An Insider’s Guide to Help Prioritize Your Bills

It’s no secret that juggling bills is—well—a juggling act. You would think prioritizing bills would get easier as time goes on. But actually, that’s not the case.

Life has a way of throwing new challenges without fair warning. This is especially true during the last few months. However, we are resilient. We always seem to find ways to make ends meet, especially during hard times.

One option, as always, is to seek help from Check Into Cash to pay an emergency bill right away. But, before that, perhaps a guide to prioritize your bills might help. No, we’d never tell you how to spend your money. But still, you may find these few tips quite helpful.

Paying bills can be challenging from one month to the next. So, we’ve pulled together a guide to help prioritize your bills and make things a bit easier.

How to Time Your Bills

First things first: it’s all about timing as you work to prioritize your bills. You’ll want to avoid having to pay all your bills at the same time each month.

Here are two ways to achieve this:

1. Spread Out Your Due Dates

Try your best to keep all your bills from falling on the same due date each month. Instead, stagger the dates they’re due. Perhaps you can arrange to have half of your bills become due around the beginning of the month and then the other half toward the middle.

Call your service providers and try to re-rearrange your due dates. They are usually helpful when it comes to accommodating your pay schedule.

2. Save Half Now, Half Later

Otherwise, make sure you’re saving enough throughout the month to cover your monthly bills. If you’re paid bi-weekly, make a list of what’s due each month. Then, save half from one paycheck, and then half from the other. This will help to spread out expenses over the month, instead of all at once.

What Bills Do I Pay When Money Is Tight?

We can’t exactly tell you how you should pay your monthly bills. However, we can offer some conventional advice that may help when you’re in a pinch.

A good motto for paying bills is to Pay Yourself First. This motto does NOT mean go out and splurge on personal desires. Rather, it means taking care of those bills that are closest to your daily needs.

1. Home and Health Expenses

Housing expenses, rent, utilities, and food should dominate your financial plans. When these are taken care of, you have room to breathe knowing there’s a roof over you and your family’s head.

Plus, the last thing you need is to face eviction or have the utilities turned off during trying times. Finding a new place to live and restarting utilities isn’t just stressful— it’s costly.

2. Cover Work Expenses

Work expenses are the next priority. If you have a job, you need to keep it. Any bill that preserves your employment is a high priority, such as a car payment, gas money, and probably your phone bill, too.

Work means money is coming in. This makes way for negotiating your path out of a crisis.

3. Avoid Late-Fee Expenses

Next, focus on any other bills with late fees. These can result in extra fees if they go unpaid. Also, pay your highest interest rate accounts first so you aren't accumulating more debt.

4. Cut Out Non-Essential Expenses

Try calling your credit card companies and discuss hardship payment options with them. This lets them know you are serious about paying them back when you are able. Find more tips to pay off credit card debt here.

Then, cancel cable for a few months and look for other ways you can lower your monthly expenses for a while. Here are 20 ways to spend less and save more money.

Check Into Cash Can Help You Pay Your Bills

Check Into Cash can help. Whether you need just a few dollars to hold you over until payday or you’re looking for a larger loan to consolidate some debt, we’ve got you covered.

Need a Payday Loan?

Check Into Cash Payday Loans are specially intended for helping pay your bills. We can provide those extra funds to help make ends meet. A Payday Loan could be your solution.

Customers can instantly borrow up to $1000, depending on your state, and walk away with cash in hand from one of our stores nearby. Then, pay it back with your next paycheck.

Interested in an Installment Loan?

An Installment Loan provides more funds with more time to pay it back. These loans offer lower monthly payments with a larger amount of cash, too.

They can be used for an unexpected expense, big-ticket items, and more. You may even use an Installment Loan to consolidate multiple debt sources into one single loan.

Try a Title Loan

Do you own your car? If so, you have available cash sitting in your driveway. Depending on the vehicle, your state, and other factors, you could access loan amounts up to $25,000 with a Title Loan.

All you need is a clear title and a few other documents. Check Into Cash can keep you on the road with an easy emergency Title Loan.

Not all consumers may qualify for loan products noted above; certain restrictions apply.  All products and services not available in all states or stores.  Rules, fees and limits apply.  See store for details.

California:  In California, deferred deposit loans are provided in accordance with the Department of Financial Innovation pursuant to California Deferred Deposit Transaction Law, Cal. Fin. Code §23000 et seq.