Monthly bills - POLL

[sheryl]

I think I'm the only person whose husband pays the monthly bills. It seems like everyone I know, female friends, pay for the monthly bills. Each month the bills come in and my dh writes the check and puts it in the mail. He usually tries to pay for most bills at the same time. They are never late, but some may be early to "group mail" them. What do you do in your family? I'm referring to who actually writes out the checks and balances the checkbook.

[Mama Geek]

I pay bills and have for most of our marriage. Dh can do it if he needs to. We do have most things set upon monthly payments so it isn't very much right now, but I do balance the checkbook and make sure that the credit card bills don't have anything funny on them.

[Dandelion]

You need a choice for "both". DH and I split the bill-paying duties. :)

[sheryl]

Thanks, Julie. I'll try. This is my first poll. Done! :)

[bettyandbob]

I used to do the bill paying and the taxes. Then, dh didn't like the way I organized it, so I gladly handed it all over. He used to do checks, but now he does it all online.

[Annie]

I voted both. DH does most of them online, but I handle any physical bills that actually get mailed to the house. The only one that is regularly mailed out is the water bill every three months. Other than that, it's mostly the odd doctor bill that comes to the house.

[Luckymama]

I did it for a long time, more than ten years. Dh took it over when he started working from home. I still do the taxes :)

[Ariston]

I don't know why, but there are some bills he pays and some bills I pay. I think we came to this arrangement because there are some bills he wants to make sure gets paid, like the internet and his phone, so he took that into his own hands. He doesn't care as much about gas and electricity apparently because I still pay those. :)

[Soror]

I take care of the bills but generally that just means setting up the credit card payment when needed (we use a CC for online purchases but pay it off every month). Otherwise our only monthly bills are Netflix, Phone w/ Internet, and Electricity which are automatic. Insurance is paid every 6 months and taxes every year, I set up disbursements to our savings accts so the funds are there when needed.

[Pawz4me]

DH does it. He loves Quicken and all his other financial planning software and his charts and graphs that show our financial status including savings, investments, cash flow, etc., etc., etc.

 

Me? I'd just pay the bills and be done with them. He has fun with it. So I let him.

[QueenCat]

I take care of almost all finances (bill paying, general budgeting, taxes). Dh takes care of long term investments. We do discuss the budget but most of it stays the same... if something is off budget and non-urgent, and more than a couple hundred, than we discuss it.

[beaners]

I'm glad I read the post before I answered the question! My husband normally pays the bills, meaning he writes out the checks and mails them. The bills are paid for by both of us, from shared funds.

[AlmiraGulch]

We both do it.

 

I pay everything I paid before we were married, including the house (because he moved into my house). He pays his credit card, if it has a balance, his car payment, and any medical bills he incurs. I pay everything else. A lot of things are auto-debited anyway so it's not a big deal.

 

He does balance the checkbook, whereas I could not care less about a balanced checkbook. I never even write anything in it. That's why God created online banking, as far as I'm concerned.

[edelweiss]

I voted "both". I did it completely for about 13 years. Now, we have almost everything set to pay automatically. Neither of us need to think about it at all. We still do pay our American Express and Visa bills on an individual basis. I like to look them over each month prior to paying, so we don't set those up automatically. DH pays the Am Ex (where we put most of our monthly expenses) and I pay the Visa (which I use for places that don't accept Am Ex). DH also deals with his company Visa (DH owns his own business).

[sheryl]

Oh, beaners, good! Right. I just mean who literally pens the checks? That's another good poll question though - who funds the payment of the bills!

[Joshin]

I do it, but it's easy because we only have five monthly bills and about four annual/semi-annual bills. I pay everything online, I haven't written a check in ages.

 

To be fair, I am a naturally very, very organized person. DH is very bad with money, and he is well aware of this. He was raised with money and never learned to manage it, which bit him as a young adult when he wasn't earning money. He had a lot of debt to pay before we wed. When we got married, he requested that I handle all finances and only allow him to spend with permission. He knows his limitations. At first it was odd having a grown man ask if it was okay to buy a soda, but I've gotten used to it over the years. I do insist on reviewing our budget and net worth together each month, and I do have a household binder with all the bill info in it if something happens to me and DH knows how to use it. He has access to our accounts, but he chooses not to use them without permission.

