[kay11]

Our current routine is something along the lines of:

Mail arrives and gets dumped in random places.

Bill goes overdue and sends a reminder.

Pay the damn thing plus overdue fees.

Letter floats around the house before being shoved into a 'filing pile'.

Filing pile gets shoved into a box and stuck in the attic and hopefully never looked at again.


It doesn't seem like an optimal solution and is costing us money in overdue fees. Plus the house is cluttered with all these stupid 'things to do piles' that mostly get ignored.

I have a new filing cabinet, shredder and in trays and I probably could spare 5 minutes a day to do it, I just lack motivation in the long term. In the past I've been all 'gung-ho' and had it all fall to disarray within weeks. I want a simple routine that even my husband can follow (even more hopeless at this than I am).

Has anyone got themselves in order with this stuff? Does your system work? Is it easy to follow? If I could afford a PA I'd do it in a heartbeat

[rusty22]

Hi, first post here but have been lurking for a while now.

Our regular bills (rates, mortgage etc) are set for periodic payment by direct debit but with the ones that are variable (electricity etc) I set them to BPay on the due date as soon as they come in. This way it gets paid on time and I can't forget it, then I file it straight away. Works perfectly for us.


Good luck!

[katrina24]

Hi, I'm no organisational whiz but I have a simple system that seems to work for us. Mail comes in and is opened immediately or put on the kitchen bench where it will be seen easily. Bills go on the fridge on a clip with first due on the front. Notes from school are filled out immediately and put back in the kids school bags (I keep some $5 notes at home to pay for things and a pkt of envelopes handy). I do the notes during dinner (my kids eat much more slowly than me so I do them after I finish eating). They then go back in school bags for the next day. Anything else that doesn't need to be paid/action but needs to be kept goes into a tray on top of the filing cabinet and I file it all in the school holidays.

[belinda1976]

Mine is quite simple too as I'm the one that opens the mail - it seems to work for me.

We have a tray on our computer desk where the bill gets put immediately. Then in red marker pen I write on my calendar which is just above the tray what date it's due. I'm always checking the calendar so I can always see when the bills are coming up.

Another thing you could do if you could be bothered is put a reminder in your Outlook calendar on your computer.

[fizzy19]

I'm another one who uses direct debit. Things like power I use my bank account to setup weekly or fortnightly payments so when the bill comes I usually don't owe much. Most bills I get are via email so u log into your account to view when their due. Anything else goes on the fridge or pinboard

This post has been edited by fizzy19: 04/06/2012, 12:28 AM

[KristyMum-]

One pinboard
has 4 big bullldog clips 'tax', 'school', 'medical', 'invoices'
mail gets opened
bill amounts and due dates get typed into spreadsheet (which gets consulted at least once a week on pay week)
bill gets put on the bulldogclip until it's paid, then it gets filed.

I find if I handle it once (initially) and don't put it 'away' in a file to get paid etc, but put it where I see it (spreedsheet), then it gets paid. Have only one spot that the paperwork goes and stick to it.

Ditto for school permissions slips etc - fill in the day they're received, attach money/other stuff and put in school bag to go back the next day.

[SpunkyMonkey88]

I'm another one who uses direct debit. Things like power I use my bank account to setup weekly or fortnightly payments so when the bill comes I usually don't owe much. Most bills I get are via email so u log into your account to view when their due. Anything else goes on the fridge or pinboard

I'm the same... I sat down and worked out how much I spend on electricity per fortnight (using the bills from the previous year) and have set up my account to BPay the amount fornightly. That way the bills are always paid the day our pay goes into the account so we are not spending money we don't have.

Bill get opened and chucked straight into a file, as I don't need to do anything with them. If I am finding that I am getting too far in front, or behind I can just adjust the payments.

[wickle pickle]

I have a new approach to everything and it seems to be working. I have been doing it for a few months now.

It's called 'Do It Now'. I must have read that somewhere but don't ask me where.

Obviously the philosophy is clear from the name. It applies to everything, ie when you take your shoes off put them straight in the right place, put your dirty clothes straight in the laundry basket etc etc.

With bills, when they arrive I put them on the stairs. When I walk up stairs I grab them and put them on top of my computer keyboard. Next time I sit down at the computer I pretty much have to pay them straight away or my desk will be covered in crap. If the bill isn't due for a while, I'll schedule the payment. Then I update the spreadsheet in which I keep track of our bank balances. Then I file it in the filing cabinet immediately and never think about it again.

It is hard to do it all the time, but I was so sick of sifting through piles of junk on my desk and now it has become more of a habit.

Sometimes, I think 'oh I'll just have a quick look at EB before I do the banking' but then a little voice in my head says 'Do It NOW' and I do and then I feel better and justified in rewarding myself with some time on EB :-)

My whole house seems much more organised since adopting this idea - now if only I could get the rest of the family on board!!

[Bibendum]

I open all mail as soon as I receive it. If it's a bill, I place it on my laptop. As soon as I sit down at the laptop next, I do the bills - generally by scheduling them to be paid from the bank account. I don't tend to do direct debits because, every once in a while, my workplace doesn't get its pays out on time (happens 4-5 times a year... *sigh*), and so the amount in my account isn't what I expect it to be. Scheduling gives me more control over when things go out and, if needed, I can transfer money over from our savings account to cover the amounts due.

Once I've done this, the paid bill goes into a "to be filed" cabinet - where it might sit for months and months until I have time to do something with it. But, if there's any question about a recent bill, it's not usually too hard to fish it out.

I do the same thing with anything else that needs to be actioned: on the laptop, so it has to be dealt with before I can do any other work (or mess around on EB...).

[MegzG]

i open the mail and bills i get on the computer and schedule the payment for the thursday before its due (payday on thursday)
i have weekly payments set up for phone/internet bill and each week money gets moved into different accounts for mortgage, car repayments, my PT, DH current thing hes saving for for his car.