With bank non-sufficient funds (NSF) charges now creeping up to nearly $40.00 you can't afford to bounce a check. Banks have long since discovered that they can make a ton of money by honoring your check and then charging you a hefty NSF fee. The easiest thing to do is to not bounce a check of course, but there are places to keep your money that have cheaper NSF fees, namely credit unions.
The average NSF fee at a credit union is $21.84. (Source: Credit Union National Association's 2006-2007 Credit Union Fees Survey report.)
Find a credit union in your state by going here