What Is the Simplest Way to Organize Bills When Dates Always Change?

Speaker A00:00:37

Do you ever feel like your bills are playing whack a mole? You know, one pops up and you pay it, then another one appears out of nowhere. And the worst part is it's never the same rhythm.Different due dates, different amounts, even different timing. So you're always scrambling, you're always reacting, and you're always bracing for that next surprise friend. You don't need more discipline.You just need a better system. So today I'm going to give you the easiest way to map your bills so money stops catching you off guard. Hello, friend. Ralph Estep Jr. Here.Welcome to financially Confident Christian, where every day my goal is pretty simple. I want to help you break that cycle of financial shame and live in confidence.And today we're going to talk about the simplest way to organize bills when dates are always changing. Let's get right to our listener question today.Listener question says this, Ralph, My bills are due at different times every month, and I feel like I'm constantly scrambling to keep up. It feels like I'm always reacting. I'm never ahead, never steady. I want to be proactive and I want to finally feel in control.But I honestly don't know where to start. What's the simplest way to map out my bills so money stops catching me off guard? I like that question. None of us like to be caught off guard.Kind of like you're going through a horror place and somebody jumps out at you, you don't want your bills back. So my big idea today is when you can finally get control. You stop tracking due dates and you start running what I'll call a weekly bills rhythm.That's what I really want to drill down in today. But how do you do that? Here's how you do it. So start off by making one master list. Now, I'm not telling you to go spend an hour doing this.I'm talking about 10 minutes. You don't have to start with some fancy app. It doesn't have to be this elaborate spreadsheet. You can start with a simple list.And on that list, here's the thing you want to include. Put the name of the bill. You can put the typical amount of the bill and then I'm going to encourage you to put what I call a due window.Is it early in the month, is it mid month, or is it late month? Now I also can think you should put whether it's an auto drift yes or no. You don't want any surprises like that.But that's it because right now we're going for clarity, not Perfection. Second thing, and this is why I told you to do those windows. Stop chasing dates and choose two money days. Here's the simplest method I can Think of.Pick 2 days each month to handle your money. For example, let's say your first money day of the month is the first of the month. You're going to have a bucket of bills which land on the first.Maybe your second money day is the 15th of the month. Again, this could be based on your pay cycle.But on those two days, you pay what's due, you set aside for what's coming, and you check what's changed. That way, even if the due dates move, your money days don't. And if you think about it, what you're doing is you're turning that chaos into a rhythm.Here's another thing I think you should do. Use one bills account. And this one I think is so critical to your success.If your bills are mixed with your spending money, you're always going to feel behind. One of the easiest ways to beat that is to create a separate bills account. And then on payday, transfer the bills money into that account.And then the bills get paid from one place. You don't have to worry anymore. Did I spend the rent money on groceries? That's just a level of panic.Because when you have one account set aside for bills, that one account has just one purpose. Here's another thing I'm going to encourage you to do. Pay by pay period, not the due date. This is what I call the secret to all of this.If you get paid twice a month, pay all your early month bills with that first paycheck. And then pay all the late month bills with the second check.If you're weekly or bi weekly, then each payday you fund the next seven to 14 days of bills. And then your paycheck really becomes your calendar. I remember at one point I was working for my dad's accounting practice.We got paid once a month and it was really hard to manage that. So we did strategic in doing it. And I remember I went to another job. We started getting paid every two weeks.I was like, wow, this is so much easier now. And one more way you can make this easier.And you know, I'm going to sound like a broken record on this, but add one small buffer to eliminate those surprises. And it doesn't have to be a lot of money. You can start with a hundred dollars, but that buffer is for those slightly higher utility bills.The winter months here in Delaware, it was kind of cold this year. And the winter the electrical bills were higher.Maybe you've got some timing changes or maybe you've got one of those bills that just dropped a random fee. Well, if you have that buffer, it's not going to solve everything, but it stops the scramble and it stops the panic.In the end, I really believe that order brings peace. So here's your win for today. Really want to encourage you to create your master list and pick your two money days.That one move, if you do that today, turns reaction into routine, and we build that rhythm we talked about. Well, let's get right into the word today.We're going to go to First Corinthians, chapter 14, verse 40 says this, but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. You know, it's funny. God loves us accountants. We like things done in fitting and orderly ways. And God honors that order.And a simple bill system brings peace where chaos used to live. How about we pray to God right now? Lord, you see how exhausted my friend is from always reacting. Lord, bring order to their finances.Give them clarity to list their bills and help them have a discipline to choose a rhythm. And, Lord, let there be peace as they follow that simple plan.We ask that you would replace scrambling with steadiness, replace fear with confidence, and remind them that wise order is not about control, but it's actually about stewardship. And we ask this in the holy name of Jesus. Amen, friend. You don't need a perfect system. You just need a simple rhythm that you'll actually keep.So I encourage you to go do that today. And if you've got a question for the show, as you know, I love answering questions.We'll put this in the show notes, but you can go to financiallyconfidentchristian.com/question Again. It'll be in the show notes, but I want to give it to you one more time. It's financiallyconfidentchristian.Com/Question.Well, thank you so much for joining me today. As I always say, stay financially savvy. May God bless you, and you have a truly great day today.