Go Inside An Actual Bank Every Once In A While To Improve Your Finances

Did you know there are human beings inside that building attached to your ATM? They’re pretty helpful for more than just withdrawals, too. Every once in a while, go inside and talk to them. They might be able to help.

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As personal finance site The Financial Diet explains, bank employees can usually help you with a lot more than just simple transactions. The problem is, we tend to avoid getting it done or don’t realise how they can help because most of us have very little reason to go inside the building any more. Going inside the building every once in a while gives you the opportunity to give your financial life a once-over:

Every payday, I walk into my bank and withdraw the cash I need to cover all my expenses for the next two weeks, including my saving goals. Yes, I actually interact with real humans at the bank rather than just pushing some buttons at an ATM. I do this because I need specific denominations, but the experience of walking into the bank every two weeks also helps me financially. It’s personalised the whole processes — I feel a certain accountability now that I know the tellers at the bank. And it encourages me to ask questions I’ve been putting off: I was able to switch to a credit card with no interest for a year, and a much lower interest rate than the card I was using. I would not have known about this card if I weren’t regularly going to the bank.

On top of things like being able to reduce the interest on credit cards, the author found that being inside the building simply felt more connected to their finances. When you’re looking at the human beings who manage your money and have to work to take money out of your account, you’re less likely to feel like it’s something you want to do on a whim.

Everything I Learned From Only Using Cash For 60 Days Straight [The Financial Diet via Rockstar Finance]