S/O replacement checks -- how often do you write checks?

[NCGrandma]

The thread about best places to order replacement checks reminded me that I used to write checks for everything. Now, with online bill pay, online $$ transfers, and credit and debit cards, it's very rare for me to write a check. I'd be surprised if I write 20 checks in a YEAR.

So, if you write very few checks, what kinds of things are they for (e.g., cleaning person, GS cookies, etc)? If you still use checks for most things, have you considered switching to other types of payment or are you happy staying with checks?

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[marymoo86]

I hate writing checks. Cleaning company (why won't this company go to online pmts - most others do) and daycare are my two consistent ones.

I'd rather pay recurring items with my Amex to get the cash back instead of checks. That daycare one alone would be $$ back to me :D.

[egoldber]

The only places I write checks now are for school activities where I need to send in money (PTA, field trips, activity fees), Girl Scout activities, and now older DD's therapist does not take credit cards.

[Mermanaid]

I write them once in a blue moon. Usually for Cub Scout pack events or GS things. I also write a check to our hair stylist so she doesn't have to eat the debit processing cost. My dad on the other hand (whom I am trying to order more checks for) writes a ton. To the pet groomer, to repair places, etc. He still pays his electricity, insurance, etc using online bill pay but there are many businesses in his very small town that only take cash or check.


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[carolinacool]

We still write checks for day care every week. They didn't start taking cards until last year, I think. I write checks to my hairstylist. She works out of her home by herself and isn't set up to take cards, and I rarely have that much cash on me. I'll sometimes write one at the nail salon I go to because if the total is under $10, they add a $1 fee for using a card. (And yes, sometimes I don't have $10 cash with me. LOL) Other things include Girl Scout cookies, our quarterly HOAs, doctor's offices if they bill me and I mail payment back, magazines. For some things, I don't give my card because I don't want the "convenience" of being auto-billed.

[belovedgandp]

It averages out to maybe 2-3 per month. I think about 25-30 per year.

DDs dance class each month and my haircut (individual's basement) every six weeks. Otherwise, school things (PTO, pictures), annual HOA dues, occasional donations.

[vonfirmath]

The thread about best places to order replacement checks reminded me that I used to write checks for everything. Now, with online bill pay, online $$ transfers, and credit and debit cards, it's very rare for me to write a check. I'd be surprised if I write 20 checks in a YEAR.

So, if you write very few checks, what kinds of things are they for (e.g., cleaning person, GS cookies, etc)? If you still use checks for most things, have you considered switching to other types of payment or are you happy staying with checks?


1. Mortgage
2. Second Mortgage
3. Weekly childcare
4. Babysitter
5. Monthly after school care
6. Activity Fees at church
7. Occasional offerings at church (tithe is automatic but when we do a special offering it usually ends up being a check)
8. HOA fees ($10 fee for paying online)
9. School lunches (again a fee for filling the account online and they go missing often enough I don't want to send cash)

I just ordered more checks. We went through 300 checks in 1.75 years

[Mikey0709]

SCHOOL stuff - - that's about it these days.... and it seems like i'm ALWAYS WRITING CHECKS for our free school....

[Momit]

I probably write about 6 checks/year, and only for places where there's no other choice. Our checks still have our address from 4 houses ago!

[crayonblue]

I write checks for piano lessons, voice lessons, preschool (no auto payment, ugh!), school stuff, my hairdresser (doesn't take cards), etc. Seems I'm writing MORE checks these days than I have in years.

[specialp]

The only regular one is for a local charity that is small and does not do online - that is monthly. There are yearly fees like HOA & district fees that have a processing fee if you do online. Pre school. I maybe go through 40 checks a year.

[legaleagle]

School stuff, daycare, some once a year bills (e.g. life insurance, our tiny HOA payment), some gifts, some charitable contributions. Probably about 30-40/year total.

[randomkid]

I write a few each month.

House cleaning company 2x/month
One of our insurance companies still does not have online bill pay, so I have to send a check
Massage therapist - once a week right now since I'm having upper back/neck/shoulder problems
Hair stylist - she does take CC, but it costs her, so I write a check - once every 5-6 weeks
Any school expenses although I do think they take CC, but writing a check is easier

Think that's about it. This thread reminds me that I need to reorder checks. I get free checks through my bank based on the account we have. They are just plain and generic, but I don't care.

[lhafer]

GS scout stuff, PTO/school stuff, school pictures, monthly preschool payments, cleaning ladies every 2 weeks, lawn guys every other week during spring and fall and weekly during the summer. I don't write a ton, but enough that I keep my checkbook in my wallet.

[basil]

If I could, I'd get rid of cash and checks altogether and only use credit cards (we pay off every month).

I use checks for daycare, but got them to accept a 6 month payment because I kept forgetting to bring the check and was always late. I wanted to send an echeck from my online bank but they said they had problems getting those before.

We use checks for our cleaning service every week.

DH uses them to pay some bills, like landscaping. I think you need them for random stuff like DMV, etc.

