The Minimalist Wallet: What to Carry and What to Leave at Home

Charlotte Miller

Did you know you risk safety by carrying the same bulky traditional wallet? Indeed, the type of wallet (or rather the compact characteristics of your purse) determines, to a large extent, how safe you are every day. As it turns out, some things should not be in a person’s wallet. These are called the essentials.

Generally, your wallet shouldn’t be bulky as it is uncomfortable, more susceptible to theft, and unfashionable. Hence, you should consider the Shuffle minimalist wallet on Kickstarter, a more compact, comfortable, and secure alternative.

But then again, even though the Shuffle wallet is sleek and small (and all of that), does that still mean you should carry the world? That’s a big no. So, for those who are yet to understand what you should and should not carry with you in a wallet, this is for you!

Why consider the minimalistic lifestyle?

Before jumping right in, let’s look at three reasons you should even consider sorting what to carry and what to leave at home.

  1. You reduce stress and anxiety by removing clutter from your wallet. When you have too many things packed into a small space, you demote mental clarity, especially when looking for things.
  2. You’ll improve time management since you’ll spend less time searching through numerous items before reaching your goal.
  3. It facilitates mobility and flexibility since carrying something small around is easier than bulky.

How to Live Minimalistically

Some people find this natural to do, but the odds are that if you’re here, then it’s a stuggle. Not to worry, because this will simplify things for you. The minimalist lives by three sets of rules and with those rules, they make all their life’s choices. If you follow these same sets of rules, you would be able to shift into the minimalistc perpsective in no time.

So, what are these rules?

  1. Needs vs. Wants: Whenever you come across the choice to decide between things, always ask yourself whether that object is a necessity or a desire. One thing that could help is to ask yourself: If that thing disappeared at this moment, what would be the level of effect it would have on you and how would people percieve this?
  2. Less is More: With every decision you make, you need to always choose to pick lesser things than more additions. This applies to fashion, workspace arrangement, gadgets, or even what you eat.
  3. Declutter: Things would always get scattered or cluttered. Therefore, the way out is fix time regularly to declutter your space, closet, or in this case, your wallet.

How to Declutter Your Wallet

Still on the same topic, here are five steps to decluttering your wallet:

STEP I: Empty the Wallet

You must pour out all the items in your wallet first so that you can see what it is you have been carrying around. When you see all the contents, you may even be able to identify a few items that should not be in your wallet.

STEP II: Categorize the Items

After you have visually sorted what should be and should not be in your wallet, you must sort the items into categories (cards, cash, receipts, etc.). That way, you’l be able to know wht category is doing the most cluttering.

STEP III: Prioritize the Essential Items

While we’ll still share a full list on that, the next step is to pick the essentials and return them to the wallet. Remember to follow the three rules outlined above so that you don’t re-clutter your wallet our of sentiments.

STEP IV: Dispose of Unnecessary Items

The second to the last thing to do is to throw away the items that are not necessary. Items that you know should not even exist in your house, like an expired card or extremely old receipts.

STEP V: Organize the Rest

For the items that didn’t end up in your wallet nor the trash, they should go back to where they belong. It’d be better to place cards whwre it is easily accessible.

The Essentials for a Minimalistic Wallet

That said, here are the only important things that should be in your wallet. Any other thing should be left at home.

  1. Identification (ID) cards
  2. Primary credit or debit cards
  3. Secondary payment option
  4. Emergency contact information
  5. Insurance card
  6. Public transport card (for those that it applies to)
  7. Key access card or RFID-tag.

Getting the Minimalist Wallet

At the end of the day, whether or not you try the minimalist lifestyle, you still need to get yourself a Shuffle minimalist wallet. Not only will you be able to promote the safety of your items, but you’ll also be more productive from feeling lighter. Fortunately,