Become your own bill organizer to reduce stress and save late fees!

Create a simple bill organizer so you never have to say " I can't find my bills!" again.

Why do people lose their bills?

There is no "home" for the bills.
Their is no system for handling their daily mail.
They have not found the right bill organizer.
They are not sure which bills they even have.
Subconsciously, people loose bills because they don't know how much money they have in their account, or find the process of paying their bills truly unbearable.
The bills get mixed in with other paper.

All Bill Organizers are NOT created equal.

I feel that part of my responsibility in helping you get organized is to share what products I recommend NOT to buy. Although this bill organizer is pretty popular, I have yet to see it work for anyone. It has usually been stuffed with outdated paper and bills or tossed to the side not to be used at all. So, if you have felt bad because it didn't work for you, it is not your fault. I believe it was the product that failed you. Let's take a closer look so you know why it doesn't work.

The concept is really nice, but falls short on function. The idea is to place the bill in the date slot to pay the bill. It also has a drawer for stamps, check book, return labels, and pen. So far it sounds like a great solution, right? Here is where the challenges begin.

Bill Organizer

The slots do not accommodate normal size papers or multiple bills on the same day.
For some people this can look cluttered and very unpleasing in their environment.
The dates printed on the side of the slots are very small and hard to read.
Even though you may read that you can use it for other paper such as birthday cards, theatre tickets, etc. it won’t allow you to truly use this for all the paper that requires some sort of action in your life. This product forces you to have several different paper organizing systems happening at the same time rather than one that works for everything.
You can't change this bill organizer, if you needed to.

Now, I will say that this product COULD potentially work for some individuals. If you think you are that person, I recommend trying some of the other ideas suggested here before you spend money on this product. If you already have one, and it hasn't worked for you, give it to kids to "play school" or "play business owner." It is definitely good for that!

Monthly Bill Organizer Solutions

On-line Bill Paying

If you haven’t ventured out to try either online bill paying or automatic payment, you may want to consider this time and tree saving method. It requires less paperwork and will provide reminders so you won’t forget! There are several ways to make this happen. You may want to try it with one bill at a time to get confidence and see how it all works.

Set up an automatic payment with the companies you pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Examples would be the utilities, car insurance, subscriptions, etc. They will send you an email stating what will be taken out of your account and on what day. This will have to be set up with each individual company. You can have it set up to come out of a checking account or your credit card.
You can go directly onto the website of the company you need to pay and pay your bill through them with a credit card.
Through your bank, you may be able to set up web bill pay which is similar to having a check written out to make the payment. Some banks will charge you for this service, so make sure before you sign up. The first two options are free, so I would recommend them over this option.

Use your Computer as a Bill Organizer

Whether you are paying online or not, I would also recommend using a software such as Quicken or Microsoft Money. You can download your transactions, set reminders, schedule bills, as well as have an automatic running total for your account(s).

I have been using the computer and auto payments for over 4 years and will never go back.

Create a daily mail center

The mail center will help you sort out the important mail from the fluff. It will also give you a visual reminder for the bills that need to be paid and a place holder for bills to be mailed. Click here to read more on how to create your mail center.

Group your bill paying tools

The one thing the product above had going for it was the drawer for necessary bill paying tools. I recommend creating your own space for the following tools that will simplify your bill paying efforts. This can be a drawer near the place you normally pay bills, a box, or a large plastic envelop, or ziplock bag.

calculator
pen/pencil
checks
envelopes
return address labels
deposit slips
stamps
check register

Group when you pay bills

Instead of paying a bill here, and a bill there throughout the month, I recommend you set time aside each week, or twice a month to pay your bills. I personally designate my Friday’s as "Financial Day" so I can enter my receipts into the computer, download new transactions, balance my accounts, and pay the bills. This probably takes less than 15 minutes because it is done on a regular basis. You can also decide to pay bills the 15th and the 30th of each month. Do what works best for your schedule. The point is to become more proactive in paying your bills.

Create an All-In-One solution for Paper Management

As I mentioned earlier, you will have other papers with deadlines, or things for you to act on. I call this “action paper.” Why keep these separate from your bill organizer? It is easier to maintain and create a system that will incorporate it all. Click here to read another article to help you set up an Action File for your action paper!

Make bill paying more enjoyable

If bill paying is still painful, think of ways you would actually enjoy it more. Here are a few suggestions.

Pay bills by candlelight
Play your favorite music
Have your favorite drink
Pay bills at your favorite coffee shop
Pay bills at your favorite park
Set up a bill paying date with a friend
Get a stamp that says "PAID" and use it!
Say a thank you to each business behind the bill for the service they provide and for having the money to benefit from them. This world is abundant!
Switch bill paying for another job in the household, if there is someone else at home who can do this task.

Balance Your Checkbook

This may seem obvious, but I feel it is important to talk about. By balancing your checkbook daily or weekly, you will feel empowered because you are on top of your financial self and know when it is most appropriate to pay what bill. Again, Quicken and Microsoft Money make this a snap.

If you feel like you need more help in managing your finances, I would highly recommendStages-of-Wealth.com for more ideas and support.

Transformation Time!

Okay, so now you have several ideas on how to create and become your own monthly bill organizer.