•    Use your own institution’s ATMs whenever possible. Nearly all banks offer unlimited free transactions for their own customers.

•    If you use ATMs owned by institutions other than your own, try to use those that don’t charge a fee to non-customers. How will you know which ones won’t charge a fee?

You should see a sign at the ATM disclosing whether surcharges are imposed on non-customers, and you’ll have the opportunity to “opt out” of a transaction at no charge.If you have time to do some research before going to the ATM, call your bank and ask for names of other institutions that won’t charge youa fee. Or, you can look on the Internet for lists of surcharge-free ATMs. One such Internet service we know of is from Bank Rate Monitor www.bankrate.com.

•    Consider withdrawing larger sums each time ($100 or $200 instead of $20 or $40) so you’ll make fewer trips to the ATM and save on the transaction fees.

•    If your bank is one of the few that charges its own customers for ATM use, try to conduct your business inside with a human teller whenever possible. Remember, though, that a few banks charge a teller fee, too.

•    Consider paying for purchases with personal checks, traveler’s checks, debit cards (which deduct automatically from your account) and credit cards. Many grocery stores now also let you get cash back when you pay by check or debit card. Remember, though, that these other options may carry their own fees, such as interest charges on credit card balances if you don’t pay at the end of the month.