Afloat
Most of us pay bills from whatever is left. It works until two big payments land in the same week. “Bills first” turns the order around: bills get their money first, and you get the rest.
1. List every regular payment
- rent, utilities, phone and internet;
- subscriptions — check your bank statement, they hide well;
- installments and your card’s required payment;
- once-a-year costs: insurance, car tax, renewals.
For yearly costs, divide by 12 and treat them as a small monthly bill.
2. Match each bill to a paycheck
If you’re paid twice a month or every two weeks, decide which paycheck covers which bill. A simple rule: a bill is paid from the paycheck that arrives before its due date.
3. Set the money aside when it arrives
On payday, move the bill money out of sight first: a separate account, a savings pot or simply a number you don’t touch. What’s left is yours to spend.
4. Keep a small buffer
Bills change: heating in winter, a price rise on a subscription. A small cushion on top keeps one surprise from wrecking the month.
When it doesn’t fit
If bills need more than a paycheck can give, it’s better to see that early. Check which payments can move to a later date, which subscriptions you no longer use and which goal can wait a month.
How Afloat helps
Add your bills once in Bills, and Afloat sets each one aside from the paycheck before it, so the Home screen shows only what’s safe to spend. Have a credit card? Afloat splits what you’ve used into payments that fit your paychecks.
This is general information, not financial advice.
