bill due dates.....questions for y'all!!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Aug 24, 2019 7:52:29 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Aug 24, 2019 7:38:36 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Why don't you just get on phone or online and contact all the people you owe and see if they will change the due date to meet your needs. I'm a simple minded person when it comes to stuff like this. Just do it. What's the worse that can happen? They say NO then you will have to figure out why you can't pay bills when due?

How many bills are we talking about? I speed read some post and didn't see this so if over looked it never mind  Also couldn't get a handle on if not having enough money to pay bills or just having a problem when due. Two different animals so to speak. Good luck with whatever you figure out. I have no solution whatsoever since I have my own way of doing things   

I was thinking about this for the student loans, but was wondering if I could just arrange this online by specifying an earlier date, or doing it via the checking account, etc.

Basically - just trying to gather some info on approaches.

But calling everyone isn't likely to be on my todo list any time soon. No one is ever available via phone easily, and that's a lot of phone calls. I think the utilities would be particularly resistant to bill on my timeline. Credit cards likely pretty amenable. Insurance, I don't know.

I know my student loan requires I call to change the date. I can change others online. Doesn't hurt to look and if they don't then call.

I know it didn't take long at all to change.

We could change insurance as long as the date was in their billing cycle. They told us what that was then I used my handy dandy calendar to pick the date that worked for us.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I know this is a YM sin but I have my gas and electric on budget pay. They take my costs and average them out to the same payment every month.

Yeah I pay more and could invest it at 11% blah blah. For me with all the balls I got in the air I find the simplicity preferable to whatever minimal amount I'd be saving in the winter.

[NoNamePerson]

Aug 24, 2019 12:24:55 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Aug 24, 2019 7:52:29 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

I was thinking about this for the student loans, but was wondering if I could just arrange this online by specifying an earlier date, or doing it via the checking account, etc.

Basically - just trying to gather some info on approaches.

But calling everyone isn't likely to be on my todo list any time soon. No one is ever available via phone easily, and that's a lot of phone calls. I think the utilities would be particularly resistant to bill on my timeline. Credit cards likely pretty amenable. Insurance, I don't know.

I know my student loan requires I call to change the date. I can change others online. Doesn't hurt to look and if they don't then call.

I know it didn't take long at all to change.

We could change insurance as long as the date was in their billing cycle. They told us what that was then I used my handy dandy calendar to pick the date that worked for us.

Online is always my first choice for me to do changes. 

The last time I moved I did all COA, etc online. I ran into one place that wouldn't let me do change of address online. Who would have thought I had to show proof of residence at the library. CC, bank, Ins etc let me do it online. 

We're not talking small time library either.   Go figure

They are the more security conscious than my Cc, etc. 

[dannylion]

Aug 24, 2019 12:48:13 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Aug 24, 2019 12:24:55 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I know my student loan requires I call to change the date. I can change others online. Doesn't hurt to look and if they don't then call.

I know it didn't take long at all to change.

We could change insurance as long as the date was in their billing cycle. They told us what that was then I used my handy dandy calendar to pick the date that worked for us.

Online is always my first choice for me to do changes. 

The last time I moved I did all COA, etc online. I ran into one place that wouldn't let me do change of address online. Who would have thought I had to show proof of residence at the library. CC, bank, Ins etc let me do it online. 

We're not talking small time library either.   Go figure

They are the more security conscious than my Cc, etc. 

The library is probably not concerned so much about security as they are about making sure you live in whatever town/city/county/whatever from which the taxes that support the library are derived.  They don't want a bunch of random people from other towns/cities/counties/whatever elsewhere (the ones with the crappy libraries) using facilities they are not paying taxes to support.  (That's not just meanness.  Their budget is likely at least determined on the basis of the size of their tax base/patron demographic.) Also, library patrons are being allowed to walk out with library property, so they probably like to make sure they can find them to remind them to bring it back, if necessary.  

