When I asked Sally how much money she had in her bank account, she said, “let me call the bank and find out.” Just the other day, when Laura was asked the same question, she said, “let me go on-line.” The days of the manual hand written checkbook register carried in one’s purse is quickly becoming a “thing of the past.”

More and more we are becoming a cashless society, which is disconnecting us from our money. We flip out the debit or credit card instead of hand paying with dollar bills or writing checks. Balancing bank statements to the checkbook register is becoming obsolete because of the ability to go on-line and check your account status at any time. These new systems are very convenient and yet at a basic level create a level of distancing between us and our money. Current technology has lessened the interaction between our senses and our money.

This worries me because women don’t need one more layer of disconnect between them and their money. When you keep track of what’s in your bank account, it keeps you more connected with your money. When you let the bank or your computer be the keeper of the knowledge of what’s in your bank account, your connection with your money weakens.

So, I’m advocating here that you stay with a manual checkbook register and here’s why.

Computers break down and are not always available especially if you are traveling. When the bank or computer “tell you” what’s available in your checking account, they aren’t taking into account the checks you wrote that haven’t been cashed. Once I wrote my sister-in-law a check and it took her 9 months to cash it. Sometimes it takes between 2-6 days for debit card transactions to clear your on-line account. So, when you look on-line or call the bank, you may be given an amount in your checking account that is larger than what you actually have available to spend.

Knowing exactly, at any given time, what amount of money you have available in your checking account is one way to stay in power when it comes to your money. When you are in a place of “knowing,” you make better decisions that support your short and long term goals. You may decide that you can splurge on that new business suit or you might choose to pass on the concert to put more toward that trip to the Grand Canyon you are taking.

Women are masters at creating meaningful relationships, especially friendships. Building and growing relationships is something we are really great at. We know how to be moms, daughters, spouses, grandmothers, sisters and friends.

What if you applied the concept of friendship to your money? How would you relate to it differently than you currently are ?

The growing of friendship requires time, sharing of important life stories, trust, being willing to see each other through the peaks and valleys.

Your checkbook register is a silent partner in your financial life. It yearns for communication from you. The more time you spend updating it and nourishing it with information, the more it can then give back to you. Like any relationship, you get out of it what you put into it. Your register houses important information about your life. It knows where your favorite dining out places are, your favorite clothing stores, who you buy gifts for, what’s happening in your life in a given month and what drugstore you go to.

Keeping your register up to date brings you, the owner, the gift of clarity and peace of mind. It means that you are choosing to not walk around in a money fog. Registers need care, attention, and thrive on details. If you take care of your register it will take care of you!

Here are some basics for creating and maintaining your checkbook register.

1. Choose a fashionable cover, not the cheap vinyl the bank gives you. Class up your register. Purchase a supple leather cover or go to http://www.checkbookcovers.com and pick one of Jade’s designs.
2. Bring order and details to your register. Delineate one month from the other. Skip spaces between transactions. Write in all the pertinent data.
3. Keep a running balance. Many women don’t keep a running balance…and I hear, “if I see the balance, I might not be able to buy what I want.” Remember, the choice is always yours. Keeping blinders on just dilutes our power!
4. Create the time every month to balance your register with your bank statement. It’s this time spent with the numbers that deepens your relationship with money!