I need all suggestions and tips! TIA! :D

Jenn, I just pay them as soon as they come in. There is the argument that if you wait and pay them right before they are due, then you get the interest on your money, but I'll forget to pay them if I don't pay them right away. So that's my advice...when it comes in, write the check and send it back out!

We do online banking and when the paper bills come in the mail i stick them in the bottom drawer of the desk. That drawer ONLY has those things or we would lose track. It's the designated bill collection spot to keep them handy till payday.

Every payday dh goes thru the drawer, scoops the bills, collects the online bills and does the online bill paying.

Only after the bills are paid do we allot the rest for living and household stuff.

If drawer clutter is a problem for you I suggest a basket or envelope in a binder (one of those page protector gizmos).

Just make sure it's the SAME spot and its easy to sort, so you don't put them in a nasty pile on the desk or someplace "handy till I get round to putting them in the basket/envelope/drawer thing. Theyll get lost for sure.

I don't know if online banking works the same in the states. We have something called InterAc up here and you can access your accounts online, pay bills, get direct deposit pay cheques and sort out the funds.

Dh ties it into our Quicken program but you don't have to have one of those programs to do this.

Oh and I should say that I think AmyBoz's suggestion would work best for most people. This payday bill paying works for us though but it does rely on us not losing the bills in some pile somewhere. And most of our bills come online now.

Offline, snail mail bills are city taxes, water and sewer, the paper boy, the Car Insurance and liscence fees.

online we pay any Visa bills, heat and light, phone and the mortgage

We use interac to pay for gas and grocery purchases, it comes straight out of the grocery chequing account and you can't run up debt with it, no money, it refuses you. You pay by cash or put the stuff back.

We rarely write cheques anymore and this really has streamlined the bill paying.

That was going to be my suggestion, also get a calender that you can write when the bills are do on. *you can put it in a room where other people are not in and out of but that you see so you have some forwarning, and can start planning. GOOD LUCK!:smball:

Steve gets paid every 2 weeks.I have certain bills I pay one week,and certain bills the next payday.Only getting 2 paychecks permonth,I either gotta pay it this time or the next lol
I use to let them slide a week....But now I pay them ontime.

I really like Microsoft Money. As soon as I log on to the computer, Microsoft Money opens up and reminds me of any bills due. I prefer to pay my bills online, it just works best for me.

I get paid monthly and DH gets every 2 weeks. I pay all utilities, insurance and the children's prescription's with DH"S check #1. With the 2nd check, I get paid at this time also, I pay the mortgage, car and truck payment. This system works for us.

I also write on a calendar every month when each bill is due and that is how I know what to pay when. I also budget in gas for vehicles, groceries, and any extras in each pay period.

dh gets paid every two weeks. i have certain bills that get paid witht he first check as well as putting aside money for the rent. then a few bills and the rest of the rent come out of the second paycheck. you just have to sit down and figure out when each bill has to be paid and make a schedule for paying them. then you have to have to disciple to stick to that plan. no spending until the bills are paid.

I do the same thing a lot of other ladies here do. My dh gets paid twice a month and I divide them bills up by due dates and assign them to a certain check. I also make sure we pay ourselves first and have a certain amount that goes into savings with each check.

Our bills come in and are put into a plastic box in the kitchen cabinet each day. Dh sits down and opens and pays them about every 2 weeks and when he is done he files the paperwork. He is really great with that stuff.

I do as all the other ladies said to. My dh gets paid every two weeks, but when I was working I was paid every week. It was difficult for me to adjust.

If you find you are having a problem with too many bills due out of 1 check, call the gas or electric company (whoever) and ask to change your billing date for example from the 5th to the 23rd.

I found we had 9 bills due out of dh's first check of the month and 2 out of the second check. I sat down and tried to even out the bills and then started calling different places, they were more than happy to change my billing dates which made it alot easier on me. HTH

Dh's check is deposited on a Friday and by Monday or Tuesday I am usually writting checks or paying online.

I also do something similar to the others. Some expense don't occur monthly. Car insurance and property taxes for example. To account for these expenses, I pay my savings account as if it were a monthly expense. For example, if the car insurance is $600 every six months; I put $25 a week into the savings account.

My dh gets paid on the 1st and the 15th so I split the bills up. As they come in we look them over for errors and then put them in either the folder for the 1st or the folder for the 15th. I also have a list made up for each payday of what's to go out and how much so I don't miss anything.This helps me to remember since we don't always get our statements on time. I then sit down and set the bills up about 5 days before they are due through our credit union online. Then everything goes out electronically and it's done til the next pay day. I hope this helps! :)

Try this http://www.homemoneyhelp.com/BBOonline2.html I have had good luck with it.

We pay our bills on the 10th of the month, EVERY month. There are about 5 bills that have due dates that don't work for that so I pay those about a week earlier. I also have a "bill drawer" and everything goes in there. I usually open them, have a look and put them away till time to pay them. I never put them anywhere else though. We use quickbooks for our money system and it's great but a little complicated if you don't have a business.