I totally suck at bills.

[shilala]

I've been divorced for about three years now and I still totally suck at paying bills.
I've developed a process that includes a giant fallen over pile and a check book. I sift for an hour and keep writing checks till there's no more money, then I try again in another month or two.
The problem is that I never paid the bills in my life. Ever. There was always a girlfriend or a wife that did it.
I don't think I'm genetically predisposed to pay bills. I lack the boobs and brain power to care. I've always been perfectly fine with "I'll make the money, honey. You go ahead and spend it. If you need some more, let me know and I'll get ya some more."
If we ever needed more money, I'd just get a job or do something else drastic like that.
How the hell does a guy develop a system to get this stuff done?

[Mugen910]

Automatic online bill paying?

[white_s2k]

There's a lot of software programs out there to help you keep track of bills, balances, etc. I can't remember any off the top of my head but I'm sure someone will jump in with some recommendations.

[WildBlueSooner]

"I lack the boobs and brain power to care"

You know guys can get boob jobs now...maybe that will help ;) As far as brain power I think you a screwed :fu

[Volt]

Hmmm hire a maid. Clean house and bills paid.

[WildBlueSooner]

Quiken is a good software but you have to be willing to take some time at least once a week. A lot of it is automated but you have to help it out.

[Beer Doctor]

I use Quicken and pay 99% of my bills online. Quicken reminds me when to pay bills.

I'm probably the exact opposite of you. I have always paid my bills and now pay all the bills my wife and I have. I am very anal about it. For some reason I have every receipt I've ever received since I was a sophmore in college. OCD anyone:D

[shilala]

Hmmm hire a maid. Clean house and bills paid.
I used to have Kerri do my bills. Trouble is, she really doesn't take them very seriously. After a few "stern reminder" letters came in, I kinda took back over so that my credit rating wouldn't be completely destroyed.
She helped me do them this morning and was a big help.
I don't need a maid, I don't mind cleaning at all. I actually prefer to do it myself so that stuff is actually cleaned. I'm pretty anal about stuff being all clean and orderly. I wish that'd spill over to my bill-paying thing. :)

[Yazzie]

Automatic online bill paying?


:tpd: Very easy

[WildBlueSooner]

I use Quicken and pay 99% of my bills online. Quicken reminds me when to pay bills.

I'm probably the exact opposite of you. I have always paid my bills and now pay all the bills my wife and I have. I am very anal about it. For some reason I have every receipt I've ever received since I was a sophmore in college. OCD anyone:D

Just a little :) I am the same way though...except the receipts.

[WildBlueSooner]

Also I want to point out that when I first looked at the title of this thread I thought it said:

I totally suck balls.

That is the only reason I came here. :r

[Smokin Gator]

My wife does the house account and I do the business account. We are totally the opposite. I know about how much money I have and about what needs to be paid. I have them all set up to be paid either out of the bank account or onto a points accumulating credit card. I pay the credit card off once a month and use the points I get for something fun. I never actually balance the checkbook, but I do look at it once a month just to make sure there is no funny business.

[Hardcz]

I set up my bank to automatically send payment.

[pnoon]

You just need to practice, Scott.

Want to spend a few months paying mine? ;)

[shilala]

You just need to practice, Scott.

Want to spend a few months paying mine? ;)
Hehehehe.
I don't think you'd want me anywhere near your credit score. :D

[alley00p]

Here is what I do:

1) Take bill from mailbox
2) Write check the same day
3) Mail the bill and check back the very next day

This should solve your problem of having a pile of them

Scott, we used to be constantly late with bills, but unfortunately we can't follow the procedure above alot of the time because we get paid bi-monthly.

So our process is:
1) Get a calendar with room to write in the box each day.
2) Upon receipt of bill, open it, and mark the payee and $$ on the date 7 days prior to due date on the calendar.
3) File the opened bills in order of due date (we use a hanging plastic file).
4) On payday, pay as many bills as possible, depending on the amounts.
5) Mail bill and check that day or next, or use online bill pay (we do online, when possible).

This all sounds complicated, but the initial setup takes an hour or so, and when a bill arrives, it takes a few minutes to mark it on the calendar. Depending on the frequency of your pay periods, it may take 1/2 to an hour to write checks or do the online payment thing.

This process is what got us out of our bad habits and having to pay those ungodly late fees that you get hit with now. Now we have the bills under control, and my wife or myself can sit down twice a month to get everything paid in advance of the due dates, normally with money to spare.

:dance:

[lightning9191]

I open all the bills when they come and put them in a pile according to the due date in my desk drawer. I don't have too many bills though so the pile doesn't fall over. I just make sure to check the pile every few days.....the next bill to be paid is on top and I know how close the due date is.

[Kneo]

I highly recommend MS Money or Quicken also. I have used MS Money for the past 8 years for my personnal accounts and use Quicken for my Home Business accounts.

