Thought Press.

I recently ordered some new checks for myself because I had run out. I went online and ordered a box with duplicates for about $20. When I received them in the mail I looked at the box of 150 checks and wondered how long it would take to go through all of them! The only thing I’ve been paying by check is my rent. Everything else I pay online. It saves paper and postage. So I asked myself, what are the benefits of still using paper checks?

“For generations of young people in America, the first checkbook was a rite of passage.

Opening its faux leather case to see one’s name printed neatly on the smooth paper was a delicious thrill. That slim tablet represented independence, financial responsibility, adulthood.” - Newsday, 9 July 2006

That Newsday article pointed out that check usage is declining slowly as electronic payments are increasing quickly. I remember learning all about how to write a check in elementary school. Today, there are few people continuing this. But, finance experts say using checks in addition to electronic payments is a good way to “check one against the other.” Errors can be made by you but electronic systems can also make errors and have glitches. It can’t always be assumed that computers will always be perfect which is why hand tracking transactions can be a good thing.

Checks still must be used for larger purchases like buying a car and for places that don’t take cards. Paper also provides proof. Electronic statements printed from your personal finance program won’t often cut it. Of course, using finance programs are great for categorizing and budgeting your money. So the bottom line is that writing checks doesn’t hurt, and in some situations it can protect you with a paper trail of proof. I’ve found that paying bills by check really doesn’t waste any more of my time than paying online.

I also scoured the web to find out the significance of check numbers. I got a box of checks with the wrong design so the check company sent me a replacement with the correct design. I was wondering if I could ever use those other checks even though they were the same number sequence. Nothing else was wrong except for the design. Well I found that yes, you could. Check numbers are simply for reference. It helps you balance your checkbook and track which check clears when. You obviously shouldn’t use two checks for different things with the same check number at the same time, but I suppose once I’m through 150, I can go back and use that other 150.