Late Fees 😡 How do you spot them? How do you avoid them?

[TillerAlice]

Peter and I jumped onto Instagram Live (please follow us on Instagram, and COMMENT on the videos, this helps boost the algorithm) to talk about LATE FEES!

Oof. Just saying the words makes me cringe a little, you know? Whether it’s that library book you swore you’d return last week (guilty!) or a utility bill that slipped your mind in the chaos of life, those little extra charges can really sting. It’s funny how quickly a small oversight can turn into a minor financial hiccup.

I’ve been there myself, staring at a statement and thinking, “Seriously? I knew that was due!” And it’s not just the money, right? There’s that little pang of self-reproach, like, “Why didn’t I just take care of that earlier?”

But hey, life happens! We’re all busy, juggling work, family, appointments, and everything else. Sometimes things just fall through the cracks. And honestly, I think it’s something we can all be a bit more understanding about, both for ourselves and for others.

So, how do you all deal with them? Any pro tips for avoiding them, or even for gracefully handling them when they pop up? I’ve been trying to set up more automated payments for some things, and that’s been a lifesaver. But for those one-off things, I’m still trying to figure out the best system.

Let’s hear your thoughts! Anyone else feel the late fee pinch every now and then?

-Alice
Tiller Evangelist

Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn

[peter]

Many of our bills are on autopay, which is handy for late fees but can encourage checking out, and then we don’t notice that a utility bill spiked because there’s a problem (something left running, etc). In other cases, we do pay by hand, and for our family the key there is making sure that the paper bills and the email bills are either paid the first time we touch them or they are put into a place that’s visible and cleared each week. That can be an email folder (danger… sometimes we ignore these) and a physical mail bin at home (easier to see if the pile is getting bigger).

Related to this, I know having everything in the Tiller sheet helps. Sometimes I’ll notice a late fee or simply a lack of payment for something that is normally paid, and then that becomes a nudge to address it ASAP.

Nothing magical there, but some processes help because family life is busy and hectic.

Curious to hear from others on this one.