Banking fees have changed considerably in recent years. While many banks have eliminated certain fees, it’s unfortunately also true that the average dollar amount U.S. consumers are incurring in bank fees is higher than it’s ever been.

The good news is that it’s not hard to avoid these fees, and making even a minimal effort to do so is a smart money move, since many of the charges run $25 to $35.

The first smart step is to choose a free checking account. Even if you don’t want to change where you bank, you can likely just change your account type to one with fewer or lower fees.

Sometimes the best account isn’t outright free, but one that easily waives fees. For instance, many checking accounts become essentially free if you have at least one direct deposit every month.

Don’t have the direct deposit option? Many accounts will waive the monthly fee when you maintain a minimum balance. Getting in the habit of keeping that cushion in your account and never spending below it can also give you a fee-free account.

Besides monthly maintenance fees, overdrawing your account will often trigger a penalty. An easy way around this is to hold a savings account at the same institution, keep a small reserve in it, and link it to your checking account with free overdraft protection.

Lastly, ATM fees can be a big hit to your bottom line. Though you can avoid them by only using your own bank’s ATMs, that’s not always a practical option. A better strategy can be choosing an account that offers ATM fee reimbursements.

Though it can be difficult to avoid fees 100% of the time in your banking life, minimizing them to become rare events can save you considerable money over time.