Working as a consultant has its benefits, but there are some tasks that can give you a real headache towards the end of the month. Don’t get me wrong, pay day is my favorite day of the week, but keeping track of paid and owed expenses, staying on top of clients, and organizing accounts gets old quick. Add that to home bills and personal finances, and things can get messy. Throughout the past couple years from reading books, blogs, and my own experiences, I’ve put together a pretty good system for expediting these tasks. Here are some things you can do to help ease the pain of paying bills and organize your finances.
Carry Cash
Carrying cash is an easy way to reduce clutter on your bank statements. Petty transactions like buying coffee, a bottle of water, or a quick bite to eat add up quickly throughout the month. It can really be frustrating going over your statements when you have a whole bunch of $1.29 purchases to sift through. Save the plastic cards for more important transactions like bills, larger purchases, and business expenses, and use cash for the small transactions.
Automate
Automate as many tasks as you possibly can. Most online bills can be set up to automatically transfer from your accounts. This can save you tons of time logging in and out of accounts and manually paying your bills. Automation will also keep your mind clear as you won’t be worrying about whether or not you paid your bills on time; we’ve all forgotten to pay the gas bill at one point or another.
Use a Calendar
Not every bill is due monthly. Automobile registration for example is only paid once a year. Depending on what car you drive, that annual payment can be a large chunk of change and you probably weren’t expecting it to creep up on you so quickly. Keeping these types of items on a calendar can help you better prepare for expenses further into the future. You won’t be surprised when the time comes, and you’ll have properly kept enough cash on hand to pay the bill on time.
Technology
Apps were invented for a reason – use them! While there are a lot of mediocre financial apps available, there are some that really do make finances easier.
Freshbooks
If you’re a freelancer or consultant, maybe you’ve heard of this. Freshbooks is an amazing accounting app that allows you to easily create and send invoices . Its accessible on all your devices so its easy to follow up with clients when you’re on the go. Its also free for up to three clients so it can save you money compared to the other accounting apps out there. Visit site.
Mint
If you’re trying to budget, keep track of expenses, or organize your financials, Mint is the way to go. Its visual, easy to use, and free. Mint can save you a lot of time with its ability to tag and easily organize transactions by type, date, or account. Highly recommended. Visit site.
Pageonce
Pageonce is a fantastic app for keeping on top of bills and payments. Its an all inclusive interface that allows you to not only automate payments but track, organize, and pay bills. Use this in conjunction with other automated bill payment tasks and you’ve just saved a ton of time! Visit site.
Venmo
If you really just can’t get yourself to carry cash or just want to keep it digital, Venmo app lets you pay your friends from your smart phone. You can easily pay friends back for lunch, the $20 they lent you three weeks ago, or buy them a drink. Visit site.
What are some methods you use to keep your finances organized at home or with clients? Share them!
