For my rent, I will use Rent Payment Service. The money is transacted on the first business day of the month, and show up the second business day of the month. This will mean if the 1st falls on Friday, it won’t go against my account until Monday. If the first falls on a Saturday, it won’t come out until Tuesday. Not very convenient, but something I have to deal with. It is better than writing a check every month, and have to make the effort to drop it off to the realty office.
As for all of my other bills, I would use credit cards. This makes reading the bank statement easier, and since I check my credit card account weekly, I will be quick to dispute any charges I didn’t authorize. I hadn’t had unauthorized charges in my time with using a credit card, and I will always make sure I pay my card off.
This means I have 1 check, and 4 electronic payments that I will make on the first day of the month. This keeps things simple, and effective. If I should have to go over budget, I will reduce my discretionary spending as low as possible, and focus my attention on the card that I used to go over my budget. This would likely only happen with major purchases though.