Due date strategies...help please

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Fam,

Now that I am juggling 7 cards, keeping up with the due dates on these suckers isn't the most fun thing in the world. Especially when I want to make sure and PIF each month before the statements cut. Already slipped up and let Disco report with a small balance (immediately paid it). Can you geniuses please share some of your tactics for this? Do some of you have your due dates all changed to the exact same day? 

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For me..

-Calendar with reminders

-Auto Pay

-Check my calendar everyday

-When I get paid, I pay all minimum payments whether they are due or not.

[Anonymous]

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@JGGM wrote:

I second using Mint. I have the app on my iPad and love it. 

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It's free, too.  Can't beat free, and it's really nice to see what all is happening.

[rmduhon]

I use a spreadsheet with categories for limit, balance, due date, statement date, and last statement balance. Plus whether it's mine, hubby's, or mom's with the last 4 digits of each account. I definitely needed that not too long ago but I've got the dates for all ~35 accounts in my head now.

[Dalmus]

Here's a picture of the spreadsheet I created for myself.  The info on the far right is an example of tracking cashflow in an account that you would use to pay your bills.  I do not use the same account my work deposits my paycheck into as my bill pay account... that's mildly dangerous in my mind!

I track ALL my recurring payments with this spreadsheet.  I track 24 credit cards (although I only have a balance on 4-5 at any given time) along with the Mortgage, car payment, cable bill, etc.  I haven't missed a payment in six years.

I only mark an X by a bill after I've actually scheduled the EFT, and then I usually verify a day later that the EFT really did get scheduled.

Bill Payment Spreadsheet

Edit:

Updated link because Photobucket doesn't allow sharing anymore.

[Anonymous]

Nice spreadsheet Dalmus!  

Mine is very similar including colors although I run mine the opposite way (accounts across the top, dates going down).  Also track expected cash flow (multiple income sources) and statement cut timing so I know which card to use if I'm applying a large payment and want to avoid showing utilization.

[Dalmus]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Nice spreadsheet Dalmus!  

Mine is very similar including colors although I run mine the opposite way (accounts across the top, dates going down).  Also track expected cash flow (multiple income sources) and statement cut timing so I know which card to use if I'm applying a large payment and want to avoid showing utilization.

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 Thanks.  It's been an evolutionary process over the past 24 months...  Its come a LONG way from three columns of information. 

 I use Prism as well for a Big Picture view of my available credit and cash.  I'm not a fan of Mint. 

Nothing beats the At-A-Glance information provided by a well-designed spreadsheet!

[Anonymous]

I have a personal bias against Quicken over a debated and disputed $1.99 charge or something from back when Eisenhower was President, lol.  Amazing how a small irrelevant dispute over pennies can stick in a guy's brain for so long and probably hurts me more than it ever hurt them.

Never heard of Prism unless you mean the NSA's surveillance program and from what I can tell, they probably know more than I do about my finances, lol.

[Anonymous]

Ahh prismapp.com -- looks interesting but it's mobile only.  Will still check it out, thanks!

[Anonymous]

I will agree ... fantastic spreadsheet. 

I think I'll probably use it as a template to set up a similar tab in my ongoing budget spreadsheet. Thank you very much for sharing! 

[Dalmus]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I have a personal bias against Quicken over a debated and disputed $1.99 charge or something from back when Eisenhower was President, lol.  Amazing how a small irrelevant dispute over pennies can stick in a guy's brain for so long and probably hurts me more than it ever hurt them.

Never heard of Prism unless you mean the NSA's surveillance program and from what I can tell, they probably know more than I do about my finances, lol.

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 Yeah, I have a similar issue with Quicken... Interesting!

  Prism is basically the same concept as Mint in that you link your various bank and card accounts to it, but to me its better organized and easier to find specific information.  Free to use from Android Pay, IOS, WIndows Mobile, blah blah blah.    You can get an overview on their website:  www.prismmoney.com