Things that look absurd on the surface often have reasonable explanations if one digs a little deeper.  

[TheOtherMe]

Aug 24, 2019 12:32:53 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I know this is a YM sin but I have my gas and electric on budget pay. They take my costs and average them out to the same payment every month.

Yeah I pay more and could invest it at 11% blah blah. For me with all the balls I got in the air I find the simplicity preferable to whatever minimal amount I'd be saving in the winter.

So do I and it works best for me.  Right now I have a credit balance on the gas account and I'm in the hole on the electrical account.  I have two different providers.

[alabamagal]

Aug 24, 2019 9:40:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Aug 24, 2019 9:03:17 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I don’t do autopay on my mortgage because I am a bit paranoid about it. I pay online no charge. I worry about payroll issues (happened a few times at one employer) and cash flow issues which may result in mortgage payment a few days late - has happened a few times never recently. I have been up to 2 days late, but doesn’t count as late.

Only autopsy’s to cc are smaller bills that don’t charge for using cc

I've never had an issue with that, but it is good to consider that something could happen.

For people who get paid on the 1st and have mortgage/rent due on the 1st, definitely something to consider.

One big company I worked at for 20 years and was paid monthly paid us on “the day before the last business day of the month”. Started working back in the day when we got paid by physical check sent from NJ. When I bought my 1st house, my banker suggested making mortgage due on the 5th for cushion. Gave me time to get my check and deposit it. I think it was auto deduct for mortgage.

I worked for a small company for several years where payday was first business day of month. When Jan 1 was on Friday (bank holiday) pay day was supposed to be Jan 4, but HR messed up and no one got paid until the 5th. They did reimburse some people for overdrafts due to error.

[NoNamePerson]

Aug 24, 2019 15:31:50 GMT -5 dannylion said:

Aug 24, 2019 12:48:13 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

Online is always my first choice for me to do changes. 

The last time I moved I did all COA, etc online. I ran into one place that wouldn't let me do change of address online. Who would have thought I had to show proof of residence at the library. CC, bank, Ins etc let me do it online. 

We're not talking small time library either.   Go figure

They are the more security conscious than my Cc, etc. 

The library is probably not concerned so much about security as they are about making sure you live in whatever town/city/county/whatever from which the taxes that support the library are derived.  They don't want a bunch of random people from other towns/cities/counties/whatever elsewhere (the ones with the crappy libraries) using facilities they are not paying taxes to support.  (That's not just meanness.  Their budget is likely at least determined on the basis of the size of their tax base/patron demographic.) Also, library patrons are being allowed to walk out with library property, so they probably like to make sure they can find them to remind them to bring it back, if necessary.  

Things that look absurd on the surface often have reasonable explanations if one digs a little deeper.  

I get that believe it or not. I've had a card for 55 years here. Just thought I could put in local change of address online since I have account number and pin no. No biggie. I just did it the next time I went in. I didn't consider it absurd just interesting. I didn't get my panties in a wad about it.

And they update your info every so often to but don't remember the time frame. Just find that out when trying to put hold on book and denied. Bingo just give them current info and you are good to go!

[Deleted]

Rukh O'Rorke, I don't want to be "mean," but I think you want a solution to bill dates without really acknowledging that you need a solution to living paycheck to paycheck.  What posters like oped, minnesotapaintlady, and Knee Deep in Water Chloe are trying to tell you is that if you can get a month ahead, then due dates don't really matter any more.  

I had to look this up because I didn't know my due date.  It didn't matter.  All that mattered is when my statement posted.  But I got my Amazon CC bill on August 3.  It covered all my July spending.  It isn't due until September 1.  If I was on autopay, that is when it would be paid . . . two months after I "spent" that money.  If I was like most people, it would be paid out of the check I will get on August 31 this month.  I am not like most people.  I paid it August 3.

Even then, I am not really a month ahead.  But at least I am not covering expenses from two months ago with this month's check.  

