Dumbrenter – you’re not the only one!
I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all bills, fripparies, and savings by the month.

The Husband and I keep a joint ‘slush fund’ for bill/CC paying, so knowing how much (to the nearest $100) we need to put in it to keep it solvent is vital. Plus it gives us a sort of ad hoc estimate as to how bills increase/decrease during the seasons.

As for the water thing – we’re even more hardscrabble!

I treat myself to a bottle or two of ‘Vitamin Water’ every once in a while.
Once they’re drunk (mmm….yummy) the bottles are de-labled and washed.
Then we put Brita Filtered water in them, and use them in the same way as ‘store bought’ water.
The Vitamin Water bottles are very sturdy, so can be emptied, washed, and refilled many times before they get sent to recycling