[Laura Corin]

Most of our bills are set up as direct debits - the money pays automatically from our account. Husband is the one who keeps an eye on what goes out.

 

Laura

[HomeschoolMamaOfTwo]

I am the only one that does it. DH wouldn't even know what bills we have if I didn't do it. I pay them all online, no check writing. I pay them as soon as I have them all, so they are always early. I'm always paranoid I will forget, so that is why I do it that way.

[kitten18]

I pay bills and have for most of our marriage. Dh can do it if he needs to. We do have most things set upon monthly payments so it isn't very much right now, but I do balance the checkbook and make sure that the credit card bills don't have anything funny on them.

 

:iagree: But I pay 95% of our bills online with many of them setup for auto-pay.

[Rose in BC]

I do all the bill paying but I don't write cheques, I do all banking on-line.

[Um_2_4]

I do everything financial. DH jokes that I hand him his "weekly allowance" (meaning I hand him cash each week because I am the one who goes to the bank.)

He doesn't even have a debit card (his choice). he just carries 1 CC for "emergencies" and let's me know if he charged something.

Truly if something happened to me , he would be "up a creek" as the old saying goes. I so need to set up a "what if" binder for him......hmm...

[Occasionally]

DH does it. He loves Quicken and all his other financial planning software and his charts and graphs that show our financial status including savings, investments, cash flow, etc., etc., etc.

 

Me? I'd just pay the bills and be done with them. He has fun with it. So I let him.

 

 

Exactly this.

[NotSoObvious]

Me.

 

But he's in charge of taxes.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I voted my husband, because he does all the bills electronically except for the one check which I write out because you can actually read my handwriting.

[Parrothead]

I'm the CFO and as such I authorize the checks that need to be cut and sent.

[freeindeed]

Hubby pays ours. I used to do it, but a few years ago he did it one month, and I just let him keep on doing it. :)

[magnificent_baby]

DH pays the bills and balances the checkbook. He's better at it. I usually know roughly how much we have in the bank.

 

I *always* review the credit card statements though, so he leaves them out for me to look over, then I shred. I also do all the calling if there is a discrepancy on our statement or medical bills.

[speedmom4]

I take care of the bill paying but I do it all online. I hardly ever write a check anymore. My dh does take care of taxes. I just keep good records so that it is a fairly easy process.

 

Elise in NC

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Husband does all bill paying, account reconciliation, investments, etc. We each enter receipts into Quicken. Sometimes I make phone calls regarding bills because I am the one home during business hours.

[Sara in AZ]

Most of our bills are set up as direct debits - the money pays automatically from our account. Husband is the one who keeps an eye on what goes out.

 

Laura

 

 

 

This for us, too. I used to write out the checks, but the busier we got with kids the worse I got at getting it done. Now everything possible is on auto pay. I still take care of the few non monthly bills that can't be automated. And I'm still bad at it. DH balances the checkbook as often as he can get to it.

[Murphy101]

1 year - him

18 years - me

1 year - him

 

He doesn't do it *my* way, but they're all paid and I'm in the loop. :)

[Night Elf]

My DH handles all of that. It's not by any specific arrangement. I used to do it. I can't recall why I stopped. It's no big deal. It doesn't say anything about our marital relationship or anything.

[6packofun]

My dh does and I wish it were me. lol Because our budget is squeaky tight it pretty much needs to be ONE person so we don't mess one another up/cross-communicate, kwim?

[Annie G]

Dh pays some and I pay some. I have all the ones I pay set up for automatic payment. He writes a check for things he pays, except the mortgage, which comes out automatically.

We've been married 25 years and keep separate but joint accounts- and despite what Dave Ramsey says, it WORKS for us. Even though all our accounts are joint, I have one checking and savings that I use and he has the same.

