Organize Your Credit Card Statements
Do you find yourself paying unnecessary late fees on your credit card bills? Do you have trouble finding your statements when you know bills are due? The solution is simple but often underused: organizing your bills. You can do this with paper bills or electronically.
A tried and true method of tracking your bills is to organize your credit card statements as soon as you receive them in a file drawer, file folder, or in another safe place that you will remember. Likewise, if you receive your statements electronically, save them in a file on your computer.
Use a reminder system, such as marking a calendar or posting notes to yourself, to ensure that your bills are paid on time. Establishing a system for organizing your bills can prevent you from losing track of your statements and thereby save you time and money. You can also set up calendar alerts on your computer or use an online bill pay app (your bank may have one) that sends bill pay reminders.
An organized system means no more wasting time digging through piles of mail in search of that lost bill, only to discover you’re already past the due date with another $22 late fee on the way. To avoid this situation, try using a white board with erasable ink, or a notebook, to track your bills.
Chart your progress toward paying off debts by listing the following:
- Each of your creditors
- Each balance and the month for which a balance is due
- The minimum monthly payment for that month
- Your payment for that month
| Creditors | Balance | Due Date | Min. Monthly Payment | My Payment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xxxxxxx | $500 | February 14 | $20 | $500 |
| xxxxxxx | $200 | February 28 | $15 | $125 |
| xxxxxxx | $80 | February 18 | $10 | $80 |
Additionally, keep copies of all credit card statements for at least one year in case you need to check your records for reasons such as credit discrepancies or proof of purchase. And be sure to look at your statements as you file them to make sure all purchases are yours and all payments are reflected accurately by each of your creditors. Contact your creditors immediately if you have any problems or questions.
Juggling 8-12 credit card payments a month can be time-consuming and stressful. One way to simplify your bill pay process to eliminate multiple monthly payments with credit consolidation.
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