Think about doing a trial of YNAB.  I have become a fan, but I use an older version.  The one that syncs with your accounts (newer version), etc. is supposed to be awesome.  And it has helped a ton of people pay off debt, which I know is something that bothers you.  I don't have a smart phone, though, and I am too cheap to do a subscription.

[debthaven]

Rukh O'Rorke what SS said...

What everyone is trying to tell you is, let's say you have 4K in regular bills per month (regular bills, ie mortgage, utilities, car payment, etc).

If you can get one month AHEAD (ie keep a 4K cushion in that account), then it no longer matters when your bills are due.

That's what Oped meant ... that you need to do whatever to get that cushion into your account. She wasn't being snarky.

I DO understand what you mean about the dates, but it's true, having a one-month cushion in that account eliminates the need to do that. That's what these WIR posters are trying to tell you.

We don't do that but I've been on WIR long enough to understand what they mean.

ETA: Also, like NomoreDramaQ1015, we are on "budget billing" for our utilities (gas, electricity, water). Like you, we live in a temperate climate in an old house that is not very well-insulated. But instead of paying crazy high heating bills in winter and low bills in summer, we pay the same amount every month.

We're also on a monthly payment plan for our (very expensive) property taxes, for the same reason. It's easier to come up with 450e/month than to come up with 2250e twice a year. (I realize that option may not exist there for property taxes.) 

I don't know how it works there, but here "annual billing" is over 10 months. The 11th month is the adjustment, the 12th month is generally "off". I like the fact that there are no "surprises". Sometimes we pay a bit the 11th month, sometimes we get a small refund. And our property taxes are "off" in Dec, just in time for Christmas.

Hope this helps. :-)

[NoNamePerson]

Aug 24, 2019 17:47:50 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Rukh O'Rorke , I don't want to be "mean," but I think you want a solution to bill dates without really acknowledging that you need a solution to living paycheck to paycheck.  What posters like oped , minnesotapaintlady , and Knee Deep in Water Chloe are trying to tell you is that if you can get a month ahead, then due dates don't really matter any more.  

I had to look this up because I didn't know my due date.  It didn't matter.  All that mattered is when my statement posted.  But I got my Amazon CC bill on August 3.  It covered all my July spending.  It isn't due until September 1.  If I was on autopay, that is when it would be paid . . . two months after I "spent" that money.  If I was like most people, it would be paid out of the check I will get on August 31 this month.  I am not like most people.  I paid it August 3.

Even then, I am not really a month ahead.  But at least I am not covering expenses from two months ago with this month's check.  

Think about doing a trial of YNAB.  I have become a fan, but I use an older version.  The one that syncs with your accounts (newer version), etc. is supposed to be awesome.  And it has helped a ton of people pay off debt, which I know is something that bothers you.  I don't have a smart phone, though, and I am too cheap to do a subscription.

  And I pretty much live within my means

[Blonde Granny]

As SS mentioned, I also use an older version of YNAB....# 4 in fact. I bought it about 5 years ago when it was on sale at a place called Steam. It's taken me awhile to get it the way I want it, but it works for me.

I'm also one of the guilty YMs that have my utilities on level billing. It only varies by a couple of dollars per month, and I appreciate that the summer bills are reasonable. It also helps that I know within a few dollars how much my bill will be each month.

As for my total monthly expenses, (I'm better than No Name) I live BELOW my means and transfer $5-600 per month into saving.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Aug 24, 2019 17:47:50 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

Rukh O'Rorke , I don't want to be "mean," but I think you want a solution to bill dates without really acknowledging that you need a solution to living paycheck to paycheck.  What posters like oped , minnesotapaintlady , and Knee Deep in Water Chloe are trying to tell you is that if you can get a month ahead, then due dates don't really matter any more.  