[TranquilMind]

I think I'm the only person whose husband pays the monthly bills. It seems like everyone I know, female friends, pay for the monthly bills. Each month the bills come in and my dh writes the check and puts it in the mail. He usually tries to pay for most bills at the same time. They are never late, but some may be early to "group mail" them. What do you do in your family? I'm referring to who actually writes out the checks and balances the checkbook.

 

 

I handle it all, and always have, except for after surgery, when my husband did it. I do it twice a month and always pay early.

[AndyJoy]

I've always done the bill-paying. I have a B.S. in accounting so I need to put my private school education to some use so I'm not just "wasting" it by being a SAHM, right? :lol:

 

The only physical check I write is for the rent. The rest is all online.

[Cinder]

Dh takes care of the bills and the overall budget. That's one of his things--he just loves doing it. Which is great because I don't. We review the budget together about every 2 or 3 months. We both enter receipts into the budget program but he balances out the checkbook and budget.

[Garga]

Dh does everything. I'm actually embarrased about it because people look at me oddly when I tell them.

[Element]

Dh does everything. I'm actually embarrased about it because people look at me oddly when I tell them.

 

I know how you feel! It's the same here.

[Tita Gidge]

We live in a family compound of sorts, and it's my brother who takes care of the monthly bills.

 

He pays the bills, then emails a detailed invoice (for anyone who cares; I don't even look at it) outlining everyone's share for the month. It's usually the same each month, within $50-100 or so. So far nobody's ever stiffed him, so it works for us LOL. Many of our bills are joined anyhow - insurance is on a fleet of cars, cell phones are on a family plan, electricity/gas/water are pretty much shared, we have a family gas card, etc. Between us we also contribute to our youngest sister's college tuition and to the care of an elderly aunt who lives with our cousin.

 

I remember my dad paying bills. Mom wasn't comfortable enough with her command of English to do that once they moved to the States. Gradually Dad passed on the responsibility to his eldest son, and it's that brother who's still doing it today. When his wife was alive, she helped him; she was great with finances and was the one who transitioned us from paper to e-billing/e-paying. So we pay just about everything online now - no checks, no stamps.

 

Only my parents still have a checkbook. Whenever I need a check (for Scouts, usually) I give them cash and they write the check for me. And on the rare occasion I need a stamp, they're the only ones who ever have those, too! I joke that this is how they earn their keep around here ;) LOL.

[elfgivas]

balance a check book? really? :lol: :smilielol5:

 

(two nfp's married here; neither of us balances a check book)

so our automatic payments take care of most things; dh pays the rest except for music lessons and dance, which i write checks for.

however, we both track pretty closely what comes in and what goes out and what we've been charged for.

 

i voted dh because he sees it as his responsibility.

ann

[Galatea]

I'm the one who actually pays the bills, but I always talk to my husband about amounts, etc beforehand. I pay them all online. And I don't balance a checkbook, we use online banking.

[Orthodox6]

I pay most bills and balance the check register. DH handles medical bills, insurance, and enquiries related to them. I pay a couple of accounts via online, but I dislike the practice. I am very "hands on" about our finances because every dollar has a necessary place to go. We have only joint accounts, for that is part of our "philosophy of marriage".

[LucyStoner]

He takes care of the monthly bill paying. I take care of investments and taxes. We both keep the other in the loop.

 

It used to all be on me and that didn't work so well for me, especially when we went through the death of my mother at the same time as when our younger son was born. Then we tried to do it together and that was fine but less efficient. This way we both have a hand in the finances overall and we each have less to do.

 

He only writes checks for housing and a couple of medical providers who don't take cards. Everything else he pays online or with autopay. It takes a long time to run out of checks these days. He does it totally different than I did and that is peachy keen.

 

ETA: We make our monthly budget and financial goals for the year together. If one of us were to die, the other one would not be left totally in the dark on any financial matters. That is very important to me.

[kwickimom]

I wish my husband would pay them but he dumped the responsibility on me.

