It's been nine months since I've written a check.

That's not to say I'm on some 12-step program to resist shopping. My credit card bills would suggest otherwise. Rather, when I opened a new bank account in March, I challenged myself to see to how much I could use my bank's online bill-payment service to stretch the 10 starter checks I got for free.

Ordering a box of checks can cost $20 to $30, and in these tough times, every penny counts. I also save 44 cents in postage for most checks that go unwritten.

To my surprise, I haven't needed to use any of the 10 free checks all year.

I knew I wouldn't have trouble paying electricity, cable TV, phone or credit card bills. And for merchants, friends and others without prior electronic arrangements with my bank, Citibank, its bill-payment service simply prints out a check and mails it directly. I've done that with rent for my apartment, and so far I haven't been evicted.

Trouble could lie with bills that have payment slips to return.

Because Citibank's service _ like those offered by other banks _ sends checks or makes electronic transfers to merchants directly, there's no way to attach that slip.

I thought I'd encountered such a roadblock just a month into my experiment, as I needed to submit a form with some state tax payments. I prepared to pull out one of those precious starter checks. But then I noticed that New York state has a Web site for making electronic payments directly, without forms. Problem solved.

The solutions aren't always elegant, though.

Instead of handing my building's super a holiday tip, I had Citibank mail a check with "Merry Xmas" and my apartment number printed on the memo line. There wasn't enough space to use the nonreligious "Happy Holidays," and the bill-pay approach seems so impersonal. We'll see how quickly I get repairs done in the coming year.

Perhaps the most nonsensical check-free experience involved my registration for a marathon in Charlotte, N.C. I could have mailed in a form with my check for 44 cents postage. Instead, to conserve my 10 starter checks, I paid a $7 processing fee to submit it online.

I know, it might sound silly. But I've gotten so used to a check-free lifestyle over these past nine months that I couldn't bear the thought of writing one and mailing it in _ and getting closer to having to pay for a box of checks.

I do miss getting canceled checks back, but banks have generally moved away from that anyhow, with or without electronic payments. Instead, many banks now let you view electronic images of canceled checks online.