Keeping your bank fees down

Posted on March 30, 2011 2 Comments

It’s no secret that I hate bank fees. I haven’t gotten around to investigating a new bank or my local credit unions yet, but I will.  For bank fee haters like myself, USA Today offers several tips on keeping bank fees low as banks struggle to increase revenue.

Some of us are particularly insistent on not paying bank fees; I narrowly avoided incurring an ATM fee today as a result of this stubborn resolve. You see, I’m currently out of cash in my wallet and simply refuse to incur an ATM fees due to out of network machines to get more cash. So, in typical fashion, until I get to my bank or ATM and reload, unless I can use my debit card, I don’t have any physical cash. This can be a great way of saving money, or, like today, it can cause trouble. I was running late because I was up with a bad migraine last night. On top of that, my commuter train was running late enough to cause me to miss the last morning shuttle from the downtown Chicago station to my office (I have a monthly pass for the train and the shuttle). I usually carry a Chicago Transit Authority card (different from the commuter rail monthly card – dumb) with me for these situations in case I miss the last shuttle, but of course, today I didn’t have a pre-paid card on me.

I ran off the train as soon as it pulled into the station, nearly knocking down and older man and sighing heavily at another passenger who dared to get in my way as I ran to catch my bus. When I got down to the street, the shuttle was nowhere to be found. With no cash in my wallet but pocket change, I turned on my heel to go to CVS to buy a snack and take out $20 from the register so I could buy a bus pass or take a cab. Luckily, just before I opened the door, I spotted my shuttle – also running super late – barreling down the crowded street. I made it to work, very late, of course, but without spending any extra dollars to get there.

Sometimes I curse the world when it’s not running on time. Today, I thanked my bus driving for saving me a few dollars! I can’t wait for it to be nice enough for me to walk the mile and a half to the office in the morning. For now, I just need to get some cash in my wallet.

Category: Money
   Tags: banking

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