How to Simplify your Wallet.

Society seems to be hell-bent on making us hold more and more stuff. One of the areas that suffer the most is our wallets. Membership, discount, coupon, receipts, gift cards, business cards, multiple credit cards. Not only does this create a huge bulk, add more weight to your pocket, it also creates a security risk when you lose the wallet or have it stolen. Good news is that slimming down your wallet isn't as difficult and daunting as it first looks. 

Why should you simplify your wallet?

Moving from cluttered to a more minimalist wallet allows many benefits. These include reducing security risks, controlling your spending habits, reducing the space it takes up in your pockets. 

Step 1: Remove and focus.

Let's be honest, emptying your wallet is tough. Depending on how cluttered your wallet is, it could seem overwhelming to slim down. The first step is to understand that slimming down isn't a one time action, it's a mindset. It is constant, a new habit. To do so, you must remove all the non-essentials. If you don't need it, leave it at home. 

We at UrbanCred follow the 5 card rule. It usually consists of 1 credit card, 1 debit, ID, and MetroCard (Mass Transit Card). What about the last card? It's left for any other card I need for that day such as membership and etc. Anything else should be stored away safely at home. 

What about cash? Well some places in NYC actually don't take credit card so we also add a single $20 bill just in case.  

Step 2: Digitize your other cards

Credit and Debit Cards

In this day and age, there are other ways to store your other non-essential cards. Credit cards and debit cards can be stored in digital wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Membership and Loyalty Cards

Those same apps also hold those cards as well. Don't want to use those? Try another app like Keyringapp for your membership cards. Don't like digitizing? Many locations can also look up your membership via your phone number or email address. Worst case scenario, the morning of, bring the card for the specific store you need for that day. 

Social Security

Social Security cards should always stay home and in a locked box if possible. That is the one number you should always memorize. 

Problems & their digital solution:

Passwords – Solution: Lastpass Password Manager

Receipts – Solution: Expensify

Business Cards: Camcard free

Membership cards: Keyring

Bonus tip: Once or twice a year, photocopy your most important cards. If you lose your wallet, it makes it easy to do all the required notifications.

Step 3: Pick a Minimalist Wallet

Once you've gone through the steps, you have one last thing to remove: your bulky billfold wallet. It is time to get a minimalist wallet that reflects your decluttered lifestyle.

While bi-fold wallets with multiple card slots became standardized in the early 1950s with the introduction of the first credit cards and remain extremely popular to this day,  you need to rid yourself of it and opt for a minimalist wallet, which is more similar to a cardholder than a bifold.

One such example is the Dash Slim Wallet 5.0. A great simple wallet with RFID for protection for those sneaky thieves. 

 

If you are a constant nomad, always traveling, the Travel Passport Wallet is for you. Slots for your passport, cards, and cash. Although it isn't necessarily for that, you can even replace the passport pocket with a Field Notes Memopad as well for daily use!