How meticulous are you at balancing the checkbook?

[Emmas Mom]

I hate it. I hate it more & more as I get older. It's all online, right. I know I need to but it's such a chore. If you are the one who does it, how often do you do it? Do you have a system? Do you write down checks when you send them or when they clear? Do you balance to the penny or trust the bank? ha ha Someone motivate me. Did I mention that I hate it??

[stefani]

I don't... but... I use Quicken and our bank is Wells Fargo, so I can view the checks online (especially useful when it is DH who writes the check) and the checking account is always balanced because I can download all the transactions daily. We do have enough buffer in the checking account that we don't get overdrawn easily. Big purchases still needs to be timed carefully to make sure that we have enough in the account.

I do download on a daily basis.

[bethie_73]

hahahahahaha :ROTFLMAO:hahahahahahahaha

I'm sorry you did say balance the check book right? I know this isn't an option for most, but I have a buffer in there so I can pay items as they come due and don't need to worry. I do look online to check and check balances and see what has cleared, but I don't think I can tell you the last time I actually balanced my checkbook.

I can tell you where we are, how much we have in each account, and any big ticket items bought/needed at any given time though. I have thought of quicken etc, but I"m not sure if it would be that beneficial to me.

[LD92599]

Yes! Monthly as the statement comes in.

I use a combo of Excel and Quicken. I use Quicken to enter all checks and debits, deposits, etc. I do compare quicken to the online banking once a week or so to be sure I didn't forget to enter something. Once the statement comes in I try to balance it that day so i can put it away. I haven't gotten the hang of actually balancing the account from the online screen shots, only from the paper statement.

[JBaxter]

DH does ours and it has balanced to the penny every month for the past 20+yrs ( or as long as he has had a check book) His father was in banking LOL. I can pull up a long of every check we have ever written

[specialp]

I like "meticulous", but that isn't my DH's word for it. :wink2: I balance all accounts every month on My Money. I don't keep a large buffer in the checking accounts and all excess money is in the money market, so that is a self-imposed check to make me balance. Twice a year I do a budget on a spreadsheet to help me keep more money going into savings than into random things I don't need.

[KrisM]

I used to do it every month. But, in the past 4 or 5 years, I haven't done it at all. We have enough of a buffer to not worry. And, I only pay bills from it and those don't change much. I put regular shopping on credit card and pay that online from my checking account.

But, I was thinking that I should try to do it again. Not sure how to start without having a beginning balance that was right, but I'll figure it out.

[AngelaS]

Crap! I'm supposed to be balancing the checkbook TOO?? Oops.

[SnuggleBuggles]

hahahahahaha :ROTFLMAO:hahahahahahahaha

I'm sorry you did say balance the check book right? I know this isn't an option for most, but I have a buffer in there so I can pay items as they come due and don't need to worry. I do look online to check and check balances and see what has cleared, but I don't think I can tell you the last time I actually balanced my checkbook.

I can tell you where we are, how much we have in each account, and any big ticket items bought/needed at any given time though. I have thought of quicken etc, but I"m not sure if it would be that beneficial to me.

That would be my answer as well.

Beth

[happymomma]

I don't balance it at all. We have ING so everything is online. Then we have a Bank of America acct and we really don't use it that much so I don't really need to balance it. I just keep track of major checks that I've written if I do write them.

[Moneypenny]

I balance to the penny every couple of weeks or so. Everything is online, but I want to make sure my paper register matches the online balance. We just keep enough money in the checking account to pay the bills. We like to keep as much money as we can in higher-interest vehicles.

I'm a business manager, though, so I'm not sure I could live with myself if I didn't balance my checkbook. It goes against business manager code, I think.

[Wendy's mom]

I use a cheap program I got at Staples called Balance my Checkbook. Its super easy and they give you little high fives when it balances. So I get excited when I get those high fives. I balance my checkbook but sometimes it takes a backseat and I end up doing like 3 months at a time.

