How to Create a Home Filing System and Bill Paying Center
Paying your bills on time is essential to maintaining a good credit score and a solid financial footing. The problem is that so many bills come in at different times of the month, and keeping track of due dates and payments can be a real chore.
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Instructions
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Set aside a part of a desk, or better yet, the entire desk, to create a sorting system and bill payment center. Having space for everything you need is very important.
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Purchase a sorter, like the kind used in mail rooms but smaller, at most office supply stores. Look for individual pockets and a way to label them. Keep a supply of stamps, envelopes, pens and return address labels in a cup on top of your desk. You can purchase special cups that provide for all these items.
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Label each pocket in the mail sorter with the name of the bill, for instance, light bill, water bill, rent, mortgage, credit card. It is helpful to use a mail sorter with 31 different pockets, since that allows you to place each bill in a pocket according to its due date. If you cannot find such a mail sorter, you could label each pocket with a date range, 1 to 5, 6 to 10, and so forth. If you have a bill that is due once a year or once a quarter, you can place that bill in the appropriate pocket according to its due date, for instance, June 1 or December 31.
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Place each bill in the appropriate compartment when it comes in. Check your mail sorter at least every couple of days to look for bills that are coming due. Pay each bill as its due date approaches, making sure you leave plenty of time for the payment to be mailed and submitted.
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References
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