Wallet simplification

A lot of people I know have wallets that look like this one here. They store there money, cards, tickets, more cards, papers, coins, pictures (sometimes full albums of pictures), the kitchen sink and pretty much every receipt they ever received.

Then they complain about back pain, not being able to find anything (I know it’s here, I know…), how heavy it is…

It doesn’t have to be that way.

In order to simplify the wallet you must get a smaller wallet. But not just any small wallet, a simple wallet. I found that a wallet that doesn’t have several pockets or folds is the best, otherwise you would be tempted to store more stuff in there.

I use a Saddleback Leather Simple Wallet which is essentially a slim leather pocket. I store there one credit card, one debit card, my driving license and my healthcare card. I might occasionally have a bill or two folded inside, although I hate carrying cash; cash usually means getting coins back (1).
Another thing I’ve found very simple and useful is a money click, I used to carry a Superior Titanium Black Diamond. Strong, durable and very light. It was good but I needed a bit more protection for my cards so I bought the Simple Wallet. I gave this money clip to one of my buddies and he is happy with it. It helped him simplify his wallet.

Things to avoid in the wallet:

1) Pictures. Again, you don’t need to convert your wallet into a photo album.
2) Receipts, movie tickets, shopping lists, todo lists, random pieces of paper. Just keep those in your phone or throw the paper away.
3) The collection of reward cards from super markets, stores, etc. Save those numbers in your phone.

You can see my wallet here and here along with a pocket dump and my watch.

Notes:
(1) The way I deal with coins is simple. I put them in my pocket. When I get home I separate the quarters from the rest. The quarters go to the car for parking and other things and the rest go to a jar. Once a month I take the jar to the bank, they count the coins for me and give me bills. Depending on the amount I chose to put that money into my savings, donate it (I donate to the Green Beret Foundation or the Wounded Warrior Project) or buy groceries with it.