# When was the last time you wrote a check?



## Ronni (Sep 23, 2021)

It hit me the other day that I can’t even remember when I last wrote a check. All I ever use is a card.

I used to use a wallet that had a section in it for my checkbook, along with the sections for coins and paper money and slots for credit cards. I haven’t had that kind of wallet in forever either. I barely use cash for anything either. I have an accordion type holder for my credit cards, and a little coin purse, and that’s it.

I pay all my bills online, just log on to my bank account where I have all the bills already listed and set up to pay. Just enter the amount, click a button, and done!


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 23, 2021)

The only checks I write are to my accountant and the IRS.

All of my routine monthly bills are paid automatically.

I still use some cash for small purchases.

The change from my cash purchases has become a nuisance and usually goes to the Coinstar machine at the local Wegman’s.  Definitely a First World problem.


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## jujube (Sep 23, 2021)

For some reason, my dental insurance company is still living in 1955 and requires a check every three months.  I complain regularly, but so far they aren't interested in my opinion.

Other than that?  When I give a check as a birthday or wedding present. At least I know it was received.....


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## horseless carriage (Sep 23, 2021)

jujube said:


> For some reason, my dental insurance company is still living in 1955


So am I. Cash & cheques only. If I want to buy anything online I have to leave it to my wife, she has a Paypal account. Regular bills like the utility companies arrive by mail, I then pay them, in cash, at the post office.
My dislike of intrusion is why I pay without leaving a footprint. Pay by cash and you remain anonymous.


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## Marie5656 (Sep 23, 2021)

*A year ago, when I made a check for my security deposit and first months rent.  And then gave them a blank check for my auto payment of rent*


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 23, 2021)

horseless carriage said:


> So am I. Cash & cheques only. If I want to buy anything online I have to leave it to my wife, she has a Paypal account. Regular bills like the utility companies arrive by mail, I then pay them, in cash, at the post office.
> My dislike of intrusion is why I pay without leaving a footprint. *Pay by cash and you remain anonymous.*


Don’t all of those nasty people that send you bills every month already know who you are and where you live.


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## horseless carriage (Sep 23, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> Don’t all of those nasty people that send you bills every month already know who you are and where you live.


Indeed they do, but the really nasty sharks are the ones with an agenda which is why they harvest every last detail and spending habits come high on that list of details. So worried was the government of the day in the US that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, was called to testify before Congress in 2016. You don't have to have a Facebook account to land in his net. Facebook is the biggest purchaser of profile information that has amassed from everything like non cash purchases to internet cookies, and a whole lot more in between. 

You are right, I can't avoid them all, but whilst I am still allowed to use cheques and cash, I will continue to do so.


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## Gary O' (Sep 23, 2021)

When was the last time you wrote a check?​
Not terribly long ago
It was at a title company a year or so ago

Funny thing, that check had an address on it from waaaay back

I still have a box of checks in a file cab
....and have a deposit slip tucked away in my leather note pad in case routing numbers are needed for auto pay set up


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## SeaBreeze (Sep 23, 2021)

I wrote two checks yesterday, one at the supermarket and the other for a donation to a local rescue mission for Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless.  I still use checks for everyday shopping, but I always fill them out before I get to the cashier, all I need to put in there is the amount.


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## terry123 (Sep 23, 2021)

I pay most credit card bills online but do write a few checks.  Most of my donations are made by check.


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## feywon (Sep 23, 2021)

Pay a lot online, some with autopay (tho i sometimes go in and add extra on some things, like Car payment). Since i live in a small town and only have two utility bills (Electric and water) they arrive by mail and it's easy to pay in person. Tried the Electric Co-op's online pay but it is not terribly user friendly.  Over course of pandemic i got used to dropping a check in the 'night boxes' for the two utilities. and since they always come of out of my account in timely, accurate manner i'll probably continue to pay that way since it saves time and with the Electric if i pull up just right i don't even have to get out of my car.


