Pay your bills on time

Like a lot of ADDers, I have problems paying my bills on time. It's not that I don't have the money, it's just that trying to remember a date that on one month can be on a Wednesday, the next month on a Saturday, is IMPOSSIBLE. So yes, I forget to pay every month on time.

(Honestly, if the other two dozen people I work with didn't scramble for the paycheck drawer every pay day, I would forget that too, and have... for days.)

Learning to trust technology is difficult, but if you can, having your bills set to auto pay can save a ton of headaches and make you look more responsible to credit companies... which you are being.

Step 1. Planning To make this work you will need to create a budget so you have all your bills covered and a little savings left over each paycheck. This is not an easy step, but it's a different post.

Step 2. Gather materials you need Depending on the business, auto pays can be set up with either your credit card or your bank routing information.

• To use your credit card, (or a bank atm card) you need to know the card number, the expiration date and the special three-digit id code on the back that allows you to verify online purchases. If your card is so old that the id code has rubbed off, you should replace it. You will not be able to use it without the code.
• To use your checking account, you need to know your bank routing information. This is the series of numbers on your check that identify the bank and your personal account to other financial institutions. If, like me, you have not used paper checks in ages and deposit your checks using generic deposit slips, you may need to call your bank to get the routing number. You should know your own bank account number, but if you don't, they should be able to help with that too, though they should require you to come in and ask for it in person to verify you are you.
  

Step 3. Set up the accounts Contact each of your main monthly bill obligations and ask about monthly auto pay options. I have been able to do this with everything from my credit card to my local trash service.

Step 4. Make them fit your schedule Try to balance your auto pays so they don't all fall on the same paycheck. Some utilities are not very accommodating with this, but services you initiate yourself, including mortgages and car loans, should be able to adjust due dates for you. Further adjusting these so they fall in a narrow range of days, or possibly on the same day, can save confusion as well.

Step 5. Track your spending Know what is coming out when. I keep track of my checking account online through my bank, so I have constant access to what has come in and what has not. If I were really clever, I could use this to create an excel sheet of all my bills and the days the money comes out. Then I would know when my obligations are met and I'm into my discretionary income. ;)