How Can I Make Paying Bills Less Scary?
For many individuals, paying bills is not a pleasant experience and is often met with lots of stress and dread. And we’re not talkin’ just during the January blahs. Can you relate? Don’t worry friend, it’s really common but it doesn’t have to be that way. The School of Betty has 5 simple actions you can take to relieve some stress and turn bill time into fun time.
Start with some mindset work.
Our brains will believe what we tell them. And if you are rolling up to bill time telling yourself how awful it is, you’re guaranteeing that is the experience you will have. Now, I want you to be working on your money mindset all of the time, but we can start with your bill time. My favorite mantra for things that I don’t love or freak me out is this: This is easy, this is fun, I’m good at this. Yes, it sounds hokey, but you’re really just tapping into neuroscience. Your brain is listening. So take mind of your inner dialogue my friend.
Get organized.
Clutter breeds chaos friend. If where you pay bills is a disaster, you’re probably not itching to go sit there. And subconsciously, even looking at the area will stir some anxiety. We don’t have to complicate this. The key to this, I want you to open the bills as they come. You can look at the amount due, but I don’t want you to dwell on it. Then, I want you to place your bills somewhere and always keep them in order according to the due date. Why does this work? You aren’t avoiding your bills by not opening them and you are already taking a mini action towards paying them by putting them in order. Next, I want you to pick two dates during the month (like the 10th & 25th) or a day of the week to pay your bills (Sundays). That’s it. If we can put some light systems around this activity, it will start to get easier and easier.
Really spend time with your money.
If you only look at your bank account on the day(s) you pay bills, you are setting yourself up for some money scaries. If bill day feels scary, it’s likely that part of that fear has nothing to do with the bill itself, but what the bank account looks like. And our bank accounts can develop a mind of their own (like a toddler) if we aren’t spending time with them and keeping an eye on things. I like my students to look at their bank account every day but here is the key element to that: look with curiosity. This is a no judgment zone. You are simply seeing what came in and what went out. You should never be surprised by a charge because you are spending some QT with that moolah.
Do something fun afterwards.
Listen, we are creatures of habit which means that the habit loop with a reward system is something we respond to well. So, let’s use that to our advantage. Perhaps you pay your bills on the night you order or your favorite take out, or before you watch your favorite show, cook your favorite meal or use your favorite bath bomb. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you like it and love it. When you do this AFTER your bill time, your brain will start to associate some good vibes with paying bills because it will recognize you get a reward afterwards.
Have an alignment check.
As you spend time with your money each day and are now in the space of paying bills and not being scared of them, now is the time to start doing a check to ask yourself if your spending is in alignment for you. Maybe you are paying for a ton of cable channels but you only watch Netflix. Or you find you are eating out more because you don’t love the food you cook. Whatever it is, pay attention! Money is here to help us live a life we love. And yes, we might be in seasons of sacrifice where we need to shift resources or can’t eat steak every night, but it’s important to know what we desire so we know what we are working towards. You might be surprised how many small shifts you can make that feel more flowy and enjoyable to you. This, is the start of really making your money work for you.
Remember sweet soul, money is just a thing. It can’t take on an emotion unless you give it one! It is possible for our experiences with money to be pleasant but it won’t happen with thought alone. We have to pair it with some simple actions and I have all the faith in the world that you can transform your bill time into fun time.
Livin’ & Lovin’
Bri
