Organizing Monthly Bills

One of my New Years Resolutions for 2013, yes 2013, was to be more organized in my finances. I have read multiple blog posts and watched numerous videos on organizing your finances and one of the more popular ways is to have a binder system. I loved this system because it's easy and simple and keeps all of your monthly bills organized all in one binder.


I have seen some binder systems that are very detailed and complicated, but I have found that I don't need to have 10 different binders for each bill that I have. I needed something simple, easy, yet effective.


So here's how I did it!!


What you'll need:

1. 1.5/2 inch 3-ring binder
2. Divider tabs
3. Clear sheet protectors
4. 3-hole punch
5. A pen
6. Highlighter
7. 2-pocket folder

What to do:


First, make a cover sheet to put on the outside of your binder. Mine says "The Frank Bank". Cute huh!


Next, type out a list of all your monthly bills and the date they are due. (I used a bullet format to make it look more clean line and simple) Print it out and place it into a clear sheet protector and place it at the very front of your binder. So when you open your binder this will be the first thing you see!


Then, use the tab dividers to make a tab for each monthly bill you have. Use a label maker to label each tab.


Next, place the 2-pocket folder in the back of your binder to hold random mail items that are important or documents that won't fit into your binder. (ex. loan documents because the paper is extra long). Place your pen and highlighter in the front of your binder. (I stuck mine in the front pocket of my binder)


Waa-laa!! You now have your very own finance binder!!


After I finished making mine. I went through all my paperwork/bills and threw away what I didn't need and whole punched and filed what I wanted to keep.


How to Keep this System:


When you get a bill in the mail, immediately file it into your binder.


When that bill has been paid, mark it paid with the date and highlight it! I even take the receipt and staple it to my bill. Which came in real handy when my cell phone provider tried to tell me that I hadn't paid my bill for that month but I had my receipt to prove I had paid it! Boo-yah!!


Hope this system works for you as well as it has for me! Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook if you would like to see a video of a more in depth look into how I organize my monthly bills.
Leah <3