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Late Again? How to Pay Your Bills on Time, Everytime

December 26, 2019 by jlpenner 8 Comments

My husband and I have tried a lot of methods to balance our bills since we’ve been married. One of our older methods was to cash our paychecks instead of deposit them. That evening we would set aside what goes to what bill and what remains for groceries, gas, etc etc. Well that method didn’t work too well for us because we can’t keep track of where the cash goes and I don’t like that. We spend cash quicker than anyone because it’s there and at the end of the week I can’t figure out where it went!

After that method flopped horribly we stopped using cash all together. And while it is a pain at times to only have a debit card, it stops needless spending and I can track where every penny goes! I write every single debit transaction in our checkbook and balance it a few times a week so we always know what we have.

Our new bill method is also quite a bit more organized and works great for us, so I thought I’d share! I actually write all our bills for the month on a planner we have…It helps to keep track of how many paychecks we have coming in for the month and when each bill is due exactly. Once a bill is paid, I highlight it so I know it’s gone. I’m embarrassed to say we made a lot of mistakes early on in our marriage and this process is helping us eliminate that.

Every Friday (pay day) we also fill up the SUV with gas, I buy all the groceries for the next week and anything else we will need and then set aside a certain amount for more gas later in the week. Once that’s covered we put whatever else towards the most recent bills. We try to make a point to have our basic needs met every week and throw the remainder amount on bills, it’s a lot less stressful paying a bill when you know your needs are already met.

I don’t like to be behind on bills, it actually turns my stomach to see a late notice or something to that effect come in. Maybe that’s why were always broke? I’d rather make sure our bills our paid than have extra spending money to blow on something useless. We have to be tight with our budget and this method works for us!

What methods work for you?

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Comments

  1. Faith says

    May 28, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    I am a new follower from Friday Follow. I am so glad to see someone writing about this. We are in a similar situation with the financial mistakes early on, and we're paying for it now. We are still looking for a workable system for organizing bill payment. It's getting better, but we still have some "tweaking" to do! Can't wait to read more:)
    Reply
  2. Kelly's Lucky Y says

    May 31, 2010 at 9:33 pm

    Hi! I'm a new follower from Mommy PR. I hope you'll follow me back. <a href="http://KellysLuckyYou.blogspot.comhttp://KellysLuckyYou.blogspot.com<br />We are still struggling with a budget system too. We try to use our Discover card for everything, (paid off every month) and we sit down every two months and write down everything we spent in the category it belongs to see how we're doing against our budget.It's difficult!
    Reply
  3. Rebecca says

    December 28, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    We also use the calendar method, we are able to plan out my husband's paychecks and what bills are due when, and with what paycheck we pay it will. We get together at the beginning if the month so we both are on th same page. It takes the guess work for the whole month. LOVE IT!
    Reply
  4. Wanda Rupright says

    December 28, 2011 at 12:33 pm

    Your "new" method is exactly what I do! and it there is an unusual "due" in there- I do still set that aside in a side pocket of my wallet or something. (like a payment for something I ordered, etc.)
    Reply
  5. Zan Maxwell says

    December 28, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    We use the exact same method - highlighting things on the calendar - but we take it a step further. We set aside $100 per month for eating out, and only $40 each for gas every week; if you run out, you just don't go anywhere until the next Friday! Also, we get $100 each for "sundries" (clothes, books, movies, McDonald's for the kids, etc.), and only spend $125 on groceries per week. Again, if you go over at Kroger, you have to put something back. It was the most horrible strain on our marriage as newlyweds, as I was the spender and he was the saver. But thank God for my husband, because almost 11 years of living beneath our means has given us a beautiful home, both cars paid for in full, savings and a plan for our future. It sucks to see everyone else dressed to the nines and I'm in thrift store and Goodwill attire, but I keep telling myself slow and steady wins the race.
    Reply
  6. Alba Gaston says

    December 28, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I love your method. I might apply some of it to our method. We do something similar with bills. We sit down and look at all the debts and regular bills and plan out on the calendar what will be paid when. We also do the envelope system for food, gas, clothing, cleanning supplies, hair and entertainment, it helps us to control those line items better because we get too losey goosey with a debit card. I also try to do one main grocery shopping trip (with coupons) per month and make a bunch of freezer meals, that helps cut down on costs.
    Reply
  7. Kimberly says

    August 31, 2015 at 4:47 pm

    I keep my budget on an Excel spreadsheet. I list all the bills that I pay, their due dates as well my take home pay. You enter the formulas and the bottom result is what you will have left over at the end of that pay period. In addition to your bills, you can also add in what you'd like to put into saving or anything considered miscellaneous. This allows me to pay half a bill and still pay it on time. You can tweak each pay period as needed. I've done this for the last 5 years and it's worked wonders for me.
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Budget Organization- 10 Ways to Organize Your Finances - Mama's Got It Together says:
    May 19, 2014 at 3:00 am
    […] Kit from Mama’s Got It Together 4. How to Track Your Expenses from Creative Savings Blog 5. Manage Your Bills with The Calendar Method from Frugal Living Mom 6. Budget Categories from Overstuffed […]
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