online bill pay -save time and postage costs

For me a big time-saver has been setting up bill payments from my bank online. Saving 40 cents per payment is a nice plus.  I typically let a few bills pile up in my "in" box and then go to my bank's online payment center to schedule payments.  I generally time the payments to arrive one day before they are due.

There are plenty of money management programs which can help keep finances in order, but I'm happy with the spreadsheet I've created which allows me to keep track of when bills are coming due and how much they should be.  At the same time I pay the bills, I take whatever credit card receipts have accumulated and enter the amounts under the appropriate card's due date.  I come from a family that was very disciplined in the use of credit cards and by forecasting the bills at least several months in advance, I can make sure we'll have enough to pay off the cards in full when the payments are due and earn rewards.  I also mark any unusual expenses which will be coming up so we can be prepared for them.  For example, major car servicing and yearly county taxes.