Money Stuff

[bertine]

I pay an assocation fee every month to my condo assocation to cover common expenses like heat, water and garbage. This is my least favorite bill for a few reasons:
1) I have to write a check for this every month. Most of my bills are set up for online payment.
2) I get all the slips first thing in the year and have to remember to pay it by the first of the month.
3) It is $462 so it is a big chunk of money that sits in my checking account. I mostly just keep money I can spend in my checking account and when it runs out I stop spending so I have to keep track if this has come out or not.
4) The accountant takes forever to deposit the check. She has been know to wait up to three weeks.

Right now the assocation fee for Febraury hasn't come out of my checking account. Not a big deal, I have money in there for it. However, I am a little worried that it means I forgot to pay that bill this month. It isn't a huge late fee, it just annoys me when I forget things like that. It annoys me even more when I can't remember if I actually forgot it.

Comments

[jessikate.livejournal.com]

Dang, that's a huge association fee! My mom's is about 1/2 that amount, give or take a few bucks.

I hate when people sit on checks for a long time.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

I own two condos, so it makes sense. Plus we have a lot of shared expenses (heat is a huge one) and 100 year old building. Basically I pay that and my electric bill for pretty much all my expenses.

I hate that she does that. I have complain a few times but it doesn't change her ways. Sigh.

[luno.livejournal.com]

Is it managed by a corporation or a co-op? If it's a co-op, get your other condo owners to vote in a more responsive board.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

We are a condo with a board, which I am on! That is why I have complained to our accountant about it. (We hire out the collection part of the dues because that is just annoying). The thing is that she is a great accountant in every other way. Just she holds on to the checks.


PS, I seem to be to tired to create well formed sentences today. :(

[jessikate.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I forgot that you own two condos. That makes more sense, then.

[styletax.livejournal.com]

I've been snapped a few times this year by forgetting that my rent hasn't been taken out of my account (even though my landlord usually cashes the check in the week), so I'm switching to money orders. If they take money orders, it might help, so the money is out of your account, but they can cash it when they want.

[bertine.livejournal.com]

The only problem with that is going to get a money order. I would push that off until I am late every month. I am so bad at things that take work like that (It is why there are a couple packages ready to be mailed in my car that have been in there for months).

Money isn't fun. :(

[styletax.livejournal.com]

I agree - I'm wondering if I'll actually make it to a money order place each month. Money is so not fun. I had the glee this weekend of having my accounts on Quicken match up with my accounts online... but it was a short glee when I saw that those matching numbers were still smaller than I'd have liked. -_-;;

[sacramentalist.livejournal.com]

I hate writing out all those cheques at the beginning of the year. I am very sloppy with cheques. This year, I was late, because I forgot, and then I had to order new ones.

I pay $395, which covers gas and electricity. It seems like a lot, until I hear how much people pay for gas and hydro in the winter. Yikes!

[messyjessy.livejournal.com]

I have been told, tho I do not know from personal experience, that if you pay it online (by the bank issuing a check), that it comes out of your account right away and it doesn't matter how long it takes to cash it. You can set the condo association up as a payee through your online banking and then the bank will cut a check and mail it off for you.

[tallelfnorth.livejournal.com]

Just make sure your Bill Pay bank is solvent. Seriously.

Bill pay services are NOT insured by the government. If they go bankrupt while holding your money, you're just another creditor who may eventually get some, but not all, of your money back.

[elen.livejournal.com]

My condo association fee is totally my least favourite bill, too! Mine's not so big (around $130 a month, but then again, I live in a tiny studio), but it needs to be paid every third month and I always forget it until it's almost too late.