Can you pay my bills?
Can you pay my telephone bills?
Can you pay my automo bills?
Can you pay my telephone bills?
Can you pay my automo bills?
Last Monday, we got home after a long day of airport and highway travel to a house that had no water. I thought maybe the pipes had frozen while we were gone or maybe they were working on some pipes in our neighborhood, shut off our water, and then we weren't home for them to make sure it got turned back on. I immediately called the water company to see what the problem was.
Apparently, it had been two months since I had last paid the water bill. I couldn't remember the last time I received a water bill in the mail and I certainly couldn't remember getting a letter that informed me of an imminent disconnection. I felt so ridiculous. We were finally home from a long day of travel and we couldn't even take a shower or flush our toilet. It was awful. And it could have been completely avoided, had I just been a real life adult. The gal on the phone kept saying things like, "I understand that some families may not be able to make a payment in full" or "Just pay as much as you can" and I had to keep reassuring her that we had money, it was just a complete oversight on my end of forgetting to send a check. So I paid the amount in full over the phone and she waved the $50 reconnection fee (::sigh of relief::) since we had always paid our bills on time in the past. Then, she set us up for automatic bill pay at the first of each month. Why didn't I already have automatic bill pay, you ask? Well, because that would be way too easy and I like to make things as difficult as possible. I guess I'm just still living in the early 2000's.
So here's where Monday's Most Wanted comes into the picture. I've decided that my unorganized upper left entryway dresser drawer just ain't cuttin' it anymore. The "toss everything in the drawer" system has failed (imagine that?). While, on the surface, it does a good job keeping the top of the dresser neat and tidy, it does a horrible job sorting mail and important documents. That's why I need this super organizational bill-sorting calendar notebook from redstarINK on Etsy:
The idea is, when you get the bill in the mail, place it in the "pay" pocket and fill in the due date on the calendar. When you pay the bill, move it over to the "paid" side and check it off your list. That's right, you get to check it off! Who doesn't love a good list-check-off!? Thirty smackaroos seems a little steep for the cost of this notebook, so I think I might just create my own using Microsoft Publisher.
What's your bill paying system? And have you ever had something super embarrassing (like getting your water turned off) happen to you?
3 comments:
I once got a letter saying that my electricity would be turned off if I didn't pay soon. I had done the exact same thing...stuck the bills in my slot and completely forgot about them. This notebook thing seems nifty.
Right now I just set up automatic bill pay for the bills that are a constant amount and send out checks for all the others. I wait until my electricity bill comes in the mail (it's the last one) and then pay them all at once.
IT happens! I did the EXACT same thing in August. While the kids and I were in TN on our vacation back "home", Kevin came home from work to discover the exact same thing! I'm very proficient at bill paying, but THAT bill ALWAYS tends to trip me up because it doesn't come monthly. We didn't get a disconnect notice either. Fortunately, Kevin paid the bill over the phone, they waived the reconnect fee and water was back on the next morning. Now THAT bill gets paid the day it comes! Lesson learned.
Aanna, I like your system. Call me old-fashioned, but "automatic bill pay" makes me nervous. I like the idea of waiting waiting to pay the inconsistent bills until the last one comes.
Tracye, it's good to know that I'm not alone. Stinkin' water bill!
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