ew people would pay a bank $15 or $20 a month for an account that pays no interest if they knew how to avoid it -- and if avoiding it didn't take too much work.

Here are several easy, cost-cutting tips:

Direct deposit your paycheck. If you do, some banks will give you free checking -- but you might have to ask for it.

Buy cheap checks. Some banks charge as much as $24 for a box of 200 checks. You can get that same box for $7 or less by ordering direct from the printer. Check out Checks in the Mail (800-733-4443) or Checks Unlimited (800-426-0822) for more information.

Get overdraft protection. It's usually free to set up. The average bounced check fee - also known as non-sufficient funds (NSF) fee -- is $25. If ever you write a check that exceeds your account balance, overdraft protection automatically covers the extra money needed. You'll be charged a fee - usually $4 or $5 -- for the service plus a high, credit-card-like interest rate for the loan, but in most cases since the loan is short-term it's likely to cost you less than a bounced check.

Be proactive about asking for discounts. Periodically check with your bank to see if there are better deals for your money. Over time, your financial situation changes, and you may qualify for a higher-interest, lower-cost account.

If you have a debit card, ask for cash. Another way to dodge ATM surcharges is to ask for extra cash when you make a purchase with your bank's debit card. Just ask your grocer for an extra $50 in cash, and you'll pay no fees.

Invest in the bank. Some small- and mid-size banks offer free checking and free checks to shareholders. E-mail a few local banks -- it's easy to do from their Web sites -- and ask if they offer special deals to shareholders. If they do, invest in a single share and open an account.

Limit your bank visits and transactions. Some banks offer no-fee checking accounts if you do all your banking at its ATMs. If you must visit a teller, make sure it's for a transaction that you couldn't perform at an ATM, otherwise you'll be charged a fee. Banks also may offer low-fee checking if you confine yourself to 10 or fewer transactions a month, including ATM withdrawals, checks and debit card purchases.

Find out what "free" means. Most banks will give you "free" checking if you maintain a balance of at least $500 to $2,500 in a low- or no-interest account. But say your bank requires a $2,500 minimum to avoid fees, and you only need $1,500 to cover your checks every month. The remaining $1,000 could be earning more interest for you in a money market account at a brokerage or mutual fund company. Of course, the difference may be less than what you'd pay in checking fees if you didn't keep the required minimum balance, but "free" checking it's not. One way around this hidden cost: ask your bank to link your accounts. For example, if you have a high-yielding CD in addition to a checking account at the bank, you can satisfy the minimum balance requirement if your bank views the money in all your accounts as one combined balance.

Look for surcharge-free ATMs. If you do your banking at a small bank and have trouble finding ATM machines that don't hit you with a surcharge, try searching online for surcharge-free ATMs in your area. One place to try is ATMsurcharges.com.