1 week Ago By Adriaan Brits
Keeping track of bills can be a pain, especially if they’re spread between multiple bank accounts or credit cards. However, one simple solution is to use technology to your advantage. Even if you aren’t an expert with computers, these five simple methods can help you stay on top of paying your bills.
1- AutoPay One easy way to stay on top of bills is to set up AutoPay, where your bills are automatically deducted from your bank account on a day of your choosing. Not all of your bills will be eligible, unfortunately, but those that are can be paid without you having to give them a second thought. Some bills, like credit card payments, will let you choose the payment date, which allows you to strategize.
If you get paid on the 1st and 15th of every month, for example, you can set up AutoPay for the 2nd or 16th, so you’ll never have a payment returned. 2- Excel Spreadsheet Another great way to stay on top of bills is to set up an Excel spreadsheet with estimated payment amounts and dates. This is also a useful budgeting tool, as you can see most of your monthly expenses in one convenient view.
If you check it regularly, you can determine how much money you currently have to spend on luxuries or entertainment. You can include as many or as few bills as you want on the spreadsheet as well. If you know that Netflix charges you the same amount on the 13th of every month and it’ll automatically be paid with your credit card, you might not need to include it on the list.
However, if you’re also using it for budgeting purposes, it might be a good idea. 3- Money Management Apps If you don’t like using spreadsheets, spend too much looking at them for work, or just want a simpler and more convenient approach, money management and budgeting apps can do the work for you. Some options will give you budget advice if you wish and others offer no opinions but help you stay on top of bills.
Some will even link to your bank account so your current financial standing is automatically in the app. 4- Accounting Software If you prefer a desktop or laptop over a phone, you can also use an accounting software program like QuickBooks to keep track of your monthly expenses. Many of these are also available for free if it’s for personal use and not for business, which means one less bill to worry about every month! 5- Calendar Reminders Finally, for those bills that must be paid by check or money order like rent or don’t use AutoPay like prepaid phone bills , making a note on a physical calendar or the one on your cell phone can help you remember those dates.
For Apple or Google Calendars, you might want to set up reminders on multiple days leading up to the due date to make sure you don’t get the message too late and be forced to change your plans at the last minute..
