.jpg)
We all have them and we all have to deal with them. In our home I'm in charge of the household finances. After nearly 12 years I finally have a system that works for me. When I get the mail I go through it one time and make a decision: recycle or keep. Everything I keep has a place, (surprised?) coupons, magazines, bills, all go in their own spot. On Mondays I look at what bills need to be paid that week, including the next Monday and if they need to be mailed I use a magnet and put them on the back door so I don't forget to take them with me. Is your garage door magnetic too? It was one of my greatest discoveries a couple of years ago when I discovered the door leading to the garage was magnetic! Weird I know, but true.Back to bills:
I created a spreadsheet that has all my bills in monthly order. That way I know what is due when, it also has all the passwords, websites and account numbers associated with each account. All the information is in one place and I don't waste time searching. I prefer to set up automatic payments, or pay online and save a stamp if possible. To keep track of everything I use the program Microsoft Money. Then every month my husband balances Money with our bank account. I also like to plan it out months in advance so I can see when big expenses are coming up, like car registration, birthdays, holidays etc. so I can save.
Now, a clutter problem can occur if old bills are saved, and saved, and saved. I keep bills for two years, taxes forever, and shred everything else. So this January I went through all of our files and got rid of everything from 2008.
Figure out a system that works for you. Once a system is in place it will help to eliminate the pain-in-the-neck and stress of bill paying in your life!
All garage doors should be magnetic. Its rare to find one that isn't made of metal because its a fire resistant door. Kind of cool when a safety measure works out in our favor! That being said, I never really considered taking advantage of it being magnetic! Lol! Anyways, I use a spreadsheet for my finances too. I haven't tried microsoft money but I've found a simple excell spreadsheet keeps track of things really well and lets me plan for big expenses. I'm a fanatic about our bills and plan way in advance!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of keeping all the passwords/account info on that spreadsheet...I've thought about doing that forever, but I just never have (maybe it will be my March goal since you're inspiring me!)
ReplyDeleteHmmm....I used to do something like this (before I had 4 kids). I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOO uber impressed that with 4 kids, you still do! My system now is panic on the 30th & hurry & pay everything that is due that month. Then toss it in 1 of the many laundry baskets full of years of piling up bills. One day, I'm going to gather all my children & make them help me shred for 12 hours straight & get things organized again!
ReplyDelete