Paying Your Bills on Time

Many people walk a thin line when it comes to paying their bills. They've figured out that they won't have a negative report on their credit history if they pay before the bill is 30 days late.

However, missing your payment by even a few hours can result in late fees and even over-the-limit fees. These can run up to $40 per incident, so you are looking at $80 for simply paying a bit late. This can cost you quite a bit of money if you do it with several bills throughout the year. Even though your credit score is safe, you are spending too much money on your late payment habit.

One way to avoid late payments is to pay your bills on the day you get them. This works for people who are not organized. As soon as the bill comes in the mail, you write a check or pay it online. Many people skip the bother and simply have the bills paid automatically from their checking account on the day before they are due. Many lenders offer a percentage rate decrease for having your payment automatically withdrawn from your checking.

If you are an organized person, it often helps to have a centralized calendar where you mark all of your appointments. Keep it in a place that you will look at every day. You simply mark all of your due dates for each of your bills on your calendar in bold ink. If you mail your bills, you should send them at least 2 weeks before they are due. This will insure that they arrive on time. If you pay your bills online, you should still try to add a couple of days to make sure that everything works out in time.

You can work with most creditors to establish a due date that works for you. For example, if you pay your mortgage on the 1rst of the month, you may not be able to pay your other bills for a couple of weeks. You can call your creditors and request that your due dates be rescheduled to the 20th of the month. Tell them that this would help you to pay each bill on time.

An added bonus is that when you have your bills due on the same date, you can sit down and pay them all at once and get it over with. You don't have to worry about multiple due dates. Make sure that you watch your bills to make sure that the due dates are what you requested.

You can also use a computer software program, such as Quicken or Money, to track your bills, due date and payment amount. These programs can be set to remind you to pay a bill. You have a list that you simply go down and check off as you pay.

You can use a listing method without having a computer. Simply purchase a spiral notebook or journal to use as your bill book. Write the month at the top of the page. Then list the due date, bill and amount owed. You prefill in the next couple of months. When unexpected monthly bills arrive, you add them to the bottom of the list. When you pay bills, you simply go down the list marking them off. That way, you know what has been paid and what hasn't.