How ClearCheckbook can stop you from overdraft fees
BlackTechLogy: Skip print check registers and try green-friendly online check register apps
This post is part of a series entitled “BlackTechLogy.” Click here for the archived posts.
Overdraft fees. It’s the number one reason I made special trips to my local bank to get check registers. I thought everybody used these until I learned otherwise.
I still remember the look of confusion from a co-worker when she asked me, “What’s a register?” She was in her early 30s, white and from a well-to-do family. I was 25 years old.
Then, it happened again when I was 37 years old, and a 29-year-old co-worker accused me of being “old” for balancing my account with a check register. He was biracial (Jamaican and white) and on a strict budget while buying a single-family home.
These two were polar opposites in personality, race and economic status. But both of them thought my check-balancing habit was archaic. Still, how could I be “old” for doing the same thing at 37 that I did at 25?
I’m still perplexed by people playing Russian Roulette with their finances. According to these two co-workers, they had a “general” idea of how much they spent and could check their online bank apps if they forgot their balance. But unless you can memorize all pending balances and future automatic charges, not having a check register seems like such a headache to me.
Meanwhile, banks will never complain about those who forget their balances or don't care. In fact, in 2023, combined reported bank overdraft/insufficient (NSF) fee revenue was $5.83 billion. Even that amount was a decrease of 51% (or $6.13 billion) compared to the $11.96 billion reported in 2019 and 24% less than the $7.61 billion reported in 2022.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases with my referral links. I prioritize featuring intriguing products from small businesses, women-owned businesses and Black-owned businesses. All five of my Substack publications include a MINIMUM of one product sold by a VERIFIED Black-owned business.
I understand why documenting every purchase can feel like a nuisance, especially for people who are not used to administrative or data-entry work. But I still cannot wrap my mind around paying banks extra money for preventable “broke” days.
ADVERTISEMENT ~ Amazon
As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn a percentage from purchases using my referral links.
This is why apps like ClearCheckbook come in handy. The same energy used to type in a Google Search or send a Bluesky status update can be used to document any deposits, withdrawals, upcoming bill reminders and auto payments, and keep tabs on paying back personal or business loans.
As an ‘80s Millennial, I was skeptical at first. I worried that ClearCheckbook would be an extra headache while I compared my online bank app balance with this free online check register app. Wrong! I now wish I had used ClearCheckbook sooner and can finally get rid of that box full of old registers I’m keeping “just in case.”
Phones die, apps crash, passwords get locked and banks sometimes go offline. A physical check register still works without batteries, Wi-Fi or app updates. But I no longer want to carry a checkbook and register with me wherever I go, especially considering I'm 75% more likely to have a dog-walking bag on my arm instead of a purse.
Why you should balance your checking account daily with an online check register
I still believe in balancing a checkbook. I just stopped believing it had to be done on paper. Here are 13 reasons why online check registers (such as ClearCheckbook) may be better than a print register for speediness, organization and eco-friendliness — for free.