Simplify Your Bill Payments with Tips from Our NYC Professional Home Organizer.

Tax time has almost come to a close and you’ve either filed your returns or you will be doing so very soon. Though you can breathe a sigh of relief that your finances for 2013 are wrapped up, don’t forget about those bills that are still coming in. As an NYC professional organizer, let me say this: Now is the perfect time to review your bill payment systems and optimize them to ensure that you don’t incur any (more) late fees!

First, let’s look at the bill paying facts:

• Individuals in the US spend about 22 hours per year paying bills according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics – that’s almost a full day that could have been spent with family, reading, relaxing, or doing other enjoyable activities!
• 23% of adults claim that they have lost bills, causing them to the pay the bills late and incur the resulting fees.

We can’t think of two more powerful reasons to get organized with your bill payment systems than these! Here is some advice from our NYC Professional Home Organizer to help you save time – and money – in making your bill payments.

Get in the Zone

Remember the old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Create a zone for storing and organizing your incoming bills that is separate from your other incoming mail. Ensuring that this area is free of letters, notices, magazines and other mail minimizes the chance of important bills getting lost in the shuffle. Additionally, if you prefer to send your payments by mail, this station should include stamps, envelopes, pens, return address labels and anything else you’ll need to make those payments. Keeping everything in one place will save you time and frustration!

Don’t forget to file your bills once they’ve been paid. Our NYC Professional Home Organizer advises on which bills you’ll need to keep – and how long to keep them.

If you prefer online statements, create a folder on your computer or a cloud based storage system and place statements in the folder as soon as they’re received.

Now that you’re organized and in the zone, you’re ready to swiftly handle bills as they arrive in the mail – and avoid the costly late fees that result from misplacing them. Check back next week for more tips from our NYC Professional Organizer on streamlining your bill payment processes or book a consultation for hands-on assistance!