bummed with Ramsey
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bummed with Ramsey
| Wed, 11-24-2004 - 7:31am |
OK so I got The Total Money Make over...and I have read most of it...but I got discouraged. Before we can even start the baby steps we need to clean up all our current bills and make the "current". Ok this is where I need the help????/ I am back to screaming!!! It is like a small box and I can't get out and no-one can hear me!!!! BLAH!

Hello,
If you are having trouble paying your current bills, you may want to contact each company and ask to set up a payment plan. In the past, when I've recived a medical bill that I cannot pay all at once, such as a recent $700 one, rather than putting it on a credit card and paying through the nose on interest, I called the clinic and asked to set up a payment plan. In general, if you let them know that you *want* to pay for the bill, but may need to break it up into smaller chunks, they will accept it. After all, they want the payment.
You can contact your utility companies and ask if they have a managed plan. Some natural gas and electric utilities will offer you a plan where you pay the same amount every month. Usually they will take your usage history and estimate your average usage for the year. Then, the plan divides up the total usage / charges by 12 and charges you for the average usage price each month.
In my case, my water and gas bill are both on managed plans. If my usage ends up being 'higher' than what the company estimated, I pay the overage once a year. If my usage is 'lower' than what the company estimated, I receive a refund.
Since my husband and I get paid twice a month on Fridays, I divided my mortgage payment in half, and pay it every two weeks using an online billpay service. So half the mortgage payment is deducted just after we get paid. This makes it easier to pay bills on the first of the month, because I'm not using up most of our paycheck just to pay that once a month payment. Sure, I'm still paying the same amount, just staggered a little.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke
Geeks on Tap: Mission Accomplished
Diane
Hugs!