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Fortunate enough to pay each bill as soon as I get it. Auto insurance is only auto pay. All banking done on line. We are hard pressed to find a stamp in this house. We had to order checks to pay the piano teacher and the lawn service. I don't like to wait till one time sit-down with bills. For one they are all due at different times so that wouldn't work. For another life is very much interrupted here and it is easier to take a minute to pay when I open the envelope. this lets me check my account frequently and I would see any irregularity very early.
All my bills are due on the first, with the exception of my electric and my CC, but I just pay the electric with the rest of the bills. So on the last day of the month, I log on to my accounts and pay the balances with the CC. Takes all of 3 minutes. Rent is a check handed to the apartment ladies in person.
Because my CC is due about a week after the first, it gives enough time for the balance to update, then I simply pay off the CC balance before the due date with a bank transfer, as the CC and checking/savings is with the same bank.
For the car insurance, I pay every 6 months online. Better savings that way, plus all the paperless perks and the "never got in a wreck" discounts.
I don't live check to check, and I don't pay for anything via check except rent, so I don't balance a check book. If I want to know how much is available in my checking account, I simply sign on to my account online and look at the balance. In general, there will always be an easily comfortable amount there for incidentals after bills, not including monthly auto-transfer funds to savings.
Paying bills are a non-issue in my life.
But then again, I'm a debtless, childless, marriageless renter with a roommate and a good job. Free as a bird, they might say!
almost everything is put on credit cards and we use e-billing through our bank for our various credit cards. Paid in full on the due date every month.
Our water utility bill cannot be put on e-billing for some reason, so I just pay that with a card when the bill is available online (email notification that the bill is 'available').
Mortgage is an autopay through our bank (same bank as the lender).
My bank stores all of my payment history and confirmation numbers though. It is very easy to see who I paid what and when for anything in my history with them. No need for any paper statements, or calendars, or highlighting, or anything other than paying my bills online at one central place. And of course, this can be done anywhere as we can do it on our laptops, tablet, or phones if we are out of town, at work, etc.
Just as a side note, I also utilize Mint (not for bill payments but just for overall, concise summary of all of my accounts).
I normally just use billpay to pay them as they come in. I don't autopay anything but my mortgage. Occasionally I write a check if it's an something that I don't want to enter into my banks billpay system. I rarely track or log anything since it's all there online for me to see whenever I want.
I pay my bills when they are due. I set them on my desk, dated to a few days before their due date. When that day comes, I pay that bill - online or by check or whatever. I don't pay much in advance - I would rather it be in my account than theirs until necessary.
But almost everything I buy I use a CC for anyway. I pay that in full every month. I get really great cash back rewards for it. I think this year I'll have earned $600-$700 in free money this way. It's usually how I pay for Christmas, with plenty left over.
For the last several years we have set money aside in an HSA fund (health savings). If we have a medical expense, I pay for it with the CC (cash back!) then immediately request a distribution from my HSA (pre-tax dollars!). Often that check arrives before my CC bill is due, I deposit it in my bank, so I pay nothing out of pocket for my medical expenses!
autopay most of the bills to credit card, but credit card itself is not auto-pay. i review the charges and then pay the credit card off every month on the 20th. student loans will soon be on auto-pay since i found out i can get a break on interest...
The way I handle my bills is that I have a bill calendar book. I know what is due on what date and budget out my money each pay week to pay those bills.
Someone I know just puts their money away and pays bills once a month. When they get paid, they just take what they need for food and spending money and the rest goes in the bank. Once a month, they sit down and pay all their bills at once.
How do you do your bill paying?
I pay my bills all at once. I don't care when they are due, I just like to get it out of the way. But then I only get paid once a month, so easier to do it this way.
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