How many checks do you write in a year?

[thefed]

Just checked (erf erf erf) - 120 last year. Not bad considering that nearly all tenants who move out get one. Figure about 4-5 move-outs/month - doesn't seem worthwhile to enter all their data to do an online check to them. Huge fan of auto-pays here - as many as possible run through good ol' PenFed charge card.

sounds like i need some input from YOU when it comes to landlording!!

 

[travelover]

Doesn't anyone just FAX currency anymore?

 

[mickeyd]

Doesn't anyone just FAX currency anymore?

Unfortunately, faxed cash in Texas is illegal these days.

 

[thefed]

Doesn't anyone just FAX currency anymore?

i musta missed that era

 

[Achiever51]

It's interesting that Costco permits debit cards at their gas stations but not their checkouts. I'll have to ask about that one next time we're there.

Really? I use my debit card all the time at Costco; they also accept AmEx. Maybe that's a local decision??

 

[justin]

27 in the last 12 months. Those are mostly to pay for some zero percent credit cards I had at the time (since expired).

 

[tightasadrum]

I don't know...a lot! DW pretty much is check only, or credit card for gas. I only write a check for one-time-only payments and those so infrequent that it doesn't make sense to set up for bill pay on line. However,...

I just finished grinding through a 12-month rerun of spending to determine my real expenses. One of the things I found, other than that spending is too high, was that checks offer a MUCH better record of spending than on-line payments and debit/credit cards. I downloaded all checking account information to Excel and sorted through it with the help of the checkbook registers. The bank information is not very useful for card transactions, and neither is the credit card which I loaded manually. This problem may start at the retail stores where we make the purchases, but it's difficult to sift through it using what the bank records to my accounts. That said, I still will not be writing more checks. Can't speak for DW, never could.

 

[RunningBum]

I thought I was pretty low, but I'm at about 50 or so a year the last couple of years, which is pretty high for this group.

12/year child support plus there are 3-4 other checks to the ex- I'll wind up writing for school/extra curriculars we agreed to split, plus 2-3 more I might write on my own for school stuff.

Taxes are next, I won't pay the extra fee to do it by credit card. Texas has a lot of different taxing authorities (3 or 4 checks), and my Virginia taxes come twice a year (house+car * 2).

The only utility I have to pay taxes on is the quarterly garbage bill.

The rest are one-offs for gifts, repairmen that want a check at the time of service, charities that don't have a credit card option, etc.

 

[VaCollector]

uhhhh....I have been writing them to the tune of 10-15 or more each month....at least until I read this....and then - for the 1st time, I signed up for the free online bill paying option thru my CU....and I must admit that I'm sorry that I didn't do it sooner ....and yet I still have never used an ATM or a check card.....hmmmmm

Gosh....1st I'm judged to be mentally ill for playing the lottery and now this.....by golly, I guess some of us southerners are just slooowwww to learn ....does that mean that I have to give up my ER and that I really can't count my future lottery winnings fer my retirement calculations....aw shucks!!

 

[TromboneAl]

I signed up for the free online bill paying option thru my CU....and I must admit that I'm sorry that I didn't do it sooner

In addition, I recommend having as many bills as possible paid automatically through your credit card.

 

[bssc]

Four. One for property tax, one for the alarm fee and two for State Farm.

 

[bpp3]

No checks, strictly cash. Occasionally use a credit card if something costs more than the ATM withdrawal limit, but hate doing so even then. Recurring bills are all on auto-deduct.

 

[Goonie]

......and two for State Farm.

I pay State Farm on their website.....that was 3 less checks for me.

 

[Gumby]

314 total checks in the past year. 52 of those to my church (one every Sunday) and one per month for everything else (mortgage, HELOC, 2 credit cards, 2 stoozing credit cards, water, gas, oil, electric, newpaper, cable, cell phone, long distance, local phone, life insurance, car insurance, and more).

I recently changed a number of our bills to be paid from the credit card, so the number will go down this coming year.

 

[CuppaJoe]

Let's see, 52 to the cleaning lady, being careful to leave the "pay to" section blank so she or a sub-contractor can cash it or so that it can be run thru an off-shore account or whatever. She would prefer cash but I need a record due to possible senior moments.

About six more per month for basic bills. I'm noticing more and more of those bill-paying checks are being run through internet transfers and I don't receive a copy of the cancelled checks. Maybe I do need to invest in a computer system at home.