De-cluttering a wallet

Dear gentleman,

In need of a new wallet, but firstly I require help getting rid of a few items. What do you generally carry? I will need a debit card, credit, drivers license, work I.d. Possibly 1 store card, an oyster (underground travel card) a gym card as I go daily.therevare a couple of cards I also use but not regularly e.g. A costco card, a local gym (this one has a swimming pool) etc.

Do you gentlemen find that you are swapping in and out of cards a lot when wearing a minamilistic wallet? Should I keep swapping when needs must? Any minimal wallet recommendations would be fab as well .

Warm regards

Theverdictis

I carry about ten cards, some paper money, and some coins. My wallet has two separate pouches for paper money, which is very convenient when carrying two currencies.
The cards are my driving licence, my health insurance, the petrol pass of my company car, my debit card, a company credit card, my donor card, and some membership cards.
Not much I can do to minimise further; plastic is a fact of life.

Nope. I had a 1 slot card wallet that only held 6 cards and a folded bill or two, which was fine, until I needed to start carrying business cards. So i bought this:

http://www.atelierpall.com/wallets/minimal-wallet-in-brown/

I can fit a few more cards, plus my business cards and a bit more cash, but it's still very minimalist and one piece. Looks nice, and pretty sturdy. Plenty of good leatherworkers turning out nice stuff, but most charge $80+ for something like that. Atelier pall is in E. Europe somewhere, so it's very reasonably priced.

My solution is that I carry my bills, credit cards, and ID in a money clip that lives in one of my front pockets. I carry everything else in a small, card wallet in one of my back pockets.

Well, you could try keeping some of the cards in your vehicle instead of your wallet. Things like membership cards that are not as big an issue if stolen. Or, do like TexLaw mentioned and split it up amongst 2 "wallets". One may only need to be carried at certain times.

Popov Leather wallets. Highly recommend. B&B vendor too! Love mine.

I've eight cards i'd consider essential and a section for paper money. Using it for a year and so far so good, no evidence of wear or tear and never any desire for anything bigger. Handmade in Los Angeles from NOS '80's Mercedes Benz upholstery vinyl, many other material options available.

https://www.couchguitarstraps.com/wallets/billfold-wallets/dark-red-80-s-mercedes-wallet.html




In all have purchased six wallets, a couple guitar straps and other odds and ends from them in the past year. Have been a stellar company to deal with! (and of course no affiliation)
dave

I have a slim front pocket wallet I got from Wilsons Leather several years ago for pretty cheap that I love!
I carry my driver's license, health insurance, credit card, debit card, two business cards, and sometimes a little cash.
I agree with the suggestions others have made of relocating some of your other cards. My company ID and expense cards go in my briefcase for work, my gym cards live in my gym bag, I don't have any store membership cards, but if I did I would probably keep them in my car. All of my restaurant punch cards I keep in my car as well.
It sounds like you take public transportation to work and are frequently stopping at various places on your way home. If I were in this situation, I would carry a bag or briefcase with me every day, and keep as much as possible in the bag, while keeping only essential items in the wallet.

I carry a minimalist wallet with a spring money clip. had it for years, maybe 10. can't remember who makes it. I run 8 cards in it, two in RFID sleeves; plus because it's a spring clip, it holds a good amount of paper money, way more than a magnet clasp styled clip. I can't remember who makes it, as there's no ID on it, but I'm content with it. if/when I replace it, it's likely to be with a Mitchell money clip wallet. I like the look of Popov's offerings, but like having a money clip with it.

mine:

Fanny pack.

KW Driver said:

I carry a minimalist wallet with a spring money clip. had it for years, maybe 10. can't remember who makes it. I run 8 cards in it, two in RFID sleeves; plus because it's a spring clip, it holds a good amount of paper money, way more than a magnet clasp styled clip. I can't remember who makes it, as there's no ID on it, but I'm content with it. if/when I replace it, it's likely to be with a Mitchell money clip wallet. I like the look of Popov's offerings, but like having a money clip with it.

mine:

View attachment 595033View attachment 595034

Click to expand...

