Money & Finance #58: Banking, Budgeting, and Spending

My bank does offer online banking and I use it on a regular basis. My account is a free account since I have automatic payroll deposits. There is a fee for too many checks which I try to avoid. I use it to track my checks and debit charges - checking to see if they've cleared and when. I also use it to verify debit amounts when I'm not sure of the correct amount. I bank with a very large bank that takes exceptional security measures. I've banked with them for over 25 years with no complaints. Several years ago, my debit card was not returned to me at a fast food restaurant. I didn't realize it for a couple of hours. By that time, the card had been used at three different local gas stations. My bank took care of everything within two days after I notified them. I've been told that if you have a debit/credit card, it's better to use the credit and sign for the charge rather than use the debit and pin number method. I regularly check my online account to make sure there has not been any fraudulent or unauthorized use.

I looked over all of the budgeting websites listed. I signed up for Mint, but did not enter any of my account info. Still not feeling to secure about that. I want to look into their security a little closer before trusting them with all of my account info.

I've started using coupons again when I can. Someone at our branch came up with the idea of a coupon donation box in the staff breakroom. Everyone can feel free to contribute or take any coupons they need. I think everyone is enjoying it. I have! We've recently joined Costco. I think in order for it to be a savings place for us, we will need to do some significant research on the items we purchase to make sure they are cheaper than our regular grocery stores. We're driving older cars in our family and are just hoping that they continue to get us where we need to be. If we had to purchase a new car, we would like to consider the Prius. It's expensive but the gas savings might offset some of the car note.