Cómo poner sus facturas en "piloto automático"
For most of my life, I've struggled to keep track of things, especially my to-do list. Luego, como adulto, me diagnosticaron TDAH (trastorno de déficit de atención/hiperactividad), lo que explicó muchos de los desafíos que había enfrentado a lo largo de mi vida. However, a diagnosis like that doesn't solve the problem, it only helps to define it.
Una lección que aprendí de la manera difícil fue que, cuando se trata de pagar sus facturas a tiempo, el TDAH no pasa como excusa para sus deudores.
Entonces, diseñé un sistema financiero que pone fin a mis pagos atrasados y también me impide gastar de más. ¡Pongo todo en piloto automático!
Así es como funciona mi sistema.
- Primero, sumé mis gastos mensuales: hipoteca, seguro, servicios públicos, comestibles, etc.
- Luego, dividí esa suma entre mis cheques de pago. By knowing this amount, I was able to put the necessary funds into a separate checking account each time I received my direct deposit.
- Anything leftover goes into my "personal" checking account, and anything in that personal account, I'm free to spend – with the knowledge and peace of mind that I'll still have the funds to cover my bills.
Excelente idea, ¿verdad? Bueno, la llevé un paso más allá.
- Using payment options in online banking, I set every bill to be auto-paid from that separate checking account. Thanks to my automated budgeting, there's always the right amount of money in the account to cover my bills and every bill gets paid on time. Best of all, I don't have to remember a thing!
Ok, that last statement isn't completely true. You do need to remember to review your monthly expenses on a regular basis, to make sure you're still putting aside enough funds each month. Bill amounts can change – especially things like electricity and gas – and you're likely to add new expenses or pay off your loans eventually, so it's important to check in with those figures and make necessary adjustments.
This system may not work for everyone, but for those of you like me, who struggle to keep track of payments and overspending, I've found this is an easy way to both budget and keep on top of paying your bills, with very little effort.
¡Inténtelo y vea si funciona para usted!
(Micah M.)
