Do you guys keep a "cushion" in your checking account...?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

or do you have pennies left after you pay all your bills and buy groceries? I'm not asking for dollar amounts, or want explicit details about it. I'm just curious if I'm the only freak that flips her lid when the checking account gets down below a grand.
Thanks,
Duckie

[ZombieNixon]

1. I try to,

but this last year, being unemployed caused the "will never go below" level to keep dropping and I ended out the school year with about $7 in my account. This year should be better, though. I usually keep a cushion of the nearest hundred below however much my average regular paycheck is.

[Midlodemocrat]

2. We used to keep $25000 or so in the checking account when

it was earning more than the money market. Now we keep what we need to live on, with room for sudden expenses, and put the rest in the money market.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

4. THAT is the kind of cushion we dream of.

[Midlodemocrat]

5. I think I'm quite a bit older than you.

When I was younger, I wasn't even earning $25,000, let alone saving it.

[ikojo]

14. 25 THOUSAND in your CHECKING account?

I've never had that kind of money available.

Wow!

[trof]

3. About the same as you.

Don't like to get down to the bitter end.

[SOteric]

6. I do try to keep a bit of a 'cushion' in my checking account.

This is encouraged greatly by the fact that my credit union actually pays me interest rather than charging me account fees if my balance stays at or above 1k. Of course, there have been times when dipping into the cushion was required. And yes, it makes me quite anxious.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

11. I have an employee account and they pay me interest in my checking....

too... no matter how much we have in there. They average the amount, then give me a certain percentage. It's rad.
Duckie

[LeftyMom]

7. Considering my income

Having enough left over when my next check comes to fill up my gas tank is a sign of prudent spending and financial responsibility.

I miss my old job. The pay was shit, but the benefits meant I didn't have to spend a lot either.

[sarge43]

8. No you're not. n/t

[grannylib]

9. I work for a rePiglican...there is no cushion in my checking account.

We live paycheck to paycheck and some months are bringing the penny jars in to the bank to convert it to usable cash.
I even gave up the state quarter collection a couple of months ago; needed it to buy groceries. I was trying to collect three sets, one for each grandchild and one for me, but hey...more important to feed 'em I guess.

[flvegan]

10. No. My checking account, which pays zero interest is tied to

another account of mine which does. I keep a small amount of money in that second account just in case. I don't use credit cards, but I have a couple with a lot of available funds, just for those emergencies where the debit card might be unhappy.

[MissB]

12. A grand?

Nope. My savings account earns more money than my checking account and I can easily shift money between the two.

I do check my account online every morning. Part of my daily routine. I also enter my purchases for the day in the evening into Money, so I always know how much I have.

My cushion in my checking is the money that I have set aside for "spending" for the pay period. It is a chunk of change, but less than $1k. I pay for groceries, entertainment, clothing and gas out of the money. After many years, our spending habits are pretty set.

I do have to let dh know about twice a year to not spend anything before payday, but that is mostly to reign in HIS spending, not mine. :D

[rug]

13. I barely manage a shim.

[Kali]

15. oh yeah a big fat cushion

try to keep it a positive $5 at least...:rofl: :rofl: :cry: :banghead:

[Nicole]

16. Yes I do

My cushion is 6 months of living expenses. Anything above the cushion at the end of the month gets moved over to the savings account.

[graywarrior]

17. Yeah, but the cushion is going flat.

[Roon]

18. My cushion is .75 cents

of course my social security check is only 753.00 a month. Yes, I live on that,my rent is 400.00. :-)

[Skittles]

19. I keep a grand just to avoid paying fees

yes