What is the first bill you should pay every month?

Asked by: Sarina O'Conner  |  Last update: December 31, 2025
Score: 4.2/5 (26 votes)

Generally, the bills you should pay first are the ones that cover necessities — the main resources that keep you and your family safe and healthy. These necessities include shelter, water, heat and food.

What is the first bill you should pay each month?

Food, Medicine and Child Care. The main bills you should pay first are grocery/food, child care, and essential medicine. These items should be your first priority. Although they are necessities, it's important to be mindful of these expenses and keep them to a minimum.

What bill should I pay off first?

From a monetary standpoint, you should pay down - work to pay off - your most expensive debt first. That is, the debts with the highest interest rate. Every month you're paying more interest on the high-interest debts. Lowering and eliminating them will save you money in the long run.

What should you always pay first?

Usually, food, housing, utilities, transportation and medical care take priority. Keep up on your mortgage or rent payment unless you plan to move to less expensive housing. This will help you avoid losing your house or getting evicted.

Which of these bills should be paid first as a monthly priority?

HIGH PRIORITIES

Pay your mortgage or rent. If you own your home, pay real estate taxes, insurance, condo fees and mobile home lot payments. Failure to pay these bills may lead to a loss of your home. Pay the minimum required to keep essential utility service including heat, electricity and water.

When & How Much to Pay on Your Credit Card to Increase Your Credit Score FAST!

35 related questions found

What bill should be paid first?

Generally, the bills you should pay first are the ones that cover necessities — the main resources that keep you and your family safe and healthy. These necessities include shelter, water, heat and food. Once necessities are paid for, focus on expenses related to your vehicle.

Should you pay rent or car payment first?

If you need your car to get to work or for other essential transportation, rank your car payment just below food, medicine, housing and essential utilities. Stay current on your insurance payments as well.

What bills can I skip?

5 Bills You Can Skip Or Postpone if Money is Tight
  • Subscriptions. If you have monthly memberships or subscriptions, it's a good idea to review them and decide which ones are still useful or relevant. ...
  • Utilities. Contact your utility providers to discuss your situation. ...
  • Credit Card Payments. ...
  • Auto Insurance Premiums. ...
  • Internet.

What should I pay first?

With the debt avalanche method, you order your debts by interest rate, with the highest interest rate first. You pay minimum payments on everything while attacking the debt with the highest interest rate. Once that debt is paid off, you move to the one with the next-highest interest rate . . .

Which loan should you try to pay off most quickly?

Another option is to start with the loan that has the highest interest rate. By paying down your highest-interest loan first, you can get rid of your most expensive debt as soon as possible, saving more in interest payments in the long run.

What debt is most important to pay off first?

Start with the highest rate and work your way down to the lowest rate. Start chipping away at your highest-interest debt first. Use any extra money you can find to pay down your highest-interest debt. Every dollar counts.

What has the highest impact on your credit score?

Payment history is the most important factor in maintaining a higher credit score as it accounts for 35% of your FICO Score. FICO considers your payment history as the leading predictor of whether you'll pay future debt on time.

At what age should you pay your own bills?

Well, there's no one-size-fits-all answer here, but generally, it's a good idea to ease them into it when they're around 16 to 18 years old. This is usually when they've got part-time jobs or some other source of income, and they're getting ready to spread their wings.

What bills are best to pay off first?

The debt avalanche method involves paying off your highest-interest debt first. To do this, you'll make the minimum monthly payment on every card or loan you have, except for the debt with the highest interest rate. Then, you'll put all your extra money toward paying down that balance as much as possible.

How much is a normal monthly bill?

A single person household spends an average of $4,641 on monthly expenses. Married couples without kids spend an average of $7,390 on monthly expenses. A family of four spends an average of $8,450–9,817 on monthly expenses (depending on kids' ages).

How to pay bills for beginners?

7 Best Ways to Pay Your Bills on Time
  1. Organize Your Bills. ...
  2. Check Your Due Dates. ...
  3. Create a Calendar for Your Payments. ...
  4. Decide How Much You Will Pay. ...
  5. Decide What Payment Method Is Best for You. ...
  6. Automate Payments Whenever Possible. ...
  7. Consider Consolidating Debts. ...
  8. Pay Online.

What's the best way to pay off debt?

Paying off debt
  1. Figure out how much you owe. Write down how much you owe to each creditor. ...
  2. Focus on one debt at a time. Start with the credit cards or loans with the highest interest rate and make the minimum payments on your other cards. ...
  3. Put any extra money toward your debt. ...
  4. Embrace small savings.

What happens if I stop paying my bills?

Falling behind on or missing bill payments can lead to late fees, credit score damage, and other negative financial consequences. Federal government programs can help if you're struggling with mortgage or student loan payments.

What should I pay for my first house?

Many experts recommend following the 28/36 rule, which holds that you should spend no more than 28 percent of your gross monthly income on housing and no more than 36 percent on overall debt. Start saving for a down payment: You'll typically need at least 3 percent of the purchase price of the home as a down payment.

What bills can I throw away?

Keep for a year or less – unless you are deducting an expense on your tax return:
  • Monthly utility/cable/phone bills: Discard these once you know everything is correct.
  • Credit card statements: Just like your monthly bills, you can discard these once you know everything is correct.

What bills are unnecessary?

13 Expenses That Are Destroying Your Budget
  • Streaming Services. ...
  • Delivery Memberships. ...
  • Credit Card Interest Payments. ...
  • Data Storage. ...
  • Cable Bill. ...
  • Unnecessary Insurance. ...
  • Pricey Gym Memberships and Exercise Classes. ...
  • Costly Gifts.

What payments can I skip?

The most common loans to skip include auto loans and personal (signature) loans. Skip a payment programs often charge a small fee for each loan you skip. You can you find Money FCU's fee on our Skip Pass. These charges are used to cover the cost of restructuring your loan payment.

What happens if I pay an extra $100 a month on my car loan?

Extra payments made on your car loan usually go toward the principal balance, but you'll want to make sure. Some lenders might instead apply the extra money to future payments, including the interest, which is not what you want.

When should you pay first month rent?

What is the first month's rent? The first month's rent is the amount of rent that a tenant pays for the first month of their lease. Landlords typically require tenants to pay the first month's rent up front before moving into a rental property.

Should I pay a car in full or monthly?

Paying cash for your car may be your best option if the interest rate you earn on your savings is lower than the after-tax cost of borrowing. However, keep in mind that while you do free up your monthly budget by eliminating a car payment, you may also have depleted your emergency savings to do so.