Reply #88: Having money, not having money...

[pipi_k]

I'm not so sure that's a good reason for being good or bad at handling it.

My income now is like 1/3 what it was nearly 20 years ago. I'm way better at handling money now, and my credit is up in the high 700s to low 800s.

Back in the past I used to write out checks, then assume they had been cashed, so when I went to the ATM and saw my balance, I thought it was the correct number, only it wasn't, because some of those checks were outstanding. I was constantly overdrafting and getting hit with fees.

Now I don't do that.

Also, when I make a deposit or transfer to my checking account, I usually record in my register that the deposit/transfer was LESS than what it really was. So in other words, if I didn't pay attention to the ATM amount, but looked at my checkbook, it would say I have, for example $325 but I would really have $350. A $25 "cushion", so to speak.