| Lots of people struggle when they have to pay | | | | debit card if you know you are low on funds |
| their way through college, but there are so | | | | in the account it is linked to. It is not |
| many creative ways that you can save money | | | | likely these days that your debit card will |
| every month that you should be able to ease | | | | be declined due to insufficient funds. Why? |
| up your financial burden at least a little | | | | Well, because that is how banks make money: |
| bit. | | | | your forgetfulness. Most debit cards |
| | | | nowadays will continue to work even if you |
| Make sure you have both a free checking and | | | | are already overdrawn and this is a bad, bad |
| savings account. There are lots of ways that | | | | thing. When you are not sure how much money |
| the banks will nickel and dime you to death, | | | | you have in an account, use cash instead. |
| like using the ATM too much, a monthly | | | | |
| account fee (which can be anywhere from $3 to | | | | One thing that you can do to determine just |
| $12 or more every month), overdraft fees, and | | | | how much money you waste every month is to |
| etcetera. Try to find a checking account | | | | save all of your receipts. This is a great |
| that has a non-existent monthly fee and whose | | | | way to figure out just what you are wasting |
| other fees are reasonably low. | | | | money on, since most of the time when someone |
| | | | gets the bill for something at the end of the |
| You should also have a checking account with | | | | month, they blink at just how much they |
| a bank that will give you free checks. Get | | | | spent. Hindsight is definitely 20/20 and if |
| as many of them as they allow at one time and | | | | you can learn what you really waste money on, |
| since most people are using online bill | | | | you can learn to cut it out the next time |
| payments these days, the number of checks you | | | | around. |
| actually need on a day to day basis is going | | | | |
| to be low, anyway. | | | | If you have a lot of spare change rolling |
| | | | around in your purse or laying around |
| Do your best to keep track of your checking | | | | different places in your house, you should |
| account and credit card purchases. Going | | | | roll it up yourself and make sure you avoid |
| over your credit limit on your credit card or | | | | using coin counting and rolling machines at |
| overdrawing your checking account will cost | | | | grocery stores. Some of these will charge as |
| you a lot in late fees and overdraft charges | | | | much as 9% of the amount you put in it to |
| if you do it very often. Beware using your | | | | count and roll them for you. |