Do you believe you are busier than you have ever been in your lifetime? Ask me that question, and my hand will go up. In light of an increasingly hectic schedule over the years, I have taken advantage of every possible convenience I could get my hands on. But you have to be vigilant and make sure said conveniences are worth any kind of trouble that my arise because of them. For example, auto-pay, while incredibly conducive to a busy lifestyle, can bring unnecessary headache into your life. Erin Peterson, a writer for cbsmoneywatch.com, has outlined five bills for which you should not use auto-pay. And, lo and behold, I am in violation. Well, I'm not gonna get arrested or anything, but I've been put on alert. I use auto-pay for my insurance and cable bills. And Peterson lists some good reasons why I should stop. I can't argue with him. But I do get bills in the mail from both my insurance and cable providers so there are no big surprises. In other words, I'll keep doing the auto-pay thing. It's just easier. It really is. My mobile phone bill is easy to take care of on the actual phone. I pay utility bills online. We're good to go. I understand the warnings. They're very helpful. But sometimes I wonder if there's  ANYTHING we can do that's 100% safe. It seems like there's always something wrong with the aspects of our lives that make them easier. Again, the author has solid points. But, if we all pay attention, we can enjoy the convenience auto-pay affords. And that, in turn, affords peace of mind.

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