The old way-paying bills by sitting down with a checkbook and some address labels and writing the checks, licking the envelopes, and putting on a stamp.
My new way-Using my debit card, then forgetting that the payment needs to clear, and having our checking account bounce.
I don’t know, I am so frustrated by the whole bill-paying situation that I hardly know what to do. It is supposed to be my job to pay our bills, and I have tried all kinds of different methods-the envelope method, setting up automatic payments, keeping track of payments in notebooks, on spreadsheets, you name it, I try it. And yet, I still can’t seem to get a system that works. I’m seriously thinking about going back to old-fashioned writing checks, instead of using my debit card to have the payments deducted. Maybe if I had the check carbons to look at, it would be easier to keep track of how much of the money in the checking account is actually available to spend. I remember thinking debit cards were going to be so awesome, but now I think they just make bill-paying more complicated.
VistaPrint has cheap address labels, like 140 of them for $7.99. Maybe going back to the old ways isn’t such a bad idea after all.
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I’m sorry hon.
Fwiw, the system that works best for me is when we get the bill, write it down on the calendar, and stick the bill in the back pocket of it (a big “More Time Mom’s” calendar).
I typically look at the calendar at least once a day if not more (plus it’s on the dining/kitchen wall). Keep extra envelopes and stamps in the pocket, too.
But then there are months like two months ago where I spaced half the bills so it was almost like we paid double last month. *sigh* Damn kids and their brain-sucking.
I can beat that…kinda…try having a bank that will REARRANGE how stuff comes through.
Take for instance you have three debits that you know are coming through.
1. $50
2. $75
3. $80
So you balance you checkbook all nice and pretty and the first two post and let us say it leaves just enough for the $80…So the first two post and a few days later you look and lo and behold you have BOUNCED because they REARRANGED the way EVERYTHING went through.
AtomiK Kitten’s last blog post..Thought for the day…
Use whatever works for you. It’s better to have an older system that gets you out of trouble, than one that causes problems, that you use because it’s newer.
Could you set up a system that had the functionality of a checking account, but use the card instead of writing the check? For example, get yourself a book that behaves like a check book (I don’t use one so I don’t know how it works), and write in it every time you pay a bill with the card?
Solomon Broad’s last blog post..The “You Made My Day†Awards
I agree…do whatever works for you!
We pay almost all our bills online. Twice a month I go through the stack of bills and pay them.
Whatever works. I hate paying bills!
Life As I Know It’s last blog post..I Do Not Like It Here or There; I Do Not Like It Anywhere…
I hate all things grown up! And most of all I hate paying bills! I have had this same discussion with myself over the past few weeks. Perhaps I should keep track of all the bounce check and late fees. Perhaps then I will get a grip!!
Betsy (Mom 2 3)’s last blog post..Horrified or mortified?
Twitter: tanyetta
says:
Paper, Pencil, calculator works for me
Tanyetta’s last blog post..wordless wednesday
What’s a cheque? Ha ha… I can’t wait until the day where I hear that… sometimes I forget myself too though
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Ahh, I’m sorry. Bill paying sucks no matter how you do it.
Have you tried using software such as Microsoft Money or Quicken? We use money to track our finances and it is fantastic. If you enter approximates into the budget section you can forecast your cash flow using that information and it even shows you a fancy-dancy graph so at-a-glance you know very close to an accurate amount that will be in your account(s) at any given time!
Diana’s last blog post..Happy 35th, Choice
What i did was open a second checking account at BOA, connected to our primary, but without overdraft protection. Since we’re a one-income family, i just transfer a set amout every other friday into our ‘bill paying account’, and i schedule our bills to be paid from that account only. And i set that up by adding up all our bills for the month, multiplying it by 12, then dividing it by 26. When i get a bill in the mail, i schedule it to be paid the day before the due date. It’s super easy, and only $5.95 a month. DON”T GET A CHECKCARD FOR THIS ACCOUNT!