Sam, Auckland.

For the past few years I have worked out the average monthly amount I pay on all of my bills and set up an AP to come out each pay day. I always slightly overestimate to be safe. ALL of my accounts are in credit with variable bills such as power gaining so much credit that I can stop the AP over the Christmas period and have that money to spend on other things. Just remember to restart the AP after Xmas! This also means that in times of hardship you may be able to scrounge some money from the money allocated to your bills to cover unexpected expenses without fear of being cut off or getting in further debt.