This actually came up yesterday in my house and I think, to be honest, some people will always have a massive George Costanza wallet.
LifeClever have put together a list of ways to get things down to size. You really don’t need all that stuff in there, so I guess the basic principle is prioritize and think about what you actually need.
The first step to a super-slim wallet, is to simply get a smaller one. This forces you to ask:
- What do I absolutely need and use everyday?
- Why are there so many gum wrappers and receipts in my wallet?
- Should I really use my wallet as a photo album and a Rolodex?
- Do I really need 10+ credit and rewards cards?
Instead of buying a bigger wallet to fit more, get a smaller wallet to fit less. Here’s a selection of super-slim wallets that purposely don’t hold a lot:
- The Jimi – The choice of Silicon Valley tech-geeks, called “the wallet for people who hate wallets.”
- The SlimSlimmy – Claims to be the “slimmest” wallet on earth.
- The card holder – One-pocket leather card holder.
- The binder clip – The most minimal of all. Cheap, durable, and versatile.
There’s 7 other tips over there so check it out. What do you use?
The secrets of a super-slim wallet – [LifeClever]
The slimmest wallet is the all-ett (Google it). No question. I have their wallet and card case. In the wallet I carry cash and nothing else. In the card case I have my ID, ATM card, bus pass, credit card, and a picture of my son. That’s all I carry. The wallet goes in a back pocket, easy to give away if I’m mugged, and the card case with the stuff that’s more important than cash goes in my front pocket. It’s worked for me for two years now and I have never been happier or more comfortable with my wallet solution.
After spending two weeks in Nigeria last year without a wallet it was weird trying to re-adjust to living with a wallet again in the states.
While I was in Nigeria I was very careful to bring only what I needed with me each day and left the rest in my luggage or in a safe back at our hostel.
Going two weeks without all that extra baggage was such a relief and once I came back to the states I knew I could never lug around my huge wallet again so I went out and simply bought a small leather money clip from Target.
For $10 there’s a plastic cover on one side for my ID and I keep the only two credit cards I use on a regular basis behind it.
On the other side I keep my insurance information and random business cards I pick up during the day as well as keep any cash I carry under the actual clip on the money clip.
I do my best to clean out the business cards or random receipts every night to keep the “pouch” thin and clutter free.
[...] a great article at Lifehack about having a super slim wallet. I figured it was a good time to post the details of my minimalist [...]
This is a great find. It inspired me to write about my wallet solution:
My Super-Minimalist Kung-Fu Wallet
I bought a slim wallet from All-Ett a few months ago and I love it. Its made from sail material, so its very strong and very thin.
http://endwalletbutt.com/
I also am a convert to the All-Ett, having learned about it from Smallist.com, and I love it. I’ve been using it for about a month and it carries as much as my old wallet carried, in about 1/3 the space (thickness-wise). MUCH more comfortable to carry, especially since I also carry a small notebook in the same pocket.
It has a strange, slightly crinkly texture that might turn you off at first, but that’s what their 30-day guarantee is for. I’m definitely keeping mine.
[...] Paper Wallet In our efforts to suggest ways to slim your wallet, we covered several [...]
[...] Posted by Mel on April 26th, 2007 How To Make Your Wallet Super Slim – lifehack.org [...]
If you are looking for a super thin wallet, try my invention called the Bandit Wallet – http://www.banditwallet.com. The Bandit is an elastic wallet band made of fabric that is rubber on the inside and smooth on the outside. It took me over 200 prototypes to get it right and I just launched the product in Feb 2010. Hope you like it.