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## Alligatorob (Sep 23, 2021)

Ronni said:


> When was the last time you wrote a check?


A couple of days ago, it was for a firewood delivery.  However, I write many fewer than I used to.


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## win231 (Sep 23, 2021)

Since all of my shopping is with credit cards, I only write checks for the monthly statements, internet, & 2 utility bills.  3 or 4 checks/month.   
I don't care for online payments or auto pay.


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## Jules (Sep 23, 2021)

We had a household repair.  The man has a small business and only takes cash or a cheque.  This was more $ than one keeps sitting around so I wrote a cheque.


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## fmdog44 (Sep 23, 2021)

What if there was a major attack on the internet system across the country? How many businesses would not get paid on time?


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 23, 2021)

fmdog44 said:


> What if there was a major attack on the internet system across the country? How many businesses would not get paid on time?


It sounds sort of like keeping a horse and buggy in the barn in case the car doesn’t start.

IMO our society is already in too deep to be concerned with the possibility of an internet breach or failure.


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## Pink Biz (Sep 23, 2021)

I pay my monthly rent by check. That's about it. Online payments, debit card and auto pay for everything else. Will use cash for small things under $20 or so.


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## RadishRose (Sep 23, 2021)

Pink Biz said:


> I pay my monthly rent by check. That's about it. Online payments, debit and auto pay for everything else. Will use cash for small things under $20 or so.


Ditto. Except my mortgage payment I pay online banking. Haven't used a check going on 10 years. I don't even have any


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## Tish (Sep 23, 2021)

Good grief woman, for the life of me I can't remember when was the last time.
It has to be at least 40 years ago.


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## WheatenLover (Sep 23, 2021)

I have to write a check to the landlord every month. First time I've written one in years. He won't budge - no setting up automatic payments for my bank to put the money in his account, or anything else. We've been close friends for over a decade, so I figure this is really unimportant in the grand scheme of things.


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## PamfromTx (Sep 23, 2021)

It's been years since we've written a check.


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## Pecos (Sep 23, 2021)

LOL, I just wrote one a few minutes ago to our Dentist, and then I opened up this thread and confessed like a four year old with his hand in the cookie jar.

But in my defense, we live in Small Town South Carolina.


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## HoneyNut (Sep 25, 2021)

I wrote one sometime in the past couple years to an appliance repair person who was going to charge an extra 3% if I paid with a credit card.  There have been some other similar situations that I used cash.  But mostly I do online banking for the past few decades maybe.  The completely full register in my checkbook has calendars for years 2003-2004-2005, and then I apparently planned to change to a new register because it is sitting loose in my checkbook and it has calendar for 2013-2014-2015.


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## hollydolly (Sep 25, 2021)

Cheques  haven't been used as regular  currency in the way they were used a generation ago in the UK.. the vast majority of people don't write cheques now for bills,  and we certainly  haven't for about 15 years or more...


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## officerripley (Sep 25, 2021)

I do most bill paying online, using debit/credit cards at stores, etc., but I do pay our computer tech with a check; he is his own business and I don't know if he's got PayPal or some other kind of digital bill paying set up or not; anyway he always takes my check (and he does all computer work at my house anyway so that might be easier for him to pay that way).


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## OneEyedDiva (Sep 26, 2021)

I wrote a check the first of the month for our carrying charges (aka HOA fees).  I keep meaning to ask our property manager if there are any plans for digital payment capability. That's the only check I write on a regular basis. Other checks I write are when I'm gifting my loved ones or to put in a condolence card. Everything else is paid online with automatic payments from my main checking account.


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## charry (Sep 26, 2021)

I write one check a year since 10 yrs ago,and that is to the donkey sanctuary,
Where we adopt donkeys ........we have Moses and Oscar this year .....


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## OneEyedDiva (Sep 26, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> It sounds sort of like keeping a horse and buggy in the barn in case the car doesn’t start.
> 
> IMO our society is already in too deep to be concerned with the possibility of an internet breach or failure.


