How do you remember to pay bills?

[investingnoob]

Hey guys,
Just curious as to how you guys remember what bills to pay and when?

I just use notepad on my computer what is unpaid and paid with the dates.


Is there any software you guys use to make it organized and efficient?

[mom-from-missouri]

I have a special bill calendar and I write them (company and $$) on the calendar on the date it should be mailed, or if online, the date to pay it.

[cooliemae]

I use the bill feature in Quicken which automatically enters them into my ledger. I then write a memo (usually the confirmation number) once I've scheduled the payment.

[kork13]

I called all of the companies that I owe regular bills to and had them adjust my due date to be on/about the first of every month. Then I just go into my online bill-pay site and go down the list and get everything paid all at once. Simplicity.

[disneysteve]

I only have a few bills that I pay manually - the mortgage, two credit cards, auto insurance and one or two others. Everything else is on auto-pay. I'd say the easiest way to "remember" to pay your bills is to pay them when you receive them. Don't let them sit and risk getting lost or forgotten. If you don't have the funds available right away, use your online bill paying service to schedule the payment for a later date. That way you are done and don't have to worry about it anymore.

[Coronet]

I have a spreadsheet that I check off when I pay each bill. I also set reminders on my iPhone to alert me when something's due soon, but typically I pay all my bills the second week of the month.

[Pansori]

I get statements automatically sent to my e-mail, and I also write it in my daily planner. I generally send a payment when I get the bill. I do pay my utilities over the phone... don't know how I got into that habit, but that is how I have been doing it for the last year.

[GREENBACK]

I mostly do things automatically but for the few paper statements that I recieve I write the date and amount on the envelope and stack them on top of each other in a designated spot according to their due date.

When I pay the first one I usually pay the rest so I don't forget.

[couchrobt]

I simply put all incoming billing statement from the post mail (if i have it on post) and stack them on top of the fridge. Why? Because there is no way I would not go near the fridge at least once each day!

[Slug]

Most all of my bills are tracked in Yodlee so they're automatically added to a calendar and timeline. It's easy to monitor cashflow that way. I autopay everything anyway so I don't have to worry about it.

[Radiance]

I am paid twice a month, so I pay all bills due until my next pay check every time I get paid.
Have never missed a bill since I do that. I pay from a checking account so I am not even loosig interests or anything.

When I get paid, I check the ones on automatic have gone correctly and pay the manual ones. FYI, I consider my savings a bill, that is the first one I pay!

[MonkeyMama]

I sit down and pay my bills monthly - they are the same every month. I just glance at the prior month to make sure I didn't forget anything.

For non-annual bills, getting them is the reminder. I utilize Quicken and can set up reminders too (probably should - but just never needed to).

I usually pay my bills when due. I am praised often for organization, but honestly all I do is leave the bills sitting in a pile where I Can see them and make sure to check them every month to make sure I didn't forget any. It's pretty low tech/low effort, but efficient. I'll sometimes think, "Oh - forgot about that one!" - but never after the due date. Non-annual bills seem to arrive months ahead of time and after glancing at them several months, they become hard to forget to pay once their due date rolls around.

[skydivingchic]

Most of my bills are auto-drafted from my checking account - mortgage, HOA, car and renter insurance, and utility company. The cell phone and gym membership are automatically billed monthly to a CC. That just leaves the CC bills to pay manually. Several years ago I sat down and figured out when in the month those are due. Then I set a recurring reminder in Outlook for ~2 weeks before the due date to pay the CC bills. So every time I sit down at the computer (which is daily), there is a reminder window for bills and other things (birthdays, etc). I also have the reminders to retrieve my free credit reports on Outlook - one every 4 months for a different agency.

[snshijuptr]

I have e-bills. When I get an email that a bill came in, I go setup the bill for payment. For my bills that don't vary (Netflix, car, rent, cell phone) I just have them on automatic payment.

[Hector]

I use google calendar. All our bills come on the same day each month so I entered them into google calendar so I get email every time I get new bill. In my gmail account, i have created a label for these. I always pay these bills as soon as I get these emails and keep deleting these email after paying bills.

I use auto payments for fixed bills.

[Frugal]

I simply write the dates on my calendar, and review it weekly to daily. It helps and is easier than computer software!

[carolan]

I do my budget every week when I get paid using an excel spreadsheet. Bills are paid on line or through automatic withdrawals. There are also some really good tools such as mint.com or money.strands.com

[couchrobt]

I know my old school magnetic-fridge bill holders and top of the fridge thingie is not famous anymore since we have the spreadsheets and handphones with alarms. I still like to do that.

[thekid]

Most are on "auto-pay", when possible with credit card (for the rewads). I pay all other bills when received.

[KatieNK]

I have a system that I created. I got a pocket folder and on Word created a chart of all my bills going down and the months of the year going across. I put that on the front and then laminated the whole thing. So as I pay them, I can check them off down the list and I can easily see that the whole column for April has been paid. I used to write the amount in, instead of a check mark. Also, i took a file folder and cut in in half. I stick them inside the pocket folder (so it is like 2 file folders inside, with the tabs sticking out the top). On the tabs I have "Pay on the 1st" and "Pay on the 15th." When I receive a bill in the mail, I tear off the payment stub and stick it in the appropriate file so when I sit down to pay bills, I just grab that file and write the check. Actually I pay online now but I still use that system. I also use the PNC virtual wallet which has some really awesome budgeting software!