How to Organize Your Wallet in 5 Easy Steps

Wallets represent an organizational system that you carry on your person at all times. Unlike a backpack or even a purse, which occasionally you switch up or leave at home, most people use the same wallet each and every day, carrying it with them any time they go anywhere outside of their property.

It is because wallets stay on you at all times that many people find their wallets start to turn into a storage of sorts, causing even the thinnest wallet to become full with all sorts of trash and unnecessary items. In addition, many people stick their cards and cash inside of their wallet without any regard for their location.

Disorganized wallets are not a minor problem. When a wallet has no organization or structure, there is a risk of:

• Dropping or misplacing a card or cash without realizing it.
• Unnecessarily carrying an item that has personal info that you wouldn’t want a thief to have.
• Being unable to find the card you need when you need it and mismanaging your finances.

Usually, when we’re making a purchase or reaching for an item we need, we’re in a hurry. The more disorganized your wallet, the more you’re likely to feel rushed as you try to grab the item you need.

So, it’s time to talk about wallet organization.

Step 1: Emptying the Wallet

Before organizing your wallet, take everything out of it and place it on the ground in front of you. Make sure that your wallet is completely empty, and that you can see anything inside of it. Allett makes the thinnest wallets available today, and yet you’d be surprised just how much people can carry in their wallet when taking advantage of all the size and space. Before organizing, make sure every single piece of lint is laid out in front of you.

Step 2: Reducing What You Carry

In our last blog post, we spoke about what you should keep in your wallet in the first place. We encourage you to review that article, as many of you are keeping items in your wallet that you simply do not need. In order to organize your wallet, you first need to determine what you should be carrying in the first place:

• Two cards, at most.
• Driver’s License
• Health Insurance Card
• Cash
• Business Cards

That’s about it. No receipts. No checks. No unnecessary store brand credit cards. No social security card. The absolute best thing you can do to make sure your wallet is organized is first take out all the items that do not need to be there. Figure out what your most important cards are, see if there’s anything that can or should be stored in your phone (for example, a Starbucks gift card), throw away trash and make sure your wallet is as empty as possible.

Step 3: Examine Your Wallet Space

Every wallet is different. ID wallets, for example, have a space for your ID that makes it possible to show people your driver’s license without taking it out of your wallet. Some wallets do not have an ID space, and instead have multiple card holders. Some people have wallets with only a few card holders but plenty of room for cash.

Knowing what your wallet can fit can tell you how to organize it.

Step 4: Place Cards in Order of Need/Accessibility

Once you’ve figured out where your cards *can* go, it’s time to see where they *should* go. Think about usage and accessibility. There’s a tendency, for example, to keep your main credit card closer to the front of the wallet. But this is the card that you’re going to be pulling out often. It should be near the back, so you can take it out and put it back in with ease.

Cash should be organized, typically smallest to largest. While we have many wallets that fit coins, and coins can theoretically fit in any wallet with a cash pocket, it is probably best to leave the coins at home. Your insurance card can be in the front, since you’re likely to need it the least. Business cards may not have a specific space, especially in smaller wallets, but taking a few of them with you in the cash pocket or using one of the unused card pockets of a larger wallet for business cards can work.

Step 5: Evaluate

Once you’ve placed all your items in your wallet, it is time to test it out. Make sure your most common card is the one you are able to grab the fastest. Make sure your business cards feel like they’re in the right spot. Make sure there is nothing you find yourself needing too often. Don’t forget your micro pen, which fits perfectly in your wallet without taking up any extra space.

Congratulations! Now, Keep it Clean

It’s one thing to organize a wallet. It is quite another to keep it organized. Make sure that you don’t store too much in your wallet and that you’re re-organizing it any time that it gets messy. Keeping a wallet free of excess “stuff” can be a safety issue. The less you carry on you, the more your convenient it is to access your items and the more your finances are protected.
See all of our spacious wallets at Allett.