I had to look this up because I didn't know my due date.  It didn't matter.  All that mattered is when my statement posted.  But I got my Amazon CC bill on August 3.  It covered all my July spending.  It isn't due until September 1.  If I was on autopay, that is when it would be paid . . . two months after I "spent" that money.  If I was like most people, it would be paid out of the check I will get on August 31 this month.  I am not like most people.  I paid it August 3.

Even then, I am not really a month ahead.  But at least I am not covering expenses from two months ago with this month's check.  

Think about doing a trial of YNAB.  I have become a fan, but I use an older version.  The one that syncs with your accounts (newer version), etc. is supposed to be awesome.  And it has helped a ton of people pay off debt, which I know is something that bothers you.  I don't have a smart phone, though, and I am too cheap to do a subscription.

But do you really think I don't know that? I really didn't want to belabor this point any further here, but as several have brought it up again I feel like should explain a little more.

Aug 24, 2019 6:09:27 GMT -5 oped said:

Rukh O'Rorke Avatar

Aug 24, 2019 5:48:26 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Interesting!



How do you do that? All my bills are on autopay, and they go through whenever they do.

You have a period of extra work, sell unwanted shit, don’t buy anything... and all that money goes to cushion.

I was not talking about savings in this thread, I was talking about how someone managed their due dates - and to "pretend" that I was saying "interesting! How on earth does one save money" is disingenuous and frankly insulting.

When someone flings a red herring into the discourse for their own purposes, particularly one that seems intentionally mean-spirited, I just really don't engage. 

And just because something is true and tangentially related - doesn't make it relevant. As an example, if an overweight person was in a small group of neighbors talking about discounts at the local gym if you schedule 10 classes a month, and the person replied "interesting! How do you do that? I've only been going once a week due to costs" and someone replied with "you really need cut calories to lose weight, don't buy sweets, and put that money into more classes"



Doesn't even come close to answering the question asked!

[geenamercile]

I called and got all my due dates changed to the beginning of the month when I started to get paid once a month on the 1st.   When I got paid twice a month I had my bills spread out over the month.  I prefer to push the money from the bank instead of having it pulled out just in case.  So on the first of each month I check make sure the pay went in, and then got through my bill pay list and send all the payments, transfer money to savings and we live off the rest.  At the end of the month either gets rolled into the next months starting balance and then start all over.  In the sense of having 170 dollars left in the living account until I get paid again we live paycheck to paycheck as well.  

I would say figure out when your two paychecks hit, figure out what you want to pay out of each and make calls to set the due dates so it works.  Most of my due dates are between the 3rd and 7th of each month. The town power/water is the annoying one that can only go to the 14th as the earliest. 

If the problem is that you see 5000 in the account and want to spend it but know that is spoken for, set up account for just paying bills, treat yourself as a bill and set up a spending account and pay you a set amount to spend between paychecks.  I really try not to check our saving accounts because if I see it I start questioning do we really need that much in savings, I could just buy X and it should work out.  I like to spend, so it is better that I don't see it.  Trust me it hurts to see 75-80 percent of my check disappear in those first few days.  But it does make the rest of the month easier to not worry about it.  And we do tend to splurge a bit more at the first two weekends of the month then the last.    

I set my power bill pay up in June, they average what the expect the 12 months to be, you pay that for 11 months and then the 12th is the true up month.  I guess the town gives me a loan because our highest bills are July thur October for the AC.  They put what the pay off balance would be up top of the bill and I normally don't get that close to my payment amount until around March. 

Rukh I don't think people are trying to be mean, for me your post when it comes to budgeting or income, it seems like you hyper focus on one aspect at a time vs seeing how everything fits together.  It's like you are always trying to put out little fires and while focused on one the others grow, then you switch to that focus but the embers from the first are still hot, or others start to pop up else where.   

[geenamercile]

Why are all our bills on a monthly basis, and our (most people's!!) pay every two weeks?

