Two mums built an app to manage a mundane but important task - paying bills

Two busy moms from Australia have come up with an ingenious solution to one of the most mundane yet important household tasks: bill management.

Mireille Boutros and Carolina Flores struggled with managing their bills and searching for better deals while juggling their work and family responsibilities.

They knew they weren’t the only ones dealing with this problem, and they set out to find a solution that could help everyone.

That’s how Bree, an automated bill payment app, was born. Bree is like a personal assistant for everyday Australians – it automates bill payments, searches for better deals, and saves users time and money.

The idea for Bree came to them after becoming mothers – already pressed for time, and without the headspace to compare deals and swap providers, even though they desperately wanted to save money.

The duo knew other women were likely to suffer from the same problem since, in most households (60%), women manage the bills.

Flores felt it was time to automate what can be and leave the menial tasks like scanning the market for better deals and switching to technology.

“As a normal person, I can think of a million things I’d like to do instead of calling up service providers to haggle for a better price. Comparisons sites are great, but that is only information that just gives me more stuff to add to my to-do list,” she said.

“Bree, on the other hand, does everything for me, the looking, haggling, and the switching. It’s a no-brainer.”

Bree’s research showed that women spend around three hours a month paying bills, and more than half (53%) paid a late fee because they forgot about bill payments.

Australians fork out more than $280 million in late fees annually, with the average charge at $24.

Boutros said they want to give people their most precious resource back – their time – as well as avoid fees and save money in the long run.

“Bree’s bill comparison service has already saved participants between $320 and $950 per year on their bills by switching to a more cost-effective provider,” she said.

“Bree manages and pays bills for its members for a small monthly fee of $14.28, and members pay Bree in easy interest-free instalments.

“We created Bree to make women’s lives easier and claw back some precious time while still ensuring all the menial but important money tasks are taken care of.”