So you wrote a check that your bank account can't cover? If you thought you had plenty of time to recover, you thought wrong.

Typically, banks are granted wide latitude as to when they can declare your check “in play” - whether you have the funds to cover it or not. With the ascent of digital imaging, and the ebbing away of paper-based check transfer procedures, your check can be stamped “insufficient funds” in as little as one day of it being deposited.

So say good-bye to the venerable “float” and say “hello” to strategies designed to keep you from bouncing checks in the first place.

Where do you start? Get prepared with these moves to keep your checks from bouncing – and your bank penalties from amounting to the gross national debt of Pakistan.

Overdraft Protection Plans: These plans, designed to provide a safety net over checks written that you may not cover, aren’t perfect, so you have to be careful how you use them. Most do provide cover for bad checks, and the resulting shame of having a check returned to you, plus “insufficient fund fees” that often clock in at $35 per check, or so. But the bank will still charge a fee of anywhere from $6 to $30 (depending on the bank – credit unions are typically on the lighter side) to “protect your back” and cover the check. Better to link your checking account to your savings account (after setting aside some funds in the savings account) so any checks you write that can’t be covered by your checking account can automatically be withdrawn from your savings account. Banks usually don’t charge for “linking” your checking and savings accounts, but they will take a fee of a few bucks if money has to be moved from savings to checking to cover a check.

Use your bank credit card: If you have a credit card attached to your bank, you can often have a similar “link” from your card account to your checking account. Your bank will treat any transfer from the credit card account as a cash advance and charge appropriate fees (usually $3 to $5 per transaction). But they won’t be as much as the $36 overdraft fee most banks charge on checking accounts.

Track your bank account online: Banks are making it much easier for customers to track account balances online – all you need is a user name and a password, and you’re good to go. Keep a close eye on ATM withdrawals, automatic bill payments and debit card transactions – they’re the main culprits for depleted checking accounts.

If all else fails, and the bounce-worthy check is a big one, like for a mortgage or a college payments, go down to your bank and ask them to “make good” on the check. Let them know when you can cover the funds and then do so, ASAP. You’ll still be dinged with a penalty, but at least you won’t have to explain yourself to your home lender or your child’s admissions office.

— For more ways to save, spend, invest and borrow, visit MainStreet.com.