[Amber in SJ]

I did it for the first 15 years of our marriage without any problems. For the first 5 years of our marriage both of us worked outside the home, and even after our first dd was born I and I became a SAHM I still paid the bills. In 2005 our fourth baby came along and with him came a serious case of PPD. It was bad, ya'll. I could barely function as that baby's food source much less mother him. I could not mother my other children, nor was I teaching anything for school, keeping the house livable, or being anything resembling a wife and partner to Dh. Dh took over everything he could in addition to his normal 50-60 hr work week. When I finally returned to what is normal for me I took back all my other responsibilities except bill paying. I told Dh he could keep that one. We have only joint accounts because to split the money would leave a ridiculously small amount in both accounts.

 

Amber in SJ

[Berta]

I do everything financial. DH jokes that I hand him his "weekly allowance" (meaning I hand him cash each week because I am the one who goes to the bank.)

He doesn't even have a debit card (his choice). he just carries 1 CC for "emergencies" and let's me know if he charged something.

Truly if something happened to me , he would be "up a creek" as the old saying goes. I so need to set up a "what if" binder for him......hmm...

 

Same here.

[HRAAB]

I always paid the bills until I quit to stay home with my girls and homeschool. At that point my plate was too full and dh got the job. However, we both involved in every financial decision.

[bolt.]

Another "what cheque book?!?" -- response here!

 

All my bills pay themselves (direct debit). I'm in charge of checking that all is running smoothly -- about every two months. So I guess that's a "female" in the responsible role, but there really isn't much to the duty.

[sheryl]

I do everything financial. DH jokes that I hand him his "weekly allowance" (meaning I hand him cash each week because I am the one who goes to the bank.)

He doesn't even have a debit card (his choice). he just carries 1 CC for "emergencies" and let's me know if he charged something.

Truly if something happened to me , he would be "up a creek" as the old saying goes. I so need to set up a "what if" binder for him......hmm...

 

 

I think it's great he knows his limitations. Also great he only has 1 cc!

 

Husband does all bill paying, account reconciliation, investments, etc. We each enter receipts into Quicken. Sometimes I make phone calls regarding bills because I am the one home during business hours.

 

Great!

 

My DH handles all of that. It's not by any specific arrangement. I used to do it. I can't recall why I stopped. It's no big deal. It doesn't say anything about our marital relationship or anything.

 

 

Beth, I had to laugh at this. LOL! No, it doesn't say anything about the marital bliss b/t husband and wife. We've been married over 30 years and our marriage is not compromised due to finances and who pays the bills. LOL! I'm just curious. I used to work professionally before parenthood. Haven't worked since - worked as in outside the home for income. I keep thinking I'd handle money differently b/c I may be more free with it. My dh is very tight with money! ??????

 

 

My dh does and I wish it were me. lol Because our budget is squeaky tight it pretty much needs to be ONE person so we don't mess one another up/cross-communicate, kwim?

 

Yes, I know what you mean. That would be us. DH does "ALL" of it, but I'd like to learn and participate.

 

I've always done the bill-paying. I have a B.S. in accounting so I need to put my private school education to some use so I'm not just "wasting" it by being a SAHM, right? :lol:

 

The only physical check I write is for the rent. The rest is all online.

 

Great line!

 

 

Dh takes care of the bills and the overall budget. That's one of his things--he just loves doing it. Which is great because I don't. We review the budget together about every 2 or 3 months. We both enter receipts into the budget program but he balances out the checkbook and budget.

 

Yep, same here, my dh pays the bills and balances the checkbook. However, I just remembered that I do have an individual checking acct. There is very little money in it....goes in spurts. So, I rarely (1-2 times a year) make checks from it. I would balance it though and also my personal savings acct.

 

Dh does everything. I'm actually embarrased about it because people look at me oddly when I tell them.

 

 

OH - THIS IS ME!!!

 

Amber, I'm sorry to hear about the medical crisis. Your focus was on your child - how is s/he doing today?