8 Tips for Paying BillsWritten by Susan W. Miller
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D) Keep your insurance up-to-date. Most insurance policies come with a 15 to 30 day grace period which will still insure your coverage before insurance expires. Insurance is risk-management for your car, home, life, and health. Starting over will always be more expensive. E) Take care of car loans or lease payments. 90 days seems to be limit these companies will grant before your car appears on their repossession list. Any late payments here, like with your mortgage payment, will be reported to credit bureau. Some companies may report immediately. Communicate your payment plan and stay in contact with lender. F) Pay doctors, dentists, and hospitals. Review monthly bills you receive from these sources carefully and be sure you understand every item. Ask any questions you have immediately. Late payments for health services rarely get reported to credit bureau and rarely are there late charges added on. Call provider involved and tell them of your plan to make regular payments of X number of dollars. Do not be embarrassed to continue to seek medical services because you cannot pay. G) Give local business people their money. Late payments to dry cleaners, plumbers, yard people, or handyman will probably not be reported to credit bureau and most won't charge late fees. These people want and need your business. Remember that these are people who also keep your household running on a daily basis. Help keep theirs running and pay bill. H) Work with IRS Work out a monthly payment plan to cover your taxes, back-taxes, interest, and penalties. Never miss one of these payments. The IRS can and very possibly will demand payment in full immediately if you do miss a payment. They can file a lien against you. The credit bureaus will hear about it and you will probably incur even more expenses to get rid of lien. Draw up a plan and make those payments.(c) 2002, Susan W. Miller. All rights reserved.
Susan W. Miller, President of Home Oasis International, a Denver-based company selling organizing products and services through home parties and online. She is the author of the "PRO NOTEBOOK" a Personal Resource Organizer, a life-planning tool to gain control over your personal and financial records. Home Oasis International professionals are available to speak to your group. 1-800-681-8681, http://www.HomeOasisInternational.com
| | Organize to Simplify - Monthly Financial ChecklistWritten by Susan W. Miller
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6. Create a file folder for each month of year. Be sure to label each folder with month and year, or by name of particular account. Collect bill stubs and sales slips and put in appropriate folder. File in same drawer as bank statements. 7. Review insurance and investment notices, noting any changes or transactions. Premiums have a way of increasing over time. 8. Create a separate file folder for bill stubs, canceled checks and any other documentation needed to support your tax return if you itemize your tax returns. File it anyway if you are not sure. You will gain confidence and knowledge in what to keep and what to throw away. Remember, organization is being able to find what you want when you want it, get things done, and be in control of your life. If you are going to keep something, give it a home, label it with a common sense heading, and keep all records/folders in one location. Otherwise, feed your trash can. © 2002, Susan W. Miller, All Rights Reserved
Susan W. Miller, President of Home Oasis International, a Denver-based company selling organizing products and services through home parties and online. She is the author of the "PRO NOTEBOOK" a Personal Resource Organizer, a life-planning tool to gain control over your personal and financial records. Home Oasis International professionals are available to speak to your group. 1-800-681-8681, http://www.HomeOasisInternational.com
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