But we should be Aunt Bea. I get a science feed on one of my news apps. There have been quite a few articles about the possibility of major solar flares (CMEs) affecting our power grids. So I've thought about what would I do....what would life be like? This article is not the most recent I've read but the content is very similar.
_"Scientists at NASA have discussed in the past how larger events such as X3 and higher level solar flares could affect global communications and power grids on Earth. The planet’s atmosphere and magnetic field absorb much of the material thrown out by such flares, keeping them from physically harming humans; but should one hit a weak point in the atmospheric envelope, more of the radiation could get through to affect the layer wherein GPS and other satellite signals and communications travel."
https://guardianlv.com/2014/04/solar-flares-can-affect-communications-and-power-grid/
@fmdog44 _


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## Llynn (Sep 26, 2021)

Just this past week. I had some upholstery repair done on the old Dodge Dakota. The shop owner doesn't deal with plastic so I wrote him a check.  I think I have written five checks so far this year....mostly to "Govmt" agencies.


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## Uptosnuff (Sep 28, 2021)

The last check I wrote was a few days ago.  I am on a bowling league and it was the first time to bowl this season.  I wrote a check for the lane fee and the sanction fee and put it in the envelope.  I could have paid cash, but didn't have that much.  Also, I write a check every month for my water bill that is due to our water association.  There have been a lot of complaints that we still have to use checks.

I pay most of my routine bills online but I still write a surprising amount of checks for different types of payments.


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## Liberty (Sep 28, 2021)

I write one check almost every month to Pedro our groundsman.  He mows several acres.
Also wrote a check to order Southern Living magazine.  Love that mag.


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## Uptosnuff (Sep 28, 2021)

WheatenLover said:


> I have to write a check to the landlord every month. First time I've written one in years. He won't budge - no setting up automatic payments for my bank to put the money in his account, or anything else. We've been close friends for over a decade, so I figure this is really unimportant in the grand scheme of things.


As a landlord I was surprised that NONE of our tenants ever wanted to set up an automatic pay from their checking accounts for the rent.  They either wanted to pay in cash or send us a check every month.  I would have thought they would want the convenience of auto pay but none of them ever did.  So I had the opposite problem you do.   I guess as long as the rent gets paid, that's the important thing.


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## J-Kat (Sep 28, 2021)

Like most of you I pay almost all recurring bills via online banking.  I write one check every few weeks to pay the man who does my yardwork and another check quarterly for those blankity blank taxes (I know I could do this online but I forgetting to set it up).  Interestingly, I have a couple of relatives who pay absolutely everything they can monthly with their gold American Express card (mortgage, groceries, utilities, etc.). They then have that one bill to pay each month and also get points they use toward airline fares and upgrades, Amazon points, etc.  I think they do have to write a couple of checks for yardwork but if it is possible to use the card then that's what they use.


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## Sassycakes (Oct 5, 2021)

The only time I write a check is if I am giving my Grandson's money, everything else like Bills I pay online..


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## dobielvr (Oct 5, 2021)

Every month I pay my bills by check.  Stamps and envelopes in the mailbox.

While out shopping I'll use cash or my debit card.


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## Bellbird (Oct 6, 2021)

The banks in NZ won't accept cheques now, it must be terribly inconvenient to a few folk, especially those who have used nothing else.


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## caroln (Oct 6, 2021)

The last time I wrote a check was to the County Court Clerk when I got license plates for our truck.  They charge a hefty fee if you pay with plastic.  I normally pay all my bills on-line ever since my mortgage payment got lost in the mail.  Turns out it fell behind someone's desk and was found 2 months later and was returned to me all dirty and torn.  It took me a long time to get the late fee removed!  That experience pushed me into the digital age.


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## Remy (Oct 6, 2021)

I write them all the time. I got set up for online banking. Then I did the durable power of attorney for my stepfather, both financial and medical. That also put me on his bank account so when I logged on to pay my bills online, his banking information was there. I couldn't stand it. So I stopped online banking and went back to checks. It was so convenient,

I am paying some things online like the maddening cable bundle bill and my insurance, car and rental.


