I have always been intrigued as to how people do things differently than me. Because I am OCD, I believe that my way is best. LOL But when something works for me, I go with it.

I have been facinated lately with how people pay their bills. I have read how some wait and pay each one just before it's due. I don't understand that one. So many things can happen...you can forget, don't have the money, the payment gets delayed, etc.

I am the type of person who is early for everything. If it starts at 7:00, I will be there by 6:55 at the latest. I HATE being late.

This translates to my bills as well. I refuse to let them be late, or even close to late. We have worked too hard to get our credit rating up, just to let it be dinged by a simple late bill. And did you know that credit card companies are searching for reasons to raise your credit rating, and will do so just because of one late payment?

Anyway, I have mapped out my bills in a ledger so that I know the exact date that each bill is due. When The Doctor got paid twice monthly, I wrote down his pay, then started subracting the bills from it. First and foremost is tithing. Nothing gets paid before tithing. That is just the way it is. And I know that is how we survived over the last 3 1/2 years.

So here is how it looked:

+Check #1 (payday was the 1st of month)
-tithing
-fast offerings
-1/2 of house payment (due on the 1st of next month)
-water/sewage bill (due on the 15th)
-credit card payment (due on the 15th)
-cable/phone/internet (due on the 20th)
-cell phone (due on the 20th)

+Check #2 (payday was the 15th of the month)
-tithing
-1/2 of house payment
-trumpet payment (due on the 20th)
-gas payment (due on the 25th)
-car insurance (due on the 25th)
-electric bill (due on the 25th)

What we had left over went to groceries, etc.

Did you know that you can call and request a due date? Most companies are willing to change it for you. That has saved us on several occasions.

Now that that The Doctor only gets paid once a month, it's trickier. Because it's easier to run out of money sooner. But I still pay all my bills when we get paid. So that means that some are paid ahead of time, and that's okay too. Because I would rather run out of money and not be able to go out to eat, than run out of money and not be able to pay a bill.

So how do you pay your bills? And does it actually work for you? ;-)

5 comments :

Frank, Heidi and Family said... Reply To This Comment

I do it pretty much the same way. I pay all the bills that are due in the time frame of the paycheck. I thought I would love Frank getting paid every other week, but I was more organized when it was only twice a month (1st and 15th). With every other week the dates always are different and we have to be more date conscious. When we were first married I would pay a bill the absolute next day we got it just so I didn't even get close to the due date. I have become more lax about when I send them out. I would rather send out a couple at a time instead of one every day that it comes (less trips to the mailbox) :)

The Mom said... Reply To This Comment

I loved getting paid every other week, because twice a year, I had an extra paycheck! It was like a bonus because I scheduled by bills according to what we got on the paycheck.

Alice said... Reply To This Comment

I have all my bills listed in quicken, We get paid twice a month, and quicken reminds me which bills are due when, so after the first paycheck I pay the first round of bills (mostly online), and then I pay the rest with the second paycheck. I'm also a little OC, and I have excel spreadsheets detailing how much money is in savings and what it is being saved for.

(I love payday, because I get to pay all the bills- it's fun, I'm glad other people think that too!)

(I'm Kyle's wife if you were wondering- he sent me a link)

The Mom said... Reply To This Comment

I know, I love payday because I get to pay the bills and play with numbers. And yes, I pay them all online as well!

Jenny Nymoen said... Reply To This Comment

I was very very organized about bill paying before I had children. I knew exactly what was due and when. I knew how much money I had in my wallet, almost to the penny, and how much was in the bank.

Now, I'm not quite so good. My husband had to take over some of the bills for me, which I kind of hate because I am a control freak. :)

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