What's the longest you've gone without balancing your checkbook?

[Shine]

:evilgrin:

[Lavender Brown]

1. You don't want to know, it's scary

:blush:

[Shine]

2. Yeah, well I'm going on almost 2 mos.

Yikes!!
For me, that's a helluva long time.

:scared:

[CarpeDiebold]

3. i've never balanced my checkbook

what the heck is that? i check everything online...plus the numbers i deal with are usually single digits, so it's not hard.

what does balancing your checkbook mean though?

[Shine]

5. It basically means making sure all your checks have reconciled

and the balance YOU think you have is the same as the balance the BANK thinks you have.

It's a tedious job not everyone is into, obviously.

:hi:

[serryjw]

29. EXACTLY..the same answer

I KNOW that I have about $3.00, so why balance it?

[radwriter0555]

4. 25 years sounds about right.

Never could do that too good.

[Shine]

6. Ding, ding! We have a winner!

:toast:

I'm impressed.
:thumbsup:

[radwriter0555]

8. *bows* thank you, thank you.....

I don't keep cancelled checks either.

[Shine]

12. Hey, as long as it all works out for ya, I'm happy.

good job!
:hi:

[CatholicEdHead]

15. I do not get my checks back anyways

Some the bank keeps and some the credit card companies digitally scan, take the money out, and then destroy without returning them to the bank.

[ET Awful]

20. I think I'm closer to around 16 years.

:P

I keep a pretty good running tally in my head.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Huh?

What is this "balancing your checkbook" of which you speak?

[Shine]

11. LOL!

mostly I was just copycatting the other thread about bathing, but also posting something relevant to my current situation, b/c I'm waaaay behind and it bugs me.

Guess I'm spending too much time procrastinating in the lounge...
:eyes:

:hi:

[GOPisEvil]

9. Hahahahahaha! You're kidding right?

Thank goodness for online banking.

Now I do review my statement to make sure there are no errors, but I review my account online.

[Shine]

13. Yeah, I usually do both.

thank gawd for online banking, indeed.
:hi:

[SW FL Dem]

10. I used to balance it every month

After 20 years, I realized that I had caught no mistakes on the bank's part and very few major mistakes on my part so I tend to take the bank's number and run with it. Now I do most of my banking online anyway. I keep track of my available funds by taking the bank's balance and subtracting my outstanding checks about once a week. I then enter that number in my checkbook so I have a general idea of how much is in the account.

[Shine]

14. Online banking has really changed everything, hasn't it?

I haven't quite moved to the point of paying my bill all online, but I know plenty of people who do that, too.

It's a modern world...

:hi:

[SW FL Dem]

18. I just started paying my bills online

I posted in the lounge asking for opinions and everyone was positive so I gave it a try. i have to say that so far it is working well. I am saving lots of time and postage. I still have several bills I have to pay manually, hopefully, I will be able to pay them online soon.

[grace0418]

32. My bills are never late anymore since I started using online

banking. It's fantastic. No checks that mysteriously take 3 weeks to get there, no forgetting about a bill stashed in my bag waiting for me to buy stamps, no more sitting down to write out bills only to find I'm out of checks. It's changed my life. We're completely out of debt, our credit ratings have never been better and we just feel so much more in control of our financial situation. I manually write, at most, three or four checks per year now- mostly for gifts tucked in birthday cards.

[Jamastiene]

16. One week, no longer.

I have a tiny little budget to work with, so I have no choice but to obsess over the balance...*sigh*

[CaliforniaPeggy]

17. I once let mine go.......

FOUR months......

I was truly scared when I finally sat down to do it.....:scared:

But it was OK.....

Only small arithmetic errors....*whew*



:hi: :hug:

[RevCheesehead]

19. A year and a half.

I finished balancing/reconciling 2004 so I could do my taxes (clergy taxes are a pain in the ass!). But I haven't even begun to do 2005 yet.

And, I use a debit card. :)

[Radical Activist]

21. several years

I just make sure I have at least a $100 cushion and don't worry about it.

[LSK]

22. couple of weeks?

Even thou I dont really need to because I always keep a nice big safty balloon in there.

[Blue-Jay]

23. Never.

Seriously. I've never balanced my checkbook.

[seemunkee]

1 week

I'm obsessive about entering everything into Quicken and checking what has cleared the bank through the web access. It keeps us on budget

[seemunkee]

24. 1 week

I'm obsessive about entering everything into Quicken and checking what has cleared the bank through the web access. It keeps us on budget

[TomInTib]

25. I have never balanced a checkbook.

And I have had a bank (checking) account for over 40 years.

[sarge43]

26. Checkbook

I've never balanced mine either. As long as you have enough blank checks, why bother?

[tjwmason]

27. Never.

I write about 3 cheques each year, everything else is automated, on-line, or debit card. Balancing a chequebook would be utterly pointless when nearly all transactions are electronic.

I also have an horrendously good head for such details, I check my statement (on-line) and work out what each item is, then check the balance and available cash against any outstanding items.

[skygazer]

28. I balance my checkbook daily

Using the online banking option. Prior to that amazing technological leap, I balanced it every month on the day I got my statement and I'd keep at it until it was perfect, spending hours searching out just where that 3 cents I was off was.

So I'm a little anal about money.....

[grace0418]

30. I haven't done it in years.

I pay my bills online and my husband and I both use debit cards. So entering that much information into a paper ledger was a ridiculous waste of time. I tried to do it for awhile but ended up having to go to the bank and get a bunch more ledgers for all the debit card entries. Enough is enough. Since I do all my banking online anyway I just look over the activity every other day or so for anything suspicious. I hardly ever find anything. Once there were two identical charges for gas on the same day from the same station and Bank One (now Chase) fixed it immediately. Beyond that I've had no problems.

Actually now my husband and I both have airline miles credit cards so we put all our charges on them, then pay it off every month. It's been a great way to rack up miles as long as you don't spend more than you would if you were using your debit card. So I suppose I could go back to balancing a checkbook but I just don't see the point anymore. We get a statement every month and all the information is easily available.

[hippiechick]

31. I have never.

I keep a running balance in my head and am usually pretty darn close.

Numbers and shit like that drive me nuts.

[DS1]

33. I've never balanced it

Then again, I write so few checks that I know each and every one :shrug:

[bridgit]

34. never...

it's all online :D

[LeftyMom]

35. Checks?

Why bother? I have one of those card dealies, so I didn't even order checks. I never use them.

[StellaBlue]

36. About five years

I only use a debit card an online banking - no need for a checkbook. That's archaic.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

37. I think check books are a thing of the past

When was the last time you've seen someone under the age of 30 write a check anywhere, I know I haven't for a very long time.

[yurbud]

38. 15-17 years.

I just call them to bitch about overage charges.

[Lady President]

39. 16 Years

I started my first checking account in 1990, and I've never balanced my checkbook. I can usually guess within a $100 or so, but that is as good as it gets.

I'm really pleased to see that other people are irresponsible too-- at least I'm in good company.

[yvr girl]

40. Chequebook? Don't have one.

Just cheques.

I last wrote something in a cheque register about 1994.