Short story intermediate about Unwanted Gift

Kim enjoys giving gifts to her friends, co-workers, family members, and herself. She loves the holiday season. Store shelves are stocked with bright, shiny items. Joy is in the air and sale signs are abundant. !

. Last year she overspent. As a result, she received a “gift” of three overdrafts from her bank. They cost $30.00 each. Kim has learned what an overdraft and bounced check are and how to avoid them.When a person writes a check, withdraws money from an ATM, uses a debit card to make a purchase, or makes an automatic bill payment for more than the amount in his or her checking account, the account is overdrawn.

The bank has the choice to either pay the amount or not pay the amount. If it pays, an overdraft fee is charged to the account holder. If the bank returns the check without paying it, the account holder is charged a “bounced check,” or “insufficient funds,” fee. In addition, the person or store that the check was written to may charge the account holder a “returned check” fee. In order to prevent overdrafts and bounced checks, Kim has made some changes in how she manages her money. She is diligent about keeping her account register up-to-date. ------.

Kim does a lot of electronic transactions. She is now in the habit of recording all her ATM withdrawals and fees, . Kim reviews her account statements each month. Plus, in between statements she will often call her bank or check online to find out what payments have cleared and her current account balance. Kim does not plan to receive any undesirable gifts from her bank this holiday season.