And to answer this I am not even sure most people are paid every two weeks.  I know a lot of people who get paid monthly, weekly and semi-monthly as well.  I also know people who get paid at certain points when a job is done.  Thinking construction based jobs.  Now I am wondering what pay period is the most common.    I also imagine that if bills were on a two week basis it would double the work load for everyone who has something to do with getting those bills out.  Thinking of my power bill alone requires someone to drive the power companies car around and collect the data from each reading, sure they don't manually go and read it anymore but they still have to be so close to the meter for the computer to read it.  That means they would have to do that at least twice a month.  They would need to hire more people.     

[geenamercile]

Okay this is older 2013 and looks like it only takes private businesses into consideration.  So while every two weeks is the most popular it is only at 36 percent, I also think it you adding in government workers the monthly would go higher at well.  


www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-3/mobile/how-frequently-do-private-businesses-pay-workers.htm

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Aug 25, 2019 11:26:07 GMT -5 geenamercile said:

Okay this is older 2013 and looks like it only takes private businesses into consideration.  So while every two weeks is the most popular it is only at 36 percent, I also think it you adding in government workers the monthly would go higher at well.  


www.bls.gov/opub/btn/volume-3/mobile/how-frequently-do-private-businesses-pay-workers.htm

Interesting! 

Thanks for this, when I was paid monthly - it was a very small business/private owner. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

I will say there was one time where the every other week pay really paid off!

Most places I've worked have been every other week pay periods, and I alway think of my annual salary as pay period  $$*26.

Then one year we got 27 checks! Holy moly I was super excited! I didn't know it could happen. 

Can't wait for that to happen again.

[Lizard Queen]

I've been weekly only at the most basic jobs I've worked: min wage, retail and through temp agency. I guess their workers tend more towards paycheck to paycheck. It seems like it would be more challenging to pull off with bigger numbers. It also makes timing things closer more lucrative. I think you just have to find a balance (payoff/cushion), that you can live with. I go with a bigger cushion, not because I'm a great money manager, but because I'm lazy. But, like I said, it matters more with bigger numbers.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Aug 25, 2019 13:26:00 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I've been weekly only at the most basic jobs I've worked: min wage, retail and through temp agency. I guess their workers tend more towards paycheck to paycheck. It seems like it would be more challenging to pull off with bigger numbers. It also makes timing things closer more lucrative. I think you just have to find a balance (payoff/cushion), that you can live with. I go with a bigger cushion, not because I'm a great money manager, but because I'm lazy. But, like I said, it matters more with bigger numbers.

This is a good point Lizard. I am always cutting everything as close as I can to push money into debt reduction or to savings. I hate to leave it in the checking account. 


So - I can either see about altering pay dates, get a lot of things on cc payments, and/or as Geena suggested, having a separate account where the paychecks go, and do my own, more regular payments into the checking.
.......the solution is out there.....

[wvugurl26]

I think in some states there are limits on how far behind you can be paid if you are hourly and not salary or overtime eligible. That would encompass most minimum wage jobs. When I worked through a temp agency, we were paid weekly.

My brother works in a blue collar union type job. They are paid weekly. Their checks can vary a lot week to week due to holidays, shift differential and any overtime.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Well, I’m super confused.
Good luck finding a solution.

[NoNamePerson]

Aug 25, 2019 16:43:07 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Well, I’m super confused.
Good luck finding a solution.
[img src="http://syonidv.hodginsmedia.com/vsmileys/smile.gif" src="//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png" class="smile" alt=""]

[Lizard Queen]

Aug 25, 2019 15:17:14 GMT -5 Rukh O'Rorke said:

Aug 25, 2019 13:26:00 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

I've been weekly only at the most basic jobs I've worked: min wage, retail and through temp agency. I guess their workers tend more towards paycheck to paycheck. It seems like it would be more challenging to pull off with bigger numbers. It also makes timing things closer more lucrative. I think you just have to find a balance (payoff/cushion), that you can live with. I go with a bigger cushion, not because I'm a great money manager, but because I'm lazy. But, like I said, it matters more with bigger numbers.

