A Bill Payment Organizer Can Help You Stay on Top of Finances

Managing your monthly bills can be challenging if you’re not organized. That’s why having a bill payment organizer is a major time-saver (and life-saver!), especially when you’re already juggling a million other important chores.

Let’s face it: Between work, family, friends, taking care of our homes, and running kids to every sports practice under the sun, we simply run out of time. But just because it’s hard to get everything done doesn’t mean you can’t be organized — especially when it comes to paying your bills on time.

By beginning to use a monthly bill payment organizer — including a bill payment checklist, some easy-to-follow templates, and a bill payment organizer printable — you can get your monthly bill-paying system under control in no time.

What is a bill payment organizer?

A bill payment organizer lets you keep all of your bills and payments in one place. Bill payment organizers are usually electronic templates or files that can be printed out and filled in by hand. The goal of a bill payment organizer is to help you track and pay your bills on time each month. It also serves as a reference throughout the month to help you see — literally — how your budget is shaping up.

Bill payment organizers are often used along with a bill-pay checklist and a monthly bill planner, which come together to help you create an at-a-glance bill-paying system for you and your family.

How to Use a Bill Organizer Template for Your Monthly Budget

To begin easily setting up a bill payment organizer template, determine the best payment tracker method for you. Some people prefer the old-fashioned paper-and-pencil system, while others rely on apps for their phone or a computer program.

The best part about choosing between these methods? They both work. As long as you find the one you’re most comfortable with and stick to it, you will become more efficient at tracking and paying your bills on time each month.

One site worth checking out is Erin Huffstetler at My Frugal Home. She has been a frugal-living expert for the past 15 years and runs this popular website that helps readers save money on all things related to family life. She has devoted an entire section of her website to budgeting, paying bills, and family finance. For those just beginning to use a bill payment organizer, she advises that you list your bills in the order they’re due so you can quickly check the list to see what needs to be paid next.

Huffstetler also advises that if you like to use auto-pay systems, keep a list of all the automatic payments you’ve set up on your credit card. If your card gets stolen, you’ll be able to switch easily to a manual-pay system.

She also suggests creating a monthly spending plan. Certified Money Coach and Accredited Financial Counselor Mikelann R. Valterra, MA, AFC has her clients create such ag plan (a cash-flow plan similar to a budget) that lists all their expenses. This includes their bills and works like a monthly bill planner.

First, establish a category name for each bill, just like for every other kind of spending. Valterra often works with her clients to edit the name of the bill and add the due date to the name. (Such as: Comcast, due on the 23rd). Each week, her clients update their spending list and see what is “left” to spend for the month, including the bills.

Kristy Marshall, founder and money coach at Money Bliss says that she prefers using paper and pen for working on a bill payment organizer. “At a glance, I can quickly look and see what is paid and what is not,” she explains.

Marshall’s simple bill pay checklist has a list of bills (a monthly bill checklist that includes a place for quarterly and yearly bills) with the amount due, due date, and a spot to check off each month. She says this is especially helpful for bills that are not on auto pay. Marshall recognizes that not everyone wants to track their bills with paper and pencil, and helps many of her clients develop an online system that works for their needs.

Printable Bill Organizer

With hundreds of printable bill payment organizers online, it can be difficult to know which to choose. If you’re looking for a simple bill payment organizer template, check out the following template from Huffstetler. Her easy-to-use bill payment organizer let you check off bills as you’ve paid them, so you won’t have to worry about getting hit with late fees or extra interest.

(Photo Credit: My Frugal Home)

She’s used her payment tracker for several years and says that putting all of her family’s bill payment information down on a single page has streamlined her their bill pay process. “We can see what we owe when, without having to log in to a bunch of accounts to check,” she says. Find the printable version of her bill payment organizer here to start creating your list.

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