I went looking for my checkbook the other day and couldn't find it. Then I realized it had probably been six months since I last actually wrote a check.

That doesn't mean I haven't paid any bills. Instead I have succumbed to the ease and efficiency of electronic bill-paying. What I used to do with a pen and a check, I now do with a mouse and a computer.

I have become an e-payer.

I could tell you I made this move to stay up-to-date with the younger generation and technology, but the truth is I'm just lazy. I do it because it is easier, more efficient, and saves me time and money. Feeling technologically enabled is just an added benefit.

Being an e-payer is really a breeze. I log on to my bank page, where with my secure password I can check balances, transfer funds, and schedule payments all with the click of a mouse. I can set up repeating transactions so I don't forget to pay them on time. I can even get reminders in case I somehow do skip over a payment. As a proud e-payer, I find it difficult to understand why everyone does not handle their personal finances in this manner. Yet there are many people I know who refuse to come over to the e-side. Their reasons vary, but their passion for their particular style is deep and real.

Many folks - especially my age or older - are simply suspicious of this "new-age" stuff. After decades of doing things one way, they are not about to change to a system they don't trust and don't understand.

I had one friend who refused to use an ATM card, even for making a deposit. He would leave work every Friday and drive 10 miles out of his way to go to his bank for the satisfaction of being handed a receipt by a live teller rather than a faceless bank machine. It made him feel better.

Another friend simply can't fathom how I can sleep restfully after sending an electronic payment - after all, how do I know they really sent it? She has to have the peace of mind that comes with actually handwriting a check, or paying with cash. Having her money floating around in cyberspace is just too much.

When I point out humans are more liable to make mistakes than computers and bank machines, they simply scoff. As one said, "If the teller screws up my deposit, at least I know who to go yell at!"

This skittishness over electronic finance is not limited to my generation. My oldest son's best friend, in his late 20's, is e-phobic when it comes to paying bills. He has to write the check, seal the envelope, and drop it in the mailbox. Of course, as my son points out, it took him until college to actually start sending e-mails too.

In these days of direct deposit, e-statements, loan payments deducted from your checking account, and debit cards, it becomes harder and harder to find folks who still write checks regularly. But they are out there, and will passionately defend their financial lifestyle.

I call them "banking traditionalists," or BTs.

As technology gets easier and more secure, it is hard to resist the sweet siren call of e-banking. While BTs will relate horror story after horror story of identity theft, improper electronic transfers and wire frauds, the truth is more and more Americans are writing fewer checks these days - and not just because they don't have the money anymore.

And there is hope for those who are technologically fearful and challenged. One good friend recently overcame her fear of all things e-financial and began paying her bills on-line. It has taken some serious adjusting, and she still doesn't trust ALL her bills to this new-fangled computer stuff - but she is making progress. And not buying stamps is a big incentive.

Are you an e-payer, or a BT? I'd love to know what camp our readers fall into, and their reasons for doing so. You can let me know - if I can figure out how to get my e-mail.

BILL GOUVEIA is a local columnist, elected local official, and an e-payer. His column appears every Saturday, and he can be reached at aninsidelook@aol.com.