When I first started saving all of my monthly bills and statements, I saved at least $100 within the first two months. You don’t realize where you can cut down or where you’re being overcharged until you actually look at your bills every month on a consistent basis.

And this is by far the easiest suggestion that I’ll probably make throughout this entire blog. All you need to do is keep your bills and this binder is going to help you keep them organized and could potentially save you some money!

 I use a 1″ binder that I got from Target for about $2.79, but sometimes they have really good deals (especially around August for the back-to-school sales) for their Up & Up brand of school/office supplies and you can get two 1″ binders for like $3. I also picked up some sheet protectors and binder dividers from Staples for really cheap (and right now they have 1″ binders that are really inexpensive). Target is my go-to place for supplies but Staples has really great deals sometimes that I just can’t ignore!

Just divide your binder into sections according to the different bills that you acquire during the month, for example: Verizon Wireless, Fios, Electric, VISA Statement, etc. Then decide how you’d like to organize each section. For instance, I like to put the newer bills in the back of each section, just because it’s easier.

Once the bills come in the mail or are available to print out online, put them in the binder and compare it to the last months bill. Look at all the details and make sure you weren’t overcharged. When I first started this I was seeing some crazy things on my Verizon Fios bill for some crazy internet security bundle that I didn’t need and didn’t ask for. I called and they took it off and reimbursed me for the past three months and got me $20 off my next bill. I also was looking at my Verizon Wireless bill and found out that I was paying for insurance on a phone that was no longer on my account!

It’s really simple. All you need to do is save your bills and pay attention. I use one binder for all my bills and I keep them for an entire year. When the year is over, I throw them out, or burn them – haha, just kidding!

 This is a great project to pair with the ESSENTIAL Monthly Planner project. In a couple days I’m going to show you how I do my financial spreadsheets that are super easy and I promise, if you follow all of the steps, you’ll be the most financially organized person around! Stay tuned!