# Do you balance your checking account?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-balance-your-checking-account/109183>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 15, 2002, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-balance-your-checking-account/109183 "2002-05-15T12:40:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![NardoPolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@NardoPolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NardoPolo)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-balance-your-checking-account/109183/21 "2002-05-16T11:11:41Z")

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OK, I’m anal.

Twice a month when I pay my bills, I write a bunch of checks all at once. Then I add up the total of the checks that I’ve just written, and transfer that amount from my savings to my checking. I leave a $200 buffer in there just in case I make a mistake.

So, my account statement always starts at $200., shows a transfer and then a bunch of checks, and then ends at $200 again. Then cycle over again.

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**Author:** ![The\_Big\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@The\_Big\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Big_Cheese)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-balance-your-checking-account/109183/22 "2002-05-16T12:08:38Z")

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No, wish I did though. It’s too hard. I have my gym membership, phone billl, utility, and visa card acct all taking money out of there automatically, maybe more can’t remember. Balancing would be a nightmare. I try to keep $500 in there too like…some one above here stated. I only write 5 checks a month at the most, so I can tell when something’s weird, I like minimizing stress in my life.

Only bounced one, and that’s because I mailed the envelope with my $2,000 IRA check in it instead of the envelope with my Union contract vote in it. D’oh! Boy, that was a surprise!

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-balance-your-checking-account/109183/23 "2002-05-16T21:30:35Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by The Big Cheese \*  
> \*\*No, wish I did though. It’s too hard. I have my gym membership, phone billl, utility, and visa card acct all taking money out of there automatically  
> \*\*

NO NO NO!!! Don’t ever let an account that can fluctuate (phone bill or electric bill) deduct automatically. I once had a $300 phone bill (one of those bogus calls to Vanuatu or wherever) and I was able to get the charges dismissed. It would have been a lot harder to get the money back from the phone company once it was gone.

My .02 worth…I visit [clarkhoward.com](http://clarkhoward.com), so my Consumer Warrior jumped out for a second. I just hope you haven’t been burned…🆒

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