The Economy

My wife and I never merged our accounts when we got married. She does most of her banking online, to the point where she even deposits checks just by uploading a picture of it. She's pretty diligent with it now, much better than she was a few years ago.
I'm still relying on a checkbook. I often have two or three debit card transactions a day, and those don't go through right away and the number the bank gives me online is slightly different than the "real" number. I figure my number is probably better to go by and I've never bounced a check so it must be a good system.

 

I haven’t written a check in at least two years.

Everything goes on my credit card now. I mean everything. When I make a charge at the store, I add it to the running tally in my head. I’ll usually round up, too. If it’s an $8 charge, I’ll add $10 to the running tally. Occasionally I check on the app to make sure I’m in the ballpark and that no stray charges appear.

I am Rainman, and I also usually have a credit balance on my card. Barclays isn’t a big fan of that.

 

I send out one check a month, to an account that can be paid online but can’t even set up for recurring payments. I chose to set up my bank to send them a check each month because I know I’ll forget to log in and submit a payment one of these days.

Even all my basketball pools collect electronically now. Checks are almost ancient history for me.

 

My GF (it's cheap really to call her a girlfriend - we're not married, but we basically are) and I maintain separate finances.

I don't even have checks, so when I've got to sign my kid up for a Parks and Rec sport - literally the last place I know where they want a check - I have to get her to give me a blank.

She said the last time, "This feels like asking your parents for money, doesn't it?"

 

I only recently set up my mortgage to be automatically deducted from my bank account. Most of my bills are now set up that way, although I’m still going to write out a check every two months for my electric/gas. I want to see a paper bill do I can keep track of our utility usage.

I used to kinda like writing out several checks a month because it felt like I was getting something accomplished. Now I just don’t feel like taking the time.

It’s funny, because originally, I was very wary of businesses having access to my bank account. Now I’m used to it.

 

I resisted online bill pay for the longest time and waved the white flag c. 2010. Facebook already had all of my personal data, anyway.

Spouses should keep their $$$ separate. I direct deposit enough to cover the mortgage and HOA fees into a shared account, and that’s it. Easy for me to say as we’re relatively comfortable.

 

Online banking is the way to go.

 

Having to go get a cashier’s check in 2021 feels like going back in time. People look at you like you’ve asked for a dinosaur to rent.

Right before they discontinued paper traveler’s checks, I gave one to a teenage cashier while on vacation and she refused to take it. I point to the words “Legal Tender.” She had to call her older supervisor who just chuckled without talking and rung it up.

But for the most part I haven’t written a check or carried cash since 2015.

 

I do everything online as well. But I still pull out the paper register every two weeks to square it all up. I’ve moved all of our recurring bills to being charged to our AMEX so we can reap the reward points.

That said, I never have less than $100 cash on me. I’ve pulled into too many rural gas stations where they don’t have “a swipey thang.”

 

Some of our medical providers don't have online pay so we have to write a check.

 

I had to get one a few months back for our down payment. The teller was annoyed that he had to do work.