You might not consider yourself to be an organized person, but your finances are the last place you want to be disorganized.

Follow these steps and you’ll be more organized that you ever thought you could be:

 

 

Look at your budget every month. Ensure that your budget is accurate. No two months are ever the same, so be sure your budget reflects reality for the upcoming month. For example, electricity bills can be much higher in the summer if you use air conditioning or in the winter if you have the heat turned up.

If you don’t have a budget, make one now! There are an unlimited number of resources available to make the job a lot easier. Budgets are critical. Your budget is your key to having your money work for you!

Utilize financial software. Some of the software available now can really help you to get organized, track your spending and bills, and help with budgeting. Many programs are free.

You might actually find working with your money to be enjoyable when you can use a computer and specialized software. It’s a whole different experience than laboring over your hand-written figures on paper.

 

Keep all your bills in one place. Avoid leaving some of them on the kitchen counter, some in the junk drawer, and some on the desk. Having one specific location for all your bills will ensure that nothing gets lost, and it’ll also give you the best chance to ensure that everything gets paid on time.

Store your bills close to where you normally sit and pay them. Keep them out in the open where you can see them regularly.

 

When you’re done paying them, retain any records you need and shred everything else to protect yourself from identity theft.

Pay your bills weekly. Each week, pay any bills that are due in the next couple of weeks. Choose a day and make a habit of paying your bills on that same day each week. Developing good habits is a big part of staying organized.

Make a checklist of your bills. This should include all your recurring bills. Then, when the bill arrives, you can note the day it arrived, the amount due, the date it’s due, and the day you actually paid it. Any non-recurring bills can be added to the checklist when they arrive.

Communicate regularly with anyone who shares your account(s). Whoever pays the bills needs to know what the other person is doing with the account. Develop a system to ensure that the bill payer is kept in the loop at all times.

Financial matters can be a source of stress in relationships, so work out an effective system before it becomes a challenge.

Have two accounts. Mishaps are a lot less likely to happen if you have one account that is only used to pay bills. Use a separate account for everything else.

Getting your finances well organized is a pretty simple task once you set up a system that works for you. Anytime you can eliminate financial clutter in your life, your mental chaos goes down and things seem to go more smoothly as well.

These seven tips will provide a great foundation for your organization effort. Regardless of how you’ve handled your finances in the past, you can put this plan into action today to make your future financial organizing easy and beneficial.

30 DAY STEP BY STEP CHECKLIST:

Week 1: Budgeting

  • Identify and list all sources of income.
  • Identify and list all of your expenses.
  • Plan how to you’ll spend your money and meet your financial goals.
  • Automate common budgeting tasks to help eliminate boredom.
  • Keep your budget updated with frequent reviews.

Week 2: Building Savings

  • Identify your savings goals: short, medium, and long term goals
  • Design a workable plan to change your spending patterns to meet your goals.
  • Boost your savings by increasing your income.
  • Start saving early.

Week 3: Paying Off Debt

  • List your debts.
  • Decide on a debt repayment strategy that you can stick to.
  • Once you are out of debt, plan to use that money to help you achieve your financial goals.

Week 4: Increasing Income

  • Sell assets you don’t need or rarely use.
  • Consider taking on a part-time job, even if it’s just on a temporary or seasonal basis.
  • Look for ways to turn your hobbies into a secondary source of income.
  • Create multiple lines of passive income streams.

Follow Your New Plans and Live the Life You Dream Of

  • Use 2 days to fine-tune your plans.
  • Start taking action to follow your plans.
  • anticipate challenges and plan appropriate action.
  • Review your plans periodically and adjust as needed to account for revised goals, new circumstances, or just to make them more workable for you.

photo sources:

Featured image: Freepik

Woman on Calculator via Freepik