Before I started using MS Money I was overdrawn alot and late on bills. Ever since I started using MS Money I have never overdrawn my account.

[rack04]

I have an excel spreadsheet that I track all my purchases. This not only allows me to know where my money is being spent but also tells me when it's due. I separate all purchases into the following categories:

Groceries (self explanatory)
Gas (self explanatory)
Retail (includes general shopping and miscellaneous items)
Health (includes copays and prescriptions)
Entertainment (includes alcohol, cigars, and all my habits)
Bills (includes rent, water, electricity, etc.)

Using this spreadsheet I can tell where I need to cut back, ie. entertainment. It helped my wife and I transition to one salary. In fact just today while inputting my receipts I found out that a Mexican food place that my wife and I ate at last week overcharged me $20. I probably wouldn't have noticed this if I wasn't anal.

[Scottw]

I've been divorced for about three years now and I still totally suck at paying bills.
I've developed a process that includes a giant fallen over pile and a check book. I sift for an hour and keep writing checks till there's no more money, then I try again in another month or two.
The problem is that I never paid the bills in my life. Ever. There was always a girlfriend or a wife that did it.
I don't think I'm genetically predisposed to pay bills. I lack the boobs and brain power to care. I've always been perfectly fine with "I'll make the money, honey. You go ahead and spend it. If you need some more, let me know and I'll get ya some more."
If we ever needed more money, I'd just get a job or do something else drastic like that.
How the hell does a guy develop a system to get this stuff done?

Get a new wife?

[tsolomon]

I use Quicken to balance my checkbook and online bill paying for all the bills. Quicken will allow you to put in your deposits or paychecks and then enter your bills as you pay them online. With online bill paying you can pay bills when they come in, but set the actual payment for the due date which is usually several weeks later. You can then see your balance over the month as money comes in and bills get paid.

[Sauer Grapes]

I just use my banks onlne bill pay to schedule the payments the day the bill comes in. The date I schedule the bill to he paid is a day or two before the due date.

[hova45]

I've been divorced for about three years now and I still totally suck at paying bills.
I've developed a process that includes a giant fallen over pile and a check book. I sift for an hour and keep writing checks till there's no more money, then I try again in another month or two.
The problem is that I never paid the bills in my life. Ever. There was always a girlfriend or a wife that did it.
I don't think I'm genetically predisposed to pay bills. I lack the boobs and brain power to care. I've always been perfectly fine with "I'll make the money, honey. You go ahead and spend it. If you need some more, let me know and I'll get ya some more."
If we ever needed more money, I'd just get a job or do something else drastic like that.
How the hell does a guy develop a system to get this stuff done?

Well I have always been great with my finances, but as mentioned above i would look into automatic bill payment, a calendar and a online bill payment system like Bank of America. Where you can add all of the companies which you owe money too every month aka payees...:tu As soon as a bill comes in I make note of it on the calendar and put when its due or just pay it right away. Also you can ask most companies to bill you on a certain date so like that you pay everything at the same time.

[themoneycollector]

Usually you can add a CC to your recurring bills to pull it automatically as well.

[K Baz]

Oddily the fear of being cut off of whatever utility and or service insures that I pay my bill on time.

I personally pay them online the day I get them saves wondering and time. Get it pay it file it.

I know my Bank has a service where they recieve your bills and pay them for you. I also know you can get direct withdrawls and they just send you the statement. I have tried this with cigar vendors and none todate have offered the service :D

I am in Canada and things are probably different.

[TripleF]

Pretty easy actually bro.
Make money.
Subtract money.
Make more money.
Subtract money.


Have a mental calculator. That's the biggest thing right there. You should always know "ballpark" how much money you got where. Just should.

[DPD6030]

Go off the grid and forget about bills all together! All kidding aside I have a paid and unpaid bills box arraged by date they are due. :2

[dunng]

Here is what you need... http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/792912807-bill-organizer.html

http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/38435/6h/www.improvementscatalog.com/images/en_US/local/products/350x/bill-organizer-329512x1.jpg

[MithShrike]

Ynab.

[shilala]

Scott, we used to be constantly late with bills, but unfortunately we can't follow the procedure above alot of the time because we get paid bi-monthly.

So our process is:
1) Get a calendar with room to write in the box each day.
2) Upon receipt of bill, open it, and mark the payee and $$ on the date 7 days prior to due date on the calendar.
3) File the opened bills in order of due date (we use a hanging plastic file).
4) On payday, pay as many bills as possible, depending on the amounts.
5) Mail bill and check that day or next, or use online bill pay (we do online, when possible).

This all sounds complicated, but the initial setup takes an hour or so, and when a bill arrives, it takes a few minutes to mark it on the calendar. Depending on the frequency of your pay periods, it may take 1/2 to an hour to write checks or do the online payment thing.

This process is what got us out of our bad habits and having to pay those ungodly late fees that you get hit with now. Now we have the bills under control, and my wife or myself can sit down twice a month to get everything paid in advance of the due dates, normally with money to spare.

