I use a few checks per month: rent, charities, church, and my small town hairdresser. I also like to use it when I make my last payment on something so I can add the "paid in full". That might be an outdated practice, but old habits die hard. For the most part I use electronic payments and my debit card (for SkyMiles).
i do, indeed, still use checks, but would rather not. like, i have to pay by check for our kid's daycare and i use it to pay our water bill and i give checks for wedding gifts. i definitely fill out all the info. but really, i hate checks! :)
Like Melody, I write one check per month for my rent. Also had to write one recently for my dentist when their CC machine was broken - of course, I don't carry my checkbook anywhere ever, so had to go home, write the check, and come back the next day. Pain!
Also, I want to smack anyone in the grocery store that starts writing out a check when their total is announced!!! At least write in the store name and date while you are waiting in line, if you must insist on using a check. arg.
I've written 6 checks this year. Three for my flex spending account because their website is ridiculously unhelpful, and 3 for having plumbers and the like for emergency work.
I do a large part of my shopping at local, independent shops ie butcher, pet supply, cheese store, health food stores , veggie market, and I give them all a written check.
As small stores they pay a larger percent of each purchase for charge and even debit cards than chain and mega merchants. Banks are often slow to reimburse small merchants for their charges so the savings on interest charges plus the quick reimbursment of a check is a plus for them They know me as a regular customer and a member of their community so verification is not a requirement.
My budget is very well defined so I write no checks unless the expense is planned.
I do not carry large ammounts of cash and rarely make unplanned purchases.
I use checks frequently: student loan payments, utility payments, rent, and other misc expenses. I could pay most online and have them deducted from my checking account, but I'm changing banks soon (just got married) and wanted to wait to use my new checking account.
unfortunately not - until my local water bill comes early enough for my online banking to mail them a check and it get there in time, I'm stuck using checks for at least that.
Not to mention odd things like paying my voice teacher, buying stuff at a home show (like Pampered Chef, Premier Jewelry, etc), my tithe at church... There's a handful of things that I have to use checks for (I have been tempted to send my tithe via online banking but I'm afraid they'll think I'm weird - I do send my donations to other charities that way)
My biggest problem is that my employer does not have direct deposit - and so I use way more deposit slips than checks so I'm constantly having to fill them out...
The only checks I write regularly are to my church twice a month. I pay everything else online. Even my rent is paid electronically through my ING checking account.
Excellent post SVB. The bottom line folks is, be responsible. In addition to taking responsibility for managing your own credit profile, we need to have disciplined spending habits and exhibit, we hope, self-control.
I still have a few bills that I pay by check, and it's easier for person-to-person for now. But I think they're on their way out. I think I write maybe two a month.
I write about 2 checks a month, usually for old school, low tech vendors who are not online enabled, or whose transactions are large enough to make cash impractical (home repairs, car insurance, vehicle registration/tax). Often, the price of a stamp is less than the price of paying a processing fee online (vehicle registration), so checks are still the method of choice there too.
I occasionally use a check to pay for a service from a small business (like the lady who cuts my hair from a small salon in the basement of her home). Other than that, I pay bills online or over-the-phone.
I only write two checks a month: one for my rent, and the other for one of my credit cards. I also wrote a check to pay my state and local income tax this year.
The only thing I have to write checks for is rent anymore. Occasionally I will write one for pizza delivery if I don't want to use credit and don't have the cash, but it's pretty rare.
I despise people that take out there check books in the grocery store and hold everyone up. It is sooo unnecessary when we have check cards and online transaction reports.
Since I have to stand and wait for people to fill one of these out at the grocery store, they do seem to be very prevalent. As for me, I can tell when I got my last haircut as my barber still does not take credit.
I'm a serious foodie and never eat at fast food or commercial chain restaurants, but I like to save money. The best deal is www.restaurant.com where you can buy a $25 restaurant voucher for as little as two bucks. Also www.blackboardeats.com offers big savings on good restaurants. I often bring my own Trader Joe wine to save on the huge restaurant mark-ups. Even if the corkage fee is ten or fifteen bucks, it's still a big savings. www.chowhound.com is another good resource for good eats at low prices.
I write 2 checks per month, AMEX and Visa where all my bills are auto-posted/paid (for rewards points).
