Has your financial institution qualified for government assistance? Whatever the size of your bank, it still has had the benefit of government bailout money (your tax dollars). So, do you feel obligated to add even more to your bank's profits and to the comfortable lifestyle of its executives? If not, consider some things you can do to keep from giving your bank easy profits.

Check out the fine print in your account regulations and look for the now common fees that banks charge for almost any service. Some of them charge you for the "privilege" of speaking with a teller! There are charges for failing to keep a minimum balance, charges for simple transactions that should be free–like the receipt (not the sending) of a wire transfer, and those outrageous ATM charges.

Have you considered that when you pay an ATM fee of anywhere from $1.50 to $2.50 in order to withdraw $40 from your account, you are paying a higher interest rate than the bank pays you for their highest yielding CDs? Say you pay $2.00 to withdraw $40, that's an easy 5 percent profit going to your banker straight from your own money that you are probably already paying other fees on.

ATM fees are not always charged by banks if you stick to only using the machines that are in their system. It's always better to be aware of your cash needs so you can use your own bank's ATM, rather than paying high fees to use an ATM outside your bank's system.

How often do you reorder bank checks for your account? If checks are purchased from the bank, you are creating profits that they are willing to gobble up. Do you know you can buy checks online safely and cheaply? With access to a good online source, you will have an excellent array of design choices, more than the banks offer.

In addition to saving money you will be expressing your own personality and beliefs everytime you write a check. Whether your interest is animals, sports, history, collecting, environmental issues, and many other topics, you can find checks to reflect your interests or raise awareness for your favorite causes by purchasing them online. Some of the most popular check designs include checks with frogs. By ordering checks online, you will save money, get a great selection to choose from, and deny a banker an easy buck.