Altogether I find them and cash very annoying though!

[hillview]

Hate checks. I use them a few times a year for school stuff (1-2 every 3 months). A few times a year for random house stuff (window washers. dryer vent clean, new boiler). That is about it.

[mommylamb]

Preschool and our HOA bill are the only ones we still write consistently.

[almostmom]

I still pay my bills with checks. Those bills are credit card, cable/phone, electricity, medical bills, oil company, trash company, life insurance, cleaning service, extended day at school, camps. I pay everything I can with a cc as we get points, but many bills won't allow that. I check my accounts online, but I worry that with online bill pay I will either not look carefully at the bill, or forget to pay it as they won't be in my mail area. Please enlighten me if I should be enlightened, and it appears I should be!

[ellies mom]

Babysitter, drop-in care through the school, random school stuff and Girl scouts.

Yeah, I think that is about it.

[BunnyBee]

From the back of my checkbook: tutor, sub-contractors, landscape guy, Girl Scout cookies (to troop), wedding gift, Girl Scout camp, CPA, tax crap, life insurance, health insurance, mortgage, etc. More the past couple of months than usual. Normally it's the tutor, mortgage, and health insurance.

[MaiseyDog]

I write more than I use to due to the kids. Most of the bills are paid online, but PTO, kid fundraisers, Piano lesson, Dance, Daycare, Housecleaner, and hairstylist all get checks. None of them are set up for online payments or for credit/debit cards.

[Pear]

We have had our current account for 4 years or so. I think we are at about check 15. We went through a bunch before daycare started taking credit cards, otherwise it would be fewer than 10. We just had to write one for our deposit on K tuition. Rumor has it that future payments may be able to be done electronically, but we won't know until fall.

[essnce629]

I write a monthly check for DS2's preschool and the gardener. Oh, and DH and I don't have a joint account so I just write myself a check from his account to put into mine at the start of each month. DS2 starts speech therapy today, so I'll start writing a weekly check for that too. Other than that, the only other time I write a check is for something like a school fundraiser or school/sports pictures.

[wendibird22]

School/PTA, girl scouts, rec program sign ups (soccer, baseball, cheerleading), our weekly before/after school babysitter.

[daniele_ut]

I still have the checks with our previous address on them so 300 checks has lasted more than 5 years. I really only write checks when I need to send money in to school for pizza Mondays, field trips, etc., Girl Scout activities, and occasionally for a tradesperson. We try to pay things with our Amex most of the time.

[american_mama]

I write them a lot more than I would think. The most regular one is for school lunch for 3 kids. I never put much money in their accounts, don't know why, so I do checks fairly often. I also tend to pay medical bills sent in the mail with a check, I guess because I've had errors in the past when I've written or phoned in our FSA card. Then there is scouting stuff (2 kids), school stuff (3 kids), church offering, charitable donations. Regular car stuff is via check - car insurance doesn't do online bill pay and my 2x a year vehicle taxes (x2 cars) charge a fee for it. I don't have online bill pay set up for two store credit cards that I rarely use, so when I do use them, I write a check. I write a fair number of checks. I also used to have monthly preschool tuition.

[Tenasparkl]

More than I'd like: weekly checks for daycare and house cleaning, monthly check for gardener, occasional checks for girls scouts, school/PTA etc. DDs school aftercare finally switched to online payments so that was a weekly check that's gone now.

[babyonway]

Literally the only checks I consistently write are to Costco. I should get the AMEX but I just haven't. I write maybe 5 other random checks a year. But since I go to Costco every week that actually is a lot of checks. :bag

[ckso]

I hate writing checks too and a box last me a while.

cleaning lady and gardener once a month (they're both small family business)
hairstylist
school related stuff although I've been sending cash instead lately
mortgage

[NCGrandma]

Literally the only checks I consistently write are to Costco. I should get the AMEX but I just haven't. I write maybe 5 other random checks a year. But since I go to Costco every week that actually is a lot of checks. :bag

I always use my checking account's debit card at Costco -- I don't have the Costco AMEX and keep forgetting to see if my "regular" AMEX will work.


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[DualvansMommy]

I prefer less than what we're writing out for! i would say on average of 4-5 per month. We usually write checks:
our township recycle and trash pickup,
landscaper/snow-removal guy
our summer shore rental house (started this 3 summers ago)
our country club fees
and different small vendors like painter, guy for our boiler/sump pumps, misc stuff for small repairs around the house

hmm when i type it out, it sounds and feels a lot less but felt more when we had to write checks though! the rest we pay with our online billing system or charge it on our Amex like for hotels, vacations, flights, groceries, just to get points!

[maestramommy]

housecleaner, babysitter, dance class, school lunch (to avoid the cc service fee), tithing (at least I think we do, I just recently heard our church now has online tithing). preschool, hairdresser, just about all school stuff (field trips, fundraisers).

[Snow mom]

Rent/mortgage and swim lessons are our current places that get checks. We used to do monthly checks to daycare as well when DD went.