Paying my dues

When I first graduated from college, I was meticulous about paying bills. Actually, I've always been meticulous about money.

I remember getting my first savings account when I was 9 and then most Fridays, when my parents did their banking (remember when you went to the bank every Friday to do your banking for the week?), I would make $1 and $3 deposits.

I always saved more than I spent and when I started working at 16, I saved even more. Later, my parents paid my tuition for college, but I had a work-study job and I never asked them for any additional money for living expenses.

By the time I graduated, I had a rather large chunk of student loans to pay off and I steadily worked away at them until I was debt free. Then I bought my first new car and my condo.

So, you can see, pretty fiscally responsible.

So now I'm 41 and I put off paying bills like nobody's business. I'm lucky if I can make myself sit down and do it twice per month.

Oh, I'm never late on anything. I make sure I check due dates and write the checks I need to write (no, I don't do online banking), but balancing all those direct deposits, ATM withdrawals, and grocery store checks written just seems like such a chore.

And it is. Tonight, I sorted through a huge stack of mail, threw out a ton of papers that Allie produced at school, opened some bills, sorted about six or seven EFT direct deposit forms, recorded two and a half pages of checks written earlier, and paid about five bills. It took me about an hour and a half.

Who wants to do that. Do you have a bad financial habit? Are you one of those people who just believes the balance the bank gives you?

Do you think the bank could just be screwing us all? That is, in addition to the remarkable fees they charge nowadays . . .