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## oldmontana (Oct 6, 2021)

I write checks for many things, like taxes, LT Care Ins, lawn services, one time bills, etc.  I pay monthly bills through online banking.  We have a gocery store (Win Co) that does not take credit cards only checks, cash or debit cards.  

I do not think I could get by without using checks.


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## Butterfly (Oct 7, 2021)

I can't even remember the last time I wrote a check.  I used to have to pay property taxes by check but then that department finally went online and I don't think I have written a check since then.  It's so much easier, faster and cheaper to pay online and you don't have to worry about things going astray in the mail.


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## Murrmurr (Oct 7, 2021)

I write a check every month. Someone's gotta pay the rent.

I usually pay my hi-speed internet bill with a check, too. Incredibly, there website is agonizingly slow. I don't have the patience.


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## kburra (Oct 7, 2021)

officerripley said:


> I do most bill paying online, using debit/credit cards at stores, etc., but I do pay our computer tech with a check; he is his own business and I don't know if he's got PayPal or some other kind of digital bill paying set up or not; anyway he always takes my check (and he does all computer work at my house anyway so that might be easier for him to pay that way).


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## kburra (Oct 7, 2021)

Is Cheque spelt differently in various parts of the world, I always use as here?...not that it matters,just asking?


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## jerry old (Oct 17, 2021)

Credit Cards  

On Sept-Visa  2021 Visa AARP Credit Cards were switched to Barclay Bank
It would have been nice if Visa had notified their AARP Credit Card holders, but they didn't.
However Barclay Bank sent AARP Card Holders _A LETTER NOTIFYING CARDHOLDERS OF SWITCH_

If I get a letter from Barclay Bank,* I trashed it,* I've had no involvement with such an entity.
Consequently, all automatic deductions you had on  your AARP after Sept were rejected.

Tried to purchase items at dept store today with AARP Card-your card is rejected

Called Barclay Bank to raise hell 'All RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS are  current busy, leave your # OR
IF YOU CHOOSE TO HOLD IT WILL BE 11 TO 17 MINUTES.
Relationship Manager? Hellfire and Damnation,* I don't want to sleep with you,* i just want a live person, not a damn recording.
*
Damn credit card people are all smiles and huggy- bear as long as you do not have to deal with a live person.
 They make me sorry i gave up cussing*


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## dseag2 (Oct 17, 2021)

I pay everything I can on my credit card so I earn cash back.  Even my utility bills.  For bills that I can't pay by credit card I use Bill Pay in my bank account.  The only check I write is for property taxes once a year.


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## oldpop (Oct 17, 2021)

About two years ago. I use to pay county transportation with a check. They have not ran since the Covid


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## MarciKS (Oct 17, 2021)

kburra said:


> Is Cheque spelt differently in various parts of the world, I always use as here?...not that it matters,just asking?


Yes. In the US it's check. Many other countries use that spelling you used.
~~*~~
To the OP, I write a check to the landlord every month or any businesses that don't take cards.


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## terry123 (Oct 18, 2021)

I write a check each month for the HOA dues.  They have online payments but I looked at the 4 pages they sent to sign up and decided they did not need that much info.  So I send them a check each month and if they don't like it then its their problem!


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 18, 2021)

I write 5 each Month.


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## dseag2 (Oct 23, 2021)

My credit card company offers up to 3% cash back so I pay every bill I can with that card and just pay the balance off each month. All of my utilities and even car insurance go on the card.  Why not receive a discount on all these payments?

For any companies that require checks I do it electronically through my bank.  If they have to wait a little longer for a paper check to arrive, that's on them.  The only 2 checks I've written in the past year were for property taxes and a passport renewal.


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## Ruthanne (Oct 23, 2021)

I write a check every month for my rent.  They are supposed to change to a new system but I don't know when, haven't heard anything yet.  

I also write a check here and there to charitable causes.