I use a few checks per month: rent, charities, church, and my small town hairdresser. I also like to use it when I make my last payment on something so I can add the "paid in full". That might be an outdated practice, but old habits die hard. For the most part I use electronic payments and my debit card (for SkyMiles).
i do, indeed, still use checks, but would rather not. like, i have to pay by check for our kid's daycare and i use it to pay our water bill and i give checks for wedding gifts. i definitely fill out all the info. but really, i hate checks! :)
Like Melody, I write one check per month for my rent. Also had to write one recently for my dentist when their CC machine was broken - of course, I don't carry my checkbook anywhere ever, so had to go home, write the check, and come back the next day. Pain!
Also, I want to smack anyone in the grocery store that starts writing out a check when their total is announced!!! At least write in the store name and date while you are waiting in line, if you must insist on using a check. arg.
I've written 6 checks this year. Three for my flex spending account because their website is ridiculously unhelpful, and 3 for having plumbers and the like for emergency work.
I do a large part of my shopping at local, independent shops ie butcher, pet supply, cheese store, health food stores , veggie market, and I give them all a written check.
As small stores they pay a larger percent of each purchase for charge and even debit cards than chain and mega merchants. Banks are often slow to reimburse small merchants for their charges so the savings on interest charges plus the quick reimbursment of a check is a plus for them They know me as a regular customer and a member of their community so verification is not a requirement.
My budget is very well defined so I write no checks unless the expense is planned.
I do not carry large ammounts of cash and rarely make unplanned purchases.
I write checks, but not at stores. I write them when I owe a friend money or have to pay my dad for insurance.
I use checks frequently: student loan payments, utility payments, rent, and other misc expenses. I could pay most online and have them deducted from my checking account, but I'm changing banks soon (just got married) and wanted to wait to use my new checking account.
unfortunately not - until my local water bill comes early enough for my online banking to mail them a check and it get there in time, I'm stuck using checks for at least that.
Not to mention odd things like paying my voice teacher, buying stuff at a home show (like Pampered Chef, Premier Jewelry, etc), my tithe at church... There's a handful of things that I have to use checks for (I have been tempted to send my tithe via online banking but I'm afraid they'll think I'm weird - I do send my donations to other charities that way)
My biggest problem is that my employer does not have direct deposit - and so I use way more deposit slips than checks so I'm constantly having to fill them out...
Most of our banking is virtual, but my hairdresser only takes checks.
The only checks I write regularly are to my church twice a month. I pay everything else online. Even my rent is paid electronically through my ING checking account.
Excellent post SVB. The bottom line folks is, be responsible. In addition to taking responsibility for managing your own credit profile, we need to have disciplined spending habits and exhibit, we hope, self-control.
Best,
Evan Stein
www.GettingOutOfDebt.me
I still have a few bills that I pay by check, and it's easier for person-to-person for now. But I think they're on their way out. I think I write maybe two a month.
I write about 2 checks a month, usually for old school, low tech vendors who are not online enabled, or whose transactions are large enough to make cash impractical (home repairs, car insurance, vehicle registration/tax). Often, the price of a stamp is less than the price of paying a processing fee online (vehicle registration), so checks are still the method of choice there too.
Up until we recently decided to go cash only, we wrote checks to pay our electric and water bills. Now, I doubt we will write checks at all.
I occasionally use a check to pay for a service from a small business (like the lady who cuts my hair from a small salon in the basement of her home). Other than that, I pay bills online or over-the-phone.
I only write two checks a month: one for my rent, and the other for one of my credit cards. I also wrote a check to pay my state and local income tax this year.
The only thing I have to write checks for is rent anymore. Occasionally I will write one for pizza delivery if I don't want to use credit and don't have the cash, but it's pretty rare.
Checks? What are those?!
I despise people that take out there check books in the grocery store and hold everyone up. It is sooo unnecessary when we have check cards and online transaction reports.
So no. Checks should actually be discontinued.
Since I have to stand and wait for people to fill one of these out at the grocery store, they do seem to be very prevalent. As for me, I can tell when I got my last haircut as my barber still does not take credit.
I write two checks a month - rent and church.
I probably write 1-2 checks a year now. Everything else is cash, debit, or electronic for bills.
i write checks for rent and to my kids preschool, plus other random, mostly children related activities.
I'm a serious foodie and never eat at fast food or commercial chain restaurants, but I like to save money. The best deal is www.restaurant.com where you can buy a $25 restaurant voucher for as little as two bucks. Also www.blackboardeats.com offers big savings on good restaurants. I often bring my own Trader Joe wine to save on the huge restaurant mark-ups. Even if the corkage fee is ten or fifteen bucks, it's still a big savings. www.chowhound.com is another good resource for good eats at low prices.
Yes, I still write some checks -- most regularly to my church. They don't accept automatic withdraws.