My Bill Folder

In order to keep myself from going insane and to make sure all my bills get paid I've developed a folder that has worked wonders in our home.



The folder is actually a three ring binder; it contains "extra" paper, envelopes, pocket inserts, bill lists, stamps and a note book.





I type a list of all bills to be paid in a month and as they are paid I write in the amount and date paid. This gives a great overview at a quick glance, helps with sticking to a budget (because you can easily see what is left to be paid) and gives peace of mind that everything has been covered. When a sheet is full I move it to the back of the "bill papers" so I can go back and see how things have gone up, etc.






There is a pocket insert for each bill, as soon as a bill is paid I stick the bill in it(if paid online, if not then the rest of the page after tearing off the bill). When they get filled, after about 3/4 of a year to a year typically, I file them in a cabinet. At this point I shred any bills in the file that are over a year old.




In the note book is our financial vision, goals (short term and long term), what we are saving for and the monthly amounts (ie. Christmas, trips, etc), what we are supposed to be paying extra on each month, home improvements with the dates, and car care with the dates. We look at the note book each time we pay bills to keep us focused and on track.