Finances Can Be So Stressful

I know that there is an option of automatically withdrawing money from your checking account in order for you to pay your bills on time. It may be a good thing if your bank has that kind of feature because it help you automate your life so that you won't forget to pay your bills anymore, and it give you more time to spend on other things.

 

Generally speaking - having all priority payments on direct debit usually does the trick - as not only does it ensure that all those payments will be paid on time - avoiding late payment fees - but also as the amount of those payments is easily deducted at the beginning of each month - it helps towards budgeting - as by doing that you will know just how much money is available - after paying the priorities - for other expenses throughout the rest of the month.

 

Like anything in life, first you suck at it, but if you put enough effort you can become mediocre, or even really good at it.

Here's my two cents:

If money is tight, don't have it come out of your account automatically.
Make your own payments. That way you can decide exactly when the money goes out.

There's also a lot of apps and software that can help you keep track of stuff.
Check out this thread:

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And basically spend less, save more, and know EXACTLY where you're spending.
That's it.

 

Yes, they can definitely be very stressful indeed, but on the whole you should find that if you're organised, and write everything down that you need to remember, you shouldn't miss anything, which is of course a good thing. It might take a little bit of time to get into the habit of writing things down but once you've done it things will get a lot easier for you I should think. Finances are very important in our lives, so you should do everything that you possibly can to take care of them.

 

I know how you feel about finances being stressful. Like another poster here has said, there are plenty of apps to help keep you organized. I think being organized does in the end help you save money. Think about all of that extra money you will have to come up with because of late payments. Whether you chose to have your payments automated is up to you and should fit with your lifestyle.

 

What I find helpful is setting aside the bulk of the budget I'd need to pay for all utilities each month. This way, I know I can spend what I have left without having to worry too much about going overboard and not being able to pay certain bills. I sometimes also like paying things in advance so don't have to think about paying certain bills for months or sometimes even years if I had enough allowance to do it at that certain point in time, but just doing it monthly is also helpful enough for me.

 

I recommend that if your bank offers it, like others have said, you should automate your payments. I have most of my payments automated and it's really hard to mess up once you do that! Sometimes I'm not sure if I will have enough money for payments in my checking account. To avoid overdraft fees, I make payments automatically with my credit card and then pay them back to the credit card shortly after. Or if you have a smartphone you can try setting up reminders. I have a whole calendar on my phone for bills, so I can see everything I have coming up, and get reminders that they are coming up. I send these to my husband's calendar as well, so that we both get alerted. I'm extremely forgetful, but with enough automation and organization, it's not bad.

 

The burden of accounting for our finances is on my shoulder. I don't trust my husband with the bills for he is forgetful at times and it's not a good idea to have someone like that holding the finances. I agree that it is very stressful especially when the total amount of bills to pay comes up greater than the net income on your hand. That is why I am always on the lookout for extra expenses that are not necessities.