[Octobermommy]

I keep in balanced pretty often. I immediately record checks written. Sometimes I forget the deposits if I don't have the checkbook handy but I call to verify about twice a month. If it is off, I work at it until it is balanced. I can't leave it off even by a few cents.

[g-mama]

Not at all. We keep enough of a buffer that we never get ourselves into trouble and just use our checking account for bills that stay pretty much the same from month to month.

For expenses, groceries, gas, clothing, etc. we use a rewards credit card and pay it off each month. If we ever go over b/c we have an unexpected large expense or buy furniture or a vacation, for example, we transfer money over from our money market fund to cover it.

[egoldber]

We write almost no paper checks. The only ones we write are for things like Girl Scout field trips where I have to actually hand someone a paper check. Sometimes we go months without writing a paper check. All other bills are either direct debit from checking account (like the mortgage) or DH writes an electronic check on-line.

[srhs]

I write very few checks, and NO we don't write debit transactions down. I do log in online to "review" transactions. "Yep, yep, yep..."
I know this is terrible because we did the Ramsey Total Money Makeover and completely agree with the principles. It's the details we don't seem to have time for! I know I would spend even less if I was getting that pen-to-paper feedback, though.

[HIU8]

When I have the time (did I say time--WHAT TIME?), I balance it to the penny and make sure my paper records match the online account. My DH hates this. He uses the online account as his guide and never writes anything down.

[Katia]

Yes, to the penny, once a month. We have plenty of buffer and do most of our banking on line, but I want to make sure we have records of where the money goes, and that we aren't being charged any fees in error (which has happened). I also go over the credit card statement in agonizing detail -- a big pain, but more than once I've found fraudulent charges. It's worth it to me.

I've been using Quicken religiously for 15 years. I love it. I went from not even opening my bank statements (ugh, I know...) to becoming a Quicken fanatic -- so I am living proof that you can do it, too! Now if I could only make the same kind of transformation with my housekeeping skills ;-)

[MamaKath]

hahahahahaha :ROTFLMAO:hahahahahahahaha



Yeah, that!:yeahthat: I am about to go to a Moeny class- Financial Peace University. Right now I am clueless and wearing blinders. Thank G~d for a dh who handles all that even if it is grudgingly!!

[vludmilla]

hahahahahaha :ROTFLMAO:hahahahahahahaha

I'm sorry you did say balance the check book right? I know this isn't an option for most, but I have a buffer in there so I can pay items as they come due and don't need to worry. I do look online to check and check balances and see what has cleared, but I don't think I can tell you the last time I actually balanced my checkbook.

I can tell you where we are, how much we have in each account, and any big ticket items bought/needed at any given time though. I have thought of quicken etc, but I"m not sure if it would be that beneficial to me.

This is me. I don't balance. We keep a good buffer and I always know approximately what I have in there. I don't write many checks anyway. I do e-bill pay and use credit cards for as much as possible (but don't carry a balance).

[vludmilla]

Yes, to the penny, once a month. We have plenty of buffer and do most of our banking on line, but I want to make sure we have records of where the money goes, and that we aren't being charged any fees in error (which has happened). I also go over the credit card statement in agonizing detail -- a big pain, but more than once I've found fraudulent charges. It's worth it to me.

I've been using Quicken religiously for 15 years. I love it. I went from not even opening my bank statements (ugh, I know...) to becoming a Quicken fanatic -- so I am living proof that you can do it, too! Now if I could only make the same kind of transformation with my housekeeping skills ;-)

Well, now see, I don't balance my checking account but I do review all the deposits and withdrawals and fees to make sure it is accurate. I also review our CC statements fully too to check for fraud or errors.

[nov04]

I gave that up ages ago. I couldn't keep up.

I have all my bills in a paperclip in date order as they come in, then file them in an accordian file (with date slots) as they're paid. I do bil pmts weekly, whatever is coming due soon. And take a quick look at the activity to make sure there isn't anything strange. Our bank is no-fee so I don't need to look at each fee we pay.

I watch for our rent check to clear monthly. If we get too near a certain balance, I let dh know to not spend a certain amt until payday.