Is there any downside snapping a picture (or scanning a copy) of every check one writes vs. using a duplicate check?
"For me, the main benefit of using duplicate checks is that the copy is created automatically.  If I had to take an extra step, whether taking a photo or writing on a stub, I would probably not always remember to do it.  There is also the issue that you might need to write a check when you don't have your smartphone with you, or it is broken or has a dead battery, etc. There are various pros and cons of having an electronic record versus a paper record.  A paper copy of a check is more vulnerable to physical loss or intrusion, but an electronic record is more vulnerable to hacking.  You also have to keep the images organized somehow, and take care of data security and backups for the images.  You'll have to evaluate which is the greater concern for you. A minor side point is that check duplicates often omit the account number and obscure your signature.  A photo of the original check would include both of these. As far as ""evidence"", it seems to me they're both equally good evidence that you wrote the check - but that's not really that useful.  In most sorts of disputes, what you would need to prove is that you actually delivered the check to the intended recipient, and neither the photo nor the paper copy is evidence of that.  You could have written the check, taken your photo / copy, and then torn it up." No, there is no downside. I personally don't use duplicate checks.  I simply make a record of the checks I write in the check register.  A copy of the check, whether a duplicate or a photo, isn't really proof of payment for anyone but yourself, as it is very easy to write a check after the fact and put a different date on it. "When banks would return the actual physical cheque, at least you had some printing / writing from the other bank on it, as some type of not-easily-Photoshopped proof. Now many (most?) banks don't return the actual cheques anyway, just an image of it - sometimes a low quality shrunken B&W photocopy-like image too.  You'd have to check with a lawyer or court in your area, but I suspect any photocopy or image, as well as a written or carbon-copy duplicate, would not be good enough proof for a law court, since they could all be easily re-written or Photoshopped. So I don't think there's a real upside anyway. Only an official bank statement saying that the name/people written actually cashed the cheque might be ""good evidence"" (I'm having doubts that the bank's own low quality ""image"" would even qualify, unless it's verified as coming directly from the bank somehow). I'd agree with Nate (+1) that a big downside could be identity theft, either online or alongside phone loss/theft."
"I use online banking as much as possible and I think it may help you get closer to your goal.  I see you want to know where the money goes and save time so it should work for you like it did for me. I used to charge everything or write checks and then pay a big visa bill.  My problem was I never knew exactly how much I spent because neither Visa or check writing are record systems. They just generate transactions records.  I made it a goal use online banking to match my spending to the available cash and ended up ok usually 9-10 months out of the year. I started with direct deposit of my paycheck.  Each Saturday, I sit down and within a half hour, I've paid the bills for the week and know where I stand for the following week.  Any new bill that comes in, I add it to online banking even if it's not a recurring expense.  I also pull down cash from the ATM but just enough to allow me to do what I have to do.  If it's more than $30 or $40 bucks, I use the debit card so that expense goes right to the online bank statement. My monthly bank statement gives me a single report with everything listed.  Mortgage, utilities, car payment, cable bill, phone bill, insurance, newspaper, etc...  It does not record these transactions in generic categories; they actually say Verizon or Comcast or Shop Rite.  I found this serves as the only report I need to see what's happening with my budget.   It may take a while to change to a plan like this one. but you'll now have a system that shows you in a single place where the money goes.  Move all bills that are ""auto-pay"" to the online system and watch your Visa bill go down.  The invested time is likely what you're doing now writing checks.  Hope this helps." I was a victim of this.  I'm not sure who got my routing and account number off my check, but someone subscribed to Playboy.com using my bank account information.  Luckily it was only for about $30 and the bank refunded my money.  However, it was a mess in that I had to open a new checking account and keep the other one open until all checks cleared.  The bank was extremely helpful and monitored the account to make sure only the checks I told them about were processed.  I then had to close the old account. This is why I believe checks are much less secure than credit cards or debit cards.  A paper check can lay on someone's desk for anyone to pick up or write the information down off of it.  I avoid checks if at all possible.  For things like Craig's list, I would try to use PayPal or some other intermediate processing service. "Based on past case law, a check made payable to qualified charity and delivered (e.g., placed in the mail on 12/31 would count as delivered as it is out of the hands of the donor) would fall under the ""constructive receipt doctrine"". However, for non-charitable gifts (e.g., gifts to family members) it is the date the check is cashed (honored by the receiving bank).  This is important as the annual gift exclusion is just that ""Annual"".  Therefore, if I gift my child $14,000 by writing a check on 12/31/2014 but they deposit it on 1/3/2015 then I have used my annual gift exclusion for 2015 and not 2014.  This means I could not gift them anything further in 2015. BTW the annual gift amount is for ALL gifts cash and non-cash.  Most people don't seem to realize this.  If I give $14,000 of cash to my child and then also give them Christmas gifts with a value of $1,000 I have exceeded my annual gift exclusion to that child.  Usually there are ways around this issue as I can give $14,000 to each and every person I want and if married my spouse can do the same.  This allows us to give $14,000 from each of us to each child plus $14,000 from each of us to their spouse if married and $14,000 from each of us to each of their children if they have any." The other reason you might want to keep receipts is if you do any freelancing or contract work, for your business expenses. You can take a picture of the receipts with your phone, or scan them - you don't have to keep the paper copies. It's safe. You give people those numbers every time you write a check.  If a check is forged, and doesn't have your signature on it, the bank has to return the money to you; they get it back from the other bank, who takes whatever action it deems necessary against the forger. They've been doing this for a few hundred years, remember. You realize there are digital checks? You don't need the paper book to make the same one time limited payment.   I even pay directly from my online bank account, it's low effort and requires no trust.   Only thing I have on auto draft is my car payment, which is from the same entity I bank with. But otherwise yah I agree screw auto debt, but that isn't what I was talking about anyway so chill with the attitude. It's for the benefit of the bank, certainly.  You might consider it a convenience to write one check, but it comes at a cost. Your cost of money is the interest you pay on the most costly loan you carry. But the escrow account will usually get a low rate of interest, 1% or so today.  Also, as I describe in an article titled Fun With Schedule A there's a strategy for those who straddle the line between itemizing and taking the standard deduction. Paying your own tax allows you to pay as much as 6 quarters of property tax in one year and then just two quarters in the next. This opens up a biannual itemizing and a savings on your tax return. You can't cash the check silly.  How can you go off on a rant when you can't even tell the difference between a real check and a promotional tool.  If you don't want to call in an get info throw it away....simple.  This thread made me laugh.  Thanks for that.  Good day.