PHOTO CREDIT TK
O R G A N I Z AT I O N
BY ALEXANDRA KAY
clear the
c utter!
Take these simple steps to organize
your finances, your home and your life
“Time is money,” according to the old adage. So it might be surprising to hear that
most of us waste 55 minutes a day searching for things such as car keys and wallets.
Although lost hours are frustrating, disorganization may also translate into lost dol-
lars. Late fees on misplaced bills increase your expenses, as can the black marks on
your credit rating. Even if the growing disorder seems overwhelming, following a
few simple organizational guidelines can eliminate a lot of frustration and save you
time—and money.
Financial Efficiency
Did you know that 23% of Americans pay late fees on their bills because they
can’t nd them? For Je Lyman, an engineer in Croton-on-Hudson, New York,
fees were costing him $25 to $50 a month. “At least one of my three credit-card
payments was late every month,” says Lyman. “I was pretty disorganized with the
bills, and I wouldn’t get around to checking when they were due.”
FALL
But after he got married last year, Je ’s wife, Angel, wasn’t willing to put up with
07
late fees. Instead, she decided on a new approach: Pay all of their bills online. “Who
wants to take the time to ll out envelopes and get stamps and mail the bills?” asks 15
Angel. “Now it takes me just a few minutes twice a month to get everything paid.”
TODAY’S FOCUS
PHOTOGRAPH BY LISA M. ROBINSON/PHOTONICA/GETTY IMAGES
O R G A N I Z AT I O N
to tell you it is available.You can print statements as needed, and
you are further protecting yourself from identity theft by avoid-
ing mailed statements and canceled checks.
Don’t forget about direct deposit, either. With Key’s direct de-
posit service, regular deposits such as payroll or Social Security
payments can be made into your Key account electronically. Ac-
cess your funds quickly and avoid another trip to your branch.
Organizing your nances should also make it easier to put aside
savings on a regular basis. “We are all creatures of habit, and if we
don’t do something routinely, we tend not to do it at all,” says Ric
Edelman, author of The Lies About Money. “So the only way to
ensure that you save is to save regularly.” Have money transferred
once a month to your savings account, which is simple and secure
with Online Banking. An automatic deposit means one less er-
rand to t in between carpooling and trips to the supermarket.
Paying bills online not only helps to avoid those late charges but Home Improvement
also saves you time and money. Once you’ve simpli ed your nancial life, move on to home or-
Getting started with Key Bill Pay, Key’s online bill pay ser- ganization. Make sure that each household item has its own place,
vice, is easy. After enrolling in Online Banking, simply select which will prevent large piles from appearing. Likewise, stop paper-
P B from the A T tab, select your work buildup by sorting mail as soon as it arrives.
payee and enter the account number. You retain complete con- Technology can also help.With a scanner, all of those paper les
trol: Pay bills as they arrive, or schedule future-dated or recurring taking up space can be stored in your computer. Before scanning,
payments. Payment history is easily accessible, and there are no though, make sure you’re keeping only necessary documents. Barry
more checks to write or stamps to buy. Izsak, professional organizer and former president of the National
Paying bills is just one bene t of banking online.With Online Association of Professional Organizers, recommends asking several
Banking, you can access all of your Key accounts at any time. questions when deciding what to keep. First, is it current enough to
You can also receive e-mail alerts when select account activ- be relevant and useful? Second, can you easily obtain another copy?
ity occurs, view canceled checks online and even manage your Third, are there tax or legal reasons for keeping it? And fourth, what
budget with reports, charts and graphs. is the worst thing that will happen if you toss it? If you can live
Additionally, you can register to receive a Key online state- with your answer, discard or recycle it.
ment, which is an electronic version of your paper statement. Now you’re ready to scan and save materials electronically. “You
Instead of waiting for a monthly statement to be mailed, you can don’t have to waste time scanning every piece of paper you’re cur-
review the document online as soon as Key sends you an e-mail rently storing,” says professional organizer Debbie Stanley, author
of Organize Your Personal Finances in No Time. “Just start scanning
07
select materials today, and as your paper les get outdated you
Online Banking
FALL
won’t need many of them anymore. But don’t forget to back up
your les and save them in more than one place.”
16
View your bank accounts, transfer funds and pay bills Once you’ve tamed the clutter in your home and arranged
from home with Key’s secure Online Banking platform.
TODAY’S FOCUS
your nances, your to-do list will seem more manageable. And
To learn more, call 1.888.KEY.1234 or visit Key.com.
with income regularly going into your savings account, you’ll feel
more con dent about your nances. Ultimately, that organization
will lead to saved time and, even better, saved money.
PHOTOGRAPH BY STOCKBYTE/GETTY IMAGES