My bank called late yesterday. Now, I have not tried to communicate with my bank in some time. And that's ironic, considering the financial situation of the country right now. I'm no Suzie Orman, but a couple of months ago I did look through my bank statements. I realized that I was paying a $9.95 online banking fee every month. I also noted all the $2.00 ATM fee charges I was racking up when I traveled to New York, Chicago, London (that one is now $5.00!), San Francisco and other cities. If its not my bank's ATM, I'm paying this surcharge because I need cash.
So what to do to try to tighten the belt a little? On the online banking fee, I questioned my bank regarding the amount of money I am keeping in my savings account and the type of account I have. Turns out, I qualify for a different level of account that provides FREE online banking fees. And the bank called to tell me that. I looked in my account this am & was pleased to see my account switched over and several months of online banking fees credited back to my account. Now that's what I call Recessionistance. So, even though some of these fees seem small, be sure to ask your bank about them every once in awhile. In this economy , savings on regular monthly deductions are worth inquiring about. My payment of those online fees added up to $119.40 per year! That's extra money I can use for necessities of living.
And what about those ATM fees? I'm trying to be more careful on the ATMs I use to withdraw cash. Clearly, I'll have to do a little more advance planning.
So how does my review of my banking statement relate to fashion you might ask? Well the $$$ I am saving will go back into my recessionista shopping & home care slush fund. The refunded bank fees will certainly cover my new Norma Kamali (not to be confused with Tamale) dress from Walmart. And that's Recessionistance :)
If you really need walking-around money and there's no bank around get something tiny at the nearest drug/variety store or grocery and pay 'atm with cash back.' No fees--perhaps even a teeny bonus, from some banks (a reward for not writing a check).
ReplyDeleteMy post office offers ATM services without a fee, all you have to do is maybe buy a stamp or some .01 stamps (these help you use the out of date stamps you have so you dont have to buy new ones all the time).
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