Are the bills collecting

Last week you made space in your home, or office, to store and file all your bills and statements as well as other important documents.

This week I am looking at a separate place for unpaid bills and other important, actionable paperwork.

I store my documents for the month in the concertina file but this is only my paid and completed tasks, as I would never remember to pay anything otherwise.  I tried a tickler file, (will share a link that explains this) but found that I never look in it. http://www.home-storage-solutions-101.com/tickler-file.html

I originally drew up a form on which I could list everything that needs doing in the month. The form is a bill organiser to remind me what bills were due and when. This is actually quite important, especially when you have some bills that are annual, like TV licenses and professional fees. For some reason, even though I have been paying professional fees for 28 years, when fees come due in December it somehow always catches me by surprise.

Once the bills are paid, the statement and receipt are put into the concertina file. I have automated most of my bills and made debit orders at the bank. This way unless the company changes the debit order date, almost everything is paid, before I even start my grocery shopping.

Invitations go on the fridge, as well as the wall calendar next to my desk and the diary on my phone!

With having a system for your bills and paperwork, you will also need an area for shredding. You do not need a shredder, just tear up the papers – it’s really therapeutic! You can choose to shred all your unwanted papers daily or monthly, depending on how much paper you generate.

Remember that unpaid bills affect your credit rating and cost you money, so pay them as soon as possible, or phone and make a payment arrangement for outstanding bills.