This is a good point Lizard. I am always cutting everything as close as I can to push money into debt reduction or to savings. I hate to leave it in the checking account. 


So - I can either see about altering pay dates, get a lot of things on cc payments, and/or as Geena suggested, having a separate account where the paychecks go, and do my own, more regular payments into the checking.
.......the solution is out there.....

I guess you could also look at it as a risk/reward trade-off. Cutting things close is riskier, but there is more reward for it, in your particular situation with the debt payoff.

[bookkeeper]

Here's an idea.  Start with a $5,000 emergency fund.  Put it in your checking account.  Now you have a one month cushion from which to pay any bill that comes your way.  Since you put the $5,000 in the checking account, you know that the last $5,000 is not to spend.  It is for emergencies and bill pay overlap ONLY.  The amount over $5,000 is your cash flow with which you will work.

Don't worry about making an extra ten cents of interest on your cushion. You can pick a dime up off the street most days.  Worry about making your payments on time.  A credit score in the 800's will save you way more money than you will make on money market or checking account interest.

I did call to change my credit card due date one time.  I was told they can move the date, but only when the account is at $0 and no charges are pending.  Didn't seem very customer friendly.

Another method I have used when money was tight is to pay all the bills (paper checks) and stack the envelopes in the order they need to be mailed.  I write the "mail by" date on the corner of the envelope where the stamp goes.  Check the stack once a week and mail the envelopes that need to go that week.  I kept a list of which bills I would expect to pay each month and check them off as they went to the mailbox.

Money management is a skill that takes less time once you get a routine that works for you.  As with anything, the more you practice, the better you will become at a particular skill.

[myrrh]

Hi Rukh,

I wonder if you are asking how people reduce their buffer amount in the checking account, since checking accounts don't earn much, if anything. I think most people are saying they keep a month's worth of expenses in the checking account (buffer amount) so that the due dates during the month don't matter. Maybe it's worth it to you to change your billing dates so that you can reduce your buffer to 15ish days. Yes you can become a lean interest accruing (or debt busting) machine, but is it worth the time and stress of tracking things so closely? 

Personally, I accepted many years ago that the extra interest I could earn by reducing the buffer was more than offset by the reduction in stress that the month buffer gives me. Not worrying about the timing of paychecks and due dates is, apparently, worth around $30 to me since I keep a buffer of around $1500 in my checking account ($1500 x 2% interest from high interest savings account)  . You are paid more and have bigger bills so the buffer could potentially earn more interest (or pay off more debt) so I get that it seems like you are giving up more. But seriously, buying stress reduction is worth it.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Aug 26, 2019 9:12:01 GMT -5 myrrh said:

Hi Rukh,

I wonder if you are asking how people reduce their buffer amount in the checking account, since checking accounts don't earn much, if anything. I think most people are saying they keep a month's worth of expenses in the checking account (buffer amount) so that the due dates during the month don't matter. Maybe it's worth it to you to change your billing dates so that you can reduce your buffer to 15ish days. Yes you can become a lean interest accruing (or debt busting) machine, but is it worth the time and stress of tracking things so closely? 

Personally, I accepted many years ago that the extra interest I could earn by reducing the buffer was more than offset by the reduction in stress that the month buffer gives me. Not worrying about the timing of paychecks and due dates is, apparently, worth around $30 to me since I keep a buffer of around $1500 in my checking account ($1500 x 2% interest from high interest savings account)  . You are paid more and have bigger bills so the buffer could potentially earn more interest (or pay off more debt) so I get that it seems like you are giving up more. But seriously, buying stress reduction is worth it.

I guess that has just always been my MO - keep that money working! - and only keeping enough in checking for the bills, but things are more complicated than at previous points in life, with many more moving parts.....

I'll consider some options. I'm not sure what the time lag is for transferring from my money market into checking. Different companies, so it is more than a day. 

