Moving a Due Date to Avoid Late Fees

If you are making late payments to your credit card companies or other creditors and it's a matter of timing, consider asking your company to change your due date. For example, if you get paid once a month on the first of the month, your bill is due on the twenty-fifth, and you always seem to be running on fumes at that point in the month, ask to have your due date moved to the beginning of the month. If you don't want to do that, you always have the option of paying the bill before the due date. Either of these may be a short-term solution, though. Chances are, if you are having trouble paying your bills by the due date, you're not in control of your money. You need to sit down and get a handle on your income and your bills to see where the problems stem from. You may need to cut back--but not eliminate--eating out or going to the movies. You may need to start eating cube steak instead of Porterhouse. For more information on budgeting, visit Money Management International's web site.