Do you balance your checkbook?

And I mean in the old-school balance your checkbook sort of way. With a calculator. And your checkbook registry. And your bank statement that gets mailed to you. Assuming you have a bank statement that is mailed to you. I guess I'm also assuming that you actually still write checks.

In the world of on-line banking and Quicken and "insert-your-finance-program-here", who needs a calculator and checkbook registry? Heck, who even needs checks anymore? Seriously. When was the last time you wrote a check and then PROMPTLY wrote in down in your checkbook registry?

I don't even recall the last time I balanced my "checkbook". I log in to my on-line bank account nearly every day. I always know how much money I have (or don't have) within $15.00. Why the $15.00? Because my dh has an ATM card that he feels the need to perform a"check balance" with every other day to the tune of $1.00 per inquiry. I never know about them until I check on-line. Those charges are usually followed up with an ATM withdrawal AND a fee for the withdrawal. So once I add up all the stupid little fees from ATM charges, it usually ends up at about $15.00 that I didn't know about until I logged in.

And for the record, the last check I wrote was for a county water bill that DOESN'T have a bill-pay system on line anywhere and that also DOESN'T take credit card payments. How archaic. California American Water really needs to step it up.

I wonder if in the future I will think of checks like I currently think of 8-track tape players. I know about them. I used to use them. I liked them at the time but something better has replaced it.