When your eyes scanned this page and rested on the title, you probably thought you’d find some novel tricks to cover checks or alleviate your responsibilities to manage your money. Sorry, it’s totally your responsibility to keep track of how much money you have in your checking account and be a good money manager. Consider these tips to avoid overdraft and check fees. yvette caslin


Balance your checkbook.
It’s imperative that you record every purchase, even if you don’t write a check. Those check card purchases and electronic transactions that you make in the blink of an eye add up — fast. Deduct check card purchases from your balance immediately. Don’t forget about that stop you made at the no- name ATM that charged you a $2.50–$5.00 surcharge.

Spending money should never be something you do impulsively.
You should think about every purchase you make. Plan ahead when you run low on cash to stop at your bank’s ATM or one that doesn’t charge fees. Emotional purchases will cause you to overdraw your account. The cute blouse that was on sale at Macy’s will probably need to be revisited two or three paychecks from this current one. The 20 percent discount is nil when you’re zapped with that $32 overdraft fee.
Think about the embarrassment you will face when you try to write a check at an establishment that has blacklisted you, and how the customers in the line behind you will give you that look when your purchase is declined.
Remember to record all automatic bill payments. It’s no fun checking your bank balance and finding there’s hardly any money in your account to hang out with friends because you forgot your auto insurance or water bill was due.
Check your bank balance daily or at least every other day to make sure there are no surprises like automatic drafts from your savings account or for the monthly banking fee.
Sign up for an interest-bearing checking account. This type of account may require that a minimum balance be maintained or that you open a checking account that has courtesy overdraft protection or bounce coverage, i.e., your checking is linked with your savings account and you only pay the transfer fee, which is generally under $10.00.
It’s also a good idea to sign up for alerts that will be sent to your cell phone or e-mail to prompt you when your account balance falls below a balance set by you.

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