With all things you have to remember to do on a regular basis, balancing your checkbook doesn't always receive priority. But if you plan ahead and schedule some time for this important task, you will reap financial rewards.

Before you begin make sure you have following items on hand: checkbook, ledger book, ATM and deposit receipts, calculator and a pencil. The next step is to check your items. First, separate your returned checks and ATM withdrawal slips into two distinct piles. Then place your returned checks in numerical order and compare them to your ledger book by writing an “X” in ledger beside every figure that matches a cancelled check.

Although it may seem very obvious, many people do not know how to write checks. With birth of a generation that regularly uses ATM check cards, online bill payment systems, and credit cards more often than checks, check writing may risk extinction due to ignorance.

Luckily for you, this article will take you through process of properly writing a check step-by-step – so that there may be hope for future generations of check writers. The first thing you should do is write in date using any format with which you feel most comfortable. Just make sure that you write it legibly, so that there is no confusion as to when you wrote check. If you want recipient to have money right away, put in current date. If you want recipient to withdraw funds at a later date, however, write in a future date. This is called a post-dated check. Rent checks are often collected in this manner.