[oped]

Aug 23, 2019 10:27:52 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Aug 23, 2019 9:59:29 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

The trick is to get a month ahead in your account. Figure out what your bills are for a month and work towards having that much in your account by the end of the month. Anything you have over and above that amount at the end of the month will be "extra" and you will be safe putting that towards debt and savings.

Yeah that.  Getting a month ahead was a game changer for me.  Unless it's something that doesn't bill until later, I pay everything on the first of the month and am done. 

Notice the post MPL was responding to. The Yeah That... she was about the 3rd or 4th one to say this is the key, essential piece in solving the problem of due dates is getting a month ahead. 

When you asked how she did it... my assumption was you mean how you get one month ahead. After all, that is the point of the whole thing... the emphasis of the point. 

You suggested it was unrelated, but I know its the essential component... because MPL said herself later "I also want to note, that it really wouldn't matter if the bills came out of my checking instead of credit card. The money for them is all there on the 1st. That's the important part. I just funnel through the credit card for the rewards and due to minor paranoia of days long ago when I did overdraw checking accounts.

I tried to clarify for you... saying "the essential piece however. When you have a cushion you can sit down with bills 1-2 times a month because you never have to think about automatic payments. The money is always there to cover them, so it happens without your input.
Personally, I also have very very few automatic payments that go to my bank account. Most go to my credit card. Limits number of payments and active involvement.
" 

To which you responded It had nothing to do with the topic ....

Later MPL also stated, " They go through to my credit card which I pay on the 1st of the month" ... which was again exactly in keeping with what i said... you treated her like the second coming, and said I should go compost  

Seriously. What you are showing in your responses is not a wit to do with me.... what you are showing is your own heart and prejudices. They are not subtle. 

[oped]

To the problem, you seem to want to remain in a week to week mindset as far as income and bills are concerned. That is perfectly fine if its your choice. I think you will find however that most people in your income bracket who are financially secure do not do things that way. Doesn't mean you can't still. Just not likely to find people who conceptualize the problem the way you seem to want to... ie as a problem of due dates. 

I for one conceptualize my expense annually. Individual due dates rarely if ever enter into my understanding and planning of our money picture. 

A cushion for instance. 10K not doing me 'any good' sitting in my checking account. Let's take 10% ... compounded monthly and annualized that is $1150.  (In reality, I'm more likely at 5%, so less than $600)... that is my max annual 'loss' at keeping a cushion. 

What do i gain?  One,  I pay a lot of shit annually and do not pay the fees... insurances for instance I pay once a year, no fee... so that 'loss' goes down...  I don't pay interest on cc etc. because I pay in full, although there are times when i might not be able to if i didn't have the cushion... again the 'loss' goes down.  etc. 

The BIGGEST thing I gain, is peace of mind.  I do bills twice a month because of the business, otherwise I could probably do once.  What comes in during that two weeks gets paid. I spend zero time worrying about due dates, etc. 

To me, and i'm sure others, looking at where my money goes on a yearly basis is the key, not looking at more minute daily or weekly time frames. 

[TheOtherMe]

oped said The BIGGEST thing I gain, is peace of mind.

This is why I want the cushion

[NastyWoman]

Aug 26, 2019 13:20:33 GMT -5 oped said:

To the problem, you seem to want to remain in a week to week mindset as far as income and bills are concerned. That is perfectly fine if its your choice. ...

But it is not, perfectly fine that is. That is why I said you need an annual budget.  There are always costs that ony pop up a few times/once a year.  If you are "pushing" money based on a weekly or even monthly budget, where is that money going to come from when that property tax/insurance/ etc. bill is due?  Did pushing all that money at your student loans make that payment go away so you can use those savings for that BB (big bill)? Did it go away in time to rebuild your reserves to pay your BB?

Really, budgeting is easy (provided you have the money coming in to pay your needs → if not that is another issue altogether) but it is a long game not a right here and right now one IMO.