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## Ellen Marie (Oct 23, 2021)

I'm returning to writing more checks.  Hackers are so concerned about the electronic market, they pass on the paper now.  I had a credit card and a debit card frauded a couple weeks ago... I have never had a bad check written on my account by some hacker.


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## Ken N Tx (Oct 24, 2021)

dseag2 said:


> My credit card company offers up to 3% cash back so I pay every bill I can with that card and just pay the balance off each month. All of my utilities and even car insurance go on the card. Why not receive a discount on all these payments?


Ditto....Anything over $50 goes on the Visa.....


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## tortiecat (Oct 24, 2021)

The other day, I wrote one for a charity I give to.


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## oldmontana (Oct 24, 2021)

Ellen Marie said:


> I'm returning to writing more checks.  Hackers are so concerned about the electronic market, they pass on the paper now.  I had a credit card and a debit card frauded a couple weeks ago... I have never had a bad check written on my account by some hacker.


I had a check stolen out of our mail box it was for under $20. They "white washed it" and made it $425.00.  Luckly a teller called me when they were trying to cash the check.  Got the check back from the bank and gave it to our police..they had many more.

Now I do not put checks in our mail box.  If the flag on the mail box is up the crooks know that there might be a check in the box.


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## Packerjohn (Oct 24, 2021)

Just wrote one about 4 days ago.  It was a damage deposit on a nice apartment that I am moving to.  I don't write many cheques anymore but maybe 3 or 4 every year.


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## Tom 86 (Oct 24, 2021)

Uptosnuff said:


> The last check I wrote was a few days ago.  I am on a bowling league and it was the first time to bowl this season.  I wrote a check for the lane fee and the sanction fee and put it in the envelope.  I could have paid cash, but didn't have that much.  Also, I write a check every month for my water bill that is due to our water association.  There have been a lot of complaints that we still have to use checks.
> 
> I pay most of my routine bills online but I still write a surprising amount of checks for different types of payments.


If you have an address on your bill you can set it up in your online banking & they will mail them a  check out of whichever account you tell them to.

  I have several that don't take plastic but will take checks.  So I set them up in my bill paying on my bank & I just go line go to that place & fill in the amount & then it shows they will send them a check but it might take 5 days to get to them.

  No charge to me but the bank pays the postage to them for the check.  When I get my statement there are the pictures of the checks they sent out from my checking account showing they were cashed.


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## Uptosnuff (Oct 24, 2021)

@Tom 86  I know what you mean, but my HOA has a water association that we have to send the checks to.  In order to pay my water bill every month, I have to:
1. Go outside to the water meter on my property, note the water usage for the month.
2. Do a whole bunch of calculations to determine how much to pay for that month.  We have a formula that we have developed that will pay the electric company, (for the pump to get the water to us), pay the city for the water and put money into our water account for future repairs that might need to be made to the system.
3. Write the check, put it and the calculations sheet in an envelope and drop it off at the water assoc. treasurer's house.

It wouldn't work to have the bank send the check because I wouldn't be able to include the calculations sheet.  And by the time I do all the other steps, writing the check is the easy part.  Every homeowner has to calculate their own water bill and send it in every month.  Pain in the a$$.


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## fmdog44 (Oct 29, 2021)

Actually yesterday to the Marines For Toys For Tots


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## Bretrick (Oct 29, 2021)

I have never written a check in my life.
I have never had a credit card.


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## Mr. Ed (Oct 31, 2021)

I write a check for acupuncture every week


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## Pepper (Oct 31, 2021)

I write 4 checks a month--maintenance; 2 credit cards and my landline bill.  Since the pandemic, I use my cards constantly, even for minuscule amounts.  My son & dil generously pay my tv bills and cell phone.  Don't know if they write checks.


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## Jules (Oct 31, 2021)

If I have a bill that isn’t paid automatically, I use e-transfer.  The company is set up in my list of Payees.  I barely remember what a stamp & envelope are.


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## Pepper (Oct 31, 2021)




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