An unhappy customer recently tried to pay his water bill (and penalties) by writing a check on toilet paper. He went with a floral print TP, but they still didn't accept it as payment. See the story here.

While it may be possible to make a payment with something besides a plain-vanilla check, it's not always a good idea. The service provider doesn't have to accept the payment, and your bank may flinch as well. Writing a "non-standard" check may mean that you have to pay all the service charges associated with processing it.

Further reading:

• Before You Print Your Own Checks