I was thinking the other day about some of the more simple things when it comes to our finances, so I thought I would talk about keeping a check book register and balancing it occasionally. I’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t do this, and they have various reasons for it.

Some of the more common reasons for not keeping a register for one’s bank account are laziness, managing everything online, or just not understanding how or why to keep one. None of these are good reasons, but they’re the excuses that people will give for not keeping good records. So let me give a few reasons why I think it’s important for you to keep an accurate register for bank accounts.

1. It’s one of the simplest ways for you to keep track of and always know what money is coming in and what is going out. We know that in order to get and keep your finances in order you need to know where your money is going, and this is a great way to to do it.

2. Even though it’s really easy to manage your account online these days, there is still a one or two day delay before things post to your account, and you also don’t want to forget any checks that you may have written that people haven’t cashed yet. I’ve talked to far too many people who just check their online balance before making a purchase, but they’ve forgotten about some check they’ve written. This is a great way to rack up the overdraft fees.

3. It’s a great way to train yourself to think more about your finances and keep them in order and organized. By keeping a record of your purchases and deposits, you’ll stay on top of what money you have and don’t have. Getting more organized in your financial life is something that you definitely won’t regret.

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