That looks just like the Fossil brand one I have.

I use a MoneyClamp clip. It's a money clip that has spring-loaded hinges on it to make it quick and easy to take the clip off and put it back on. I've had mine for 5 years now, and besides the normal scratches from being in my front pocket every day, it works like the day I bought it, and the leather shows minimal wear. I'd be surprised if I didn't get at least another 5 years out of this clip. When it's time for a new one, I'll get another one. They're a little pricey (around $100, my FIL bought me mine because he thought sitting with a wallet in my back pocket was causing my sciatica...nope), but worth every penny. In the outer 4 pockets I have my debit and credit cards, drivers license, and a PocketMonkey (credit card sized multi tool). On the inside I carry insurance card, 2 store perks cards, FSA card, and usually a folded up receipt or something. With all that in there, I can keep about a dozen bills on it before the clip starts to slide off.

I had a wallet before this clip, and the wallet always used to be too big to comfortable fit in my front pocket. I always put the clip in my front pocket, and sometimes have to double-check to make sure its there, since I don't notice it.

theverdictis said:

Do you gentlemen find that you are swapping in and out of cards a lot when wearing a minamilistic wallet?

Click to expand...

I have a single slot wallet but no, not really. All the cards I need on a daily basis fit in it. There are some occasions where I need another card or two but they're not the norm and in such cases I just clip the extra cards in my money clip. It has been a little easier since I got my Coin card but it's going to be of no use whenever EMV terminals reach widespread deployment. For now, though it's handy as it effectively replaces 4 cards (it can be loaded with up to 8).

I generally only carry ID, insurance cards, AAA card and a few credit cards. Though now that I look at the contents I see that I can remove 2 credit cards, leaving 2 others and the Coin.

I dumbed my wallet down substantially a few years back. Felt great.

Credit card, bank card (x2), driver's license, firearms license. Five cards total. I also printed out a small piece of paper with four or five emergency contacts on it. I leave it wrapped around my driver's license. I ride a motorcycle often, and figured if someone finds me in a ditch, at least they can get a hold of my next of kin easily.

Cash goes in front right pocket (if/when I'm carrying any).

Anything you use infrequently, and/or can get away with not having the card on you, snap a picture of it. I've done this with my healthcare/medical benefits cards, loyalty cards (airmiles/etc), and a few others.

My wallet usually contains a couple of IDs, a credit card, a bank card, a gas card, an auto insurance card, a health insurance card, and a gift card or two. That, and small amounts of cash, on occasion. I generally dislike using cash.

just bought a big skinny off amazon with all the reviews and downsized a bunch. love it. 24 bucks I cant go wrong

I try not to "swap in and out" what I need, but keep what I'm going to need always in the wallet ... as otherwise I end up forgetting what I need when I need it. So for me, it's more about simplifying my overall "needs" down to what I really need, and leaving it at that.

I could see having a "regular wallet" with all my normal needed cards, and perhaps a "fill when needed" slim wallet for those special occasions (going out to an evening event) when I know I'm not going to need my Costco card, gym card, ... really anything other than cash, driver's licence, credit card and bank card.

theverdictis said:

... an oyster (underground travel card) ...

Click to expand...

Londoner?

I have not tried out any of these smart phone apps, but there are some to carry your store cards. Stocard or Keyring among others. I imagine they work well to present a barcode/QRcode image and help lighten your wallet if you don't need the magnetic swipe or EMV chip.

I try to minimize my card load, even going to the point of making a photocopy of infrequently used cards in order to carry thin slips of paper instead of thick layers of plastic.

There are apps for your smart phone that you can use for loyalty cards like Air Miles, Safeway Club Card, tec. This has helped me get rid of 4-5 cards from my wallet.

I use one called Stocard for Android and it works well.

I have a "Big Skinny" wallet and love it. It's less than half the thickness of my old leather wallet.

I carry:

- DL
- 5-7 bank/credit cards
- Insurance/medical cards
- RFID card for work
- A few bills

I try not to use credit cards that much so I don't carry them with me, keeps me from shopping sometimes.