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If 10,000 Biters go electronic with just one credit card account, over a lifetime we'll save a collective 3,481 trees.

COCKTAIL FACT

The maker of the Rabbit vibrator - made famous in Sex and the City - recently released a new toy named Mr. Big (after the character from SATC).

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home ›   tip library ›   Online Banking

Could that printed receipt from the adult toy store come back to haunt you?

The Bite

Not if it doesn't exist for anyone to find. So give the paper shredder a rest and forgo the receipts. Instead, opt for paperless bills and statements - 'cuz Grams doesn't need to accidentally find out about your all-new, natural-rubber flogging device.

The Benefits

  • Saving trees, big daddy. If all Americans viewed and paid bills online, we could keep 18.5 million trees growing each year.
  • Safer than a little self-love. A recent study found that people who bank online reduce their chances of identity theft by up to 10% (and risk fewer paper cuts), since there's no paper trail.
  • Bigger savings than a 2-fer-1 lube sale. Online banking saves banks money, so most bundle free auto bill pay with other services - plus paying online saves you up to $148 per year on stamps.
  • Easy access...to old bills and statements online. (Plus, it's way easier to type a number than to write out "Twelve hundred sixty-five dollars and 66/100" on your checks.)

Personally Speaking

Always paranoid that those guys sifting through our recycle bins might be looking for more than just aluminum cans, we all embraced this tip years ago.

Wanna Try?

  • Most banks offer online banking - just check their website or give 'em a call.
  • MyCheckFree - easy, free bill pay, in case your bank doesn't provide the service.

Jul 22,2008


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All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.


So Many Reasons to Bank Online

I'm proud to say I adopted this one early on, although I was primarily spurred on by the storage-savings rather than the eco-savings. My file cabinet - yep, I've had one since college - was getting awfully packed, and I tend to be the fastidiously filed, color-coded-tab kind of gal so it was nice to tick that off the to-do list...permanently.

But identity theft? A good motivator, too, and scarier than Grams stumbling on your new sex toy or even hearing Barbara Walters (via D-lister Kathy Griffin, natch) discuss Astroglide. Eek.

-Chicago Editor Alison...off to find some good hiding places...


Biter Comments...
As a postal worker of nearly 20 years, I just have to ask- Could you please lay off the save money by doing everything online routine? It is all well and good to go on and on about saving paper. I do it as much as I can, but hundereds of thousands of people work for the post office and many of them use their paychecks to do the ecologically right thing. I can't afford to buy organic if I don't have a job!

Posted by: Tam Lindquist | July 22, 2008 at 10:07 AM

Great tip! But I don't see how bill paying and nasty go together. You'r mixing my hometown credit union with Fredricks of Hollywood. That's not sassy, that's just wrong.

Posted by: Vickie | July 22, 2008 at 11:16 AM

There were a lot of terms interchanged in this tip. Having paid my dues in the banking world for over 20 years, I felt the need to clarify. Online banking will allow you to view your accounts online. Generally, you need to request online statements seperately. Receiving bills online (e.g. utility bills) is online bill presentment, and you need to request this from the payee. Bill payment is using online banking to set up payments to any of multiple creditors, thus saving the need to write checks yourself and pay for postage. (Does still keep postal workers in business though, as some of these payments are still made with a physical check). Finally, a number of creditors allow online bill payment from their respective sites, eliminating a paper check from being sent from any source. None of these options elimates a receipt from point of sale - for that, you'll need to just day no (thanks). In my opinion, all of these options are wise.

Posted by: Mary | July 22, 2008 at 08:12 PM

I do all of my banking online. I pay my bills, I transfer money from one account to another. It is fast and saves me great deal of time.

Posted by: Jmuda | September 16, 2008 at 12:35 PM

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