Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Tips I use to avoid over draft fees.

Move to a cash system for miscellaneous purchases. I keep an excel and a paper register. However, I sometimes forget small purchases here or there. Switching to this new system is less work in recording all my transactions. This past weekend's trip to PA was cash only.

Keep a larger buffer in my checking account. Under my old system my checking account would sometimes go down to a few cents between paydays. This was rather stressful and time consuming to keep track of. The buffer is now approximately $50 depending on what's going on.

Being more organized and keep better records. Last year while on vacation I was charged a NSF fee. Why? I wasn't organized enough. Plain and simple. I now keep better records and make sure everything is in the register.

1 comment:

Alana said...

I think now (after the government passed financial reform this year) banks aren't allowed to charge you overdraft fees unless you specifically opt in to let them overdraft your account. Otherwise your card is just declined. Which I, for one, am totally fine with.