:dance:

That's good stuff, Charlie.
I think I'm going to employ that and one of the badass bill organizers Greg posted.
That oughta get it under control.
I already called about getting a job. I think I'm gonna go back to work. :tu

[Whee]

I've been divorced for about three years now and I still totally suck at paying bills.
I've developed a process that includes a giant fallen over pile and a check book. I sift for an hour and keep writing checks till there's no more money, then I try again in another month or two.
The problem is that I never paid the bills in my life. Ever. There was always a girlfriend or a wife that did it.
I don't think I'm genetically predisposed to pay bills. I lack the boobs and brain power to care. I've always been perfectly fine with "I'll make the money, honey. You go ahead and spend it. If you need some more, let me know and I'll get ya some more."
If we ever needed more money, I'd just get a job or do something else drastic like that.
How the hell does a guy develop a system to get this stuff done?

Soooo, this isn't how you're supposed to do it? Been divorced twice and still hate to do it. I usually wait til the colored envelopes show up and then pay those. Those tend to be disconnect notices. when I get more than three calls a day from a creditor, I pay them.

A bad system is still a system, right?:D

[Nabinger16]

I use a simple Word doc. Most people have the same bills every month, month after month. I do up a whole year at a time broken into each month in order of when the bill is due. When I pay the bill, I mark it as paid and the date I paid it. I have records of my bill and when I paid them for years.


Rent $000.00 04-01-09 PAID 03-25-09
Vehicle $000.00 04-05-09 PAID 03-31-09
Credit card $000.00 04-12-09
Gas/Electric $000.00 04-20-09

[RevSmoke]

Here is what you need... http://www.improvementscatalog.com/home/improvements/792912807-bill-organizer.html

http://a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/38435/6h/www.improvementscatalog.com/images/en_US/local/products/350x/bill-organizer-329512x1.jpg


That's a great little deal there. You put them in there like that, and then, when the paycheck/income comes in, you take them out and pay them.

Mine is simple. I get paid on the 1st & 15th and then right out my checks. Some happen every paycheck (2 to the church). Some are monthly, with a little bank book (they are usually 1st or 15th) depending on when they are due. The rest, you place there and they wait till that "income" comes in and then you pay all that remain. After they are paid, you start collecting for the next "income" time frame.

[TXRebel]

That's good stuff, Charlie.
I think I'm going to employ that and one of the badass bill organizers Greg posted.
That oughta get it under control.
I already called about getting a job. I think I'm gonna go back to work. :tu

Also keep your checkbook totaled, it will save you time when balancing. It only takes a minute to total when you do it after each check or deposit, instead of an hour if you total every week or month.

[Tombstone]

Just pay your bills..it's not hard. Spend less than you make.

[mithrilG60]

I use my credit card for everything from coffee at Starbucks on up, but only as a convenience card. I make a note of each purchase I make when I'm out in my Blackberry and then transfer the money back onto my CC via online banking the next time I'm in front of a computer. I never carry a balance and therefore never pay interest charges. For other bills such as insurance, cable, loans, etc. it's all automatically deducted from my bank account by the vendor. I also have them all set up to never send me a paper bill, just an electronic copy via email.

Perhaps it's just the difference between the US and Canad but I don't know anyone under the age of 50 that still uses cheques or a chequebook. Similarly almost no one I know ever carries cash. In fact I'll walk out of any business that accepts only cash since it's bigger hassle to go find cash then come back than it is to just find another business that accepts credit or debit (realistically 99% of businesses accept both so it's rarely an issue).

[Cigary]

Automatic online bill paying?

Ditto,,,been doing this for 9 years now and never worry about bills and they are paid I get a receipt and know how much I have left on the balance.

[Skywalker]

Do what Bobarian does... Send a check for $100.00 for each bill, don't look at what you actually owe!!!

In a few months you'll get a refund from ATT... and your power shut off!!!:D:r

[Skywalker]

Do what Bobarian does... Send a check for $100.00 for each bill; don't look at what you actually owe!!!

In a few months you'll get a refund from ATT... and your power shut off!!!:D:r

[WildBlueSooner]

Usually you can add a CC to your recurring bills to pull it automatically as well.

You mean pay them with cubans instead of money? ;)

[ChicagoWhiteSox]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXEtqXcGZLo

[Starscream]

I make the money, she takes care of the payments. I'd have to get a new wife too if I were in your situation. :D

[WildBlueSooner]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXEtqXcGZLo

Sweet song!:tu

[BamBam]

I lack the boobs and brain power to care.
How the hell does a guy develop a system to get this stuff done?

Take a college course for the brain power and keep eatin them Girl Scout Cookies for the Man Boobs :tu:D

[ucla695]

Another vote for automatic online bill paying. It's really easy. :tu

[MithShrike]

Oooh... why?

:pu

[14holestogie]

Another nipple ring, a couple of helium ballons and she would be hawt! :r