Playbook · Calendar · October 1, 2026
Put this month’s due dates on a four-week grid
Who should skip this. Anyone who may miss rent, utilities, food, or medicine this week — use the this-month bills path. The grid does not rank bills.
This is the paper version of the due-date method. It does not tell you which bill to skip. It shows whether the minimum and the paycheck share a week.
The method in one paragraph
Draw four weeks. Mark each day money actually arrives. Mark rent, each minimum, and each utility with the amount and the due date. Circle any due date that falls before the next deposit. For a card, ask whether the due date can move, and what the first bill after the change will be. That ask is a courtesy, not a federal right.
Steps
- Week of ____ / ____ / ____ / ____. Write the deposit dates first.
- Add rent or mortgage, then utilities, then card minimums. Amount and due date only.
- Circle every due date that lands before the next deposit.
- If a card minimum is circled and rent is already covered, use the due-date call. Ask what the first statement after the change will show.
- If a circled item is housing or a shutoff utility, leave this page for this month’s bills.
A worked example (labeled as an example)
Deposit on the 1st and the 15th. Rent $1,100 on the 1st. Card minimum $47 on the 12th. The 12th falls before the 15th. The grid does not say to skip rent. It says the card date is the one to ask about. Your dates will differ.
What can go wrong
- Moving a due date and not asking what the gap statement will be. Two minimums can land in one month.
- Using the grid to justify paying a collector before rent because the collector’s date is sooner.
Next action
One month. Four weeks. One circled card date, or none. No new account.
Sources
Playbook: ask to move the due date
CFPB, bill calendar and prioritizing tools
FourHundred is an education tool. It is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. This page does not tell you which bill to pay, which product to open, or whether to file.