Online banking is a virtual necessity these days.
Without the feature, managing your money on a monthly basis can become even more difficult, especially if you elect to receive bill statements and receipts digitally. Most of the time, these important documents will be sent to your email.
As it turns out, it is possible to lose track of bills and everything else if you don't organize and manage your files regularly. Luckily, there are some digital tips you can utilize to help you better manage your money online.
Create your own deadlines
You don't always have to keep the deadlines you see on your bills. No, you can't completely forget about them, but you can request to change when the bills are due. Instead of filling up your calendar with numerous due dates, you may want to consider changing the due dates of all of your bills to the same date or two. For example, you can have half of your bills due in the first half of the month, and the rest due in the second half.
You'll have to talk with customer service to have the dates altered, although it might take a billing cycle or two for the changes to be fully enacted, Time Money reported [1].
Organize your email
Email storage is rarely an issue these days, as the most popular providers give you more than enough storage to hold onto emails that are several years old.
But it's up to you to organize your inbox as you see fit, The Guardian explained [2]. Default settings might not be productive enough for your workflow, which could potentially cause you to glance over an important receipt or bill.
To ensure nothing gets lost, consider setting up separate inboxes or folders in your primary email. Popular tags can be:
- Utilities
- Credit cards
- Mortgage/rent
- Subscriptions
- Receipts
Another method you might consider trying is to create a separate email used specifically for financial matters. Choosing to open another account can make it even easier to keep tabs on bills because you won't have to worry about also receiving messages from your favorite stores, family members, friends, or worst of all, spam sources.
Today's online platforms and services allow you to have greater control of your finances. It's worth trying new things if you always want to make sure you never miss an online bill.
Sources:
[1]. The user's guide to Inbox Zero and an ordered financial life
[2]. These 3 Organizational Tricks Will Make You Better With Money
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