also keep the bills that come int he mail until I know there paid for sure and then toss them. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2492
| I plan out my monthly budget on mint.com
This website sends me alerts when monthly bills are due and allows me to track my Networth. |
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What is your monthly bill pay system? I need help:(