If you lost your wallet would your life come to a crashing halt? That’s a red flag. While we all may channel our inner George Costanza from time to time, your wallet shouldn’t regularly be packed to the brim. Miscellaneous receipts, heavy change and a vast array of cards may be making it harder for you to take control of your finances. To help get things under control, we at MoneyKey have outlined 3 easy habits to help you keep your wallet organized and clear of clutter.
Tidy up Receipts
If you’re someone who likes to keep your receipts, you need to consider how long you should keep your receipts for and how you store them. When you make large purchases, keep the receipt. For everyday transactions, keep the receipt if you spent cash or if it’s something you can return or exchange. If at a restaurant, it’s good to keep the receipt if you tipped VIA debit or credit to check later of your tip was added to your total correctly. Consider finding an app or method for scanning, tracking, and managing your receipts. Still not sure what to keep? Take a look at this comprehensive list of what receipts to keep or ditch.
Put Away Spare Change
Do you have a piggy bank? If you answered “No”, now is a perfectly good time to start one. Piggy banks aren’t just for nickels and dimes either. Make a rule to add your spare singles or fives to your piggy bank/mason-jar-full-of-change to grow your savings. If you answered “Yes”, now is a perfectly good time to deposit that money into an interest-bearing savings account and start anew! Make a note of how much you deposited and try to match or beat that amount for next year.
Get Rid of the Extra Cards
There is no logical reason to keep ALL your cards in your wallet. Having multiple accounts at different banks is common, but always keeping all of your debit cards on you is not. Which account is your spending account? Use that card. This is the easiest way to keep track of your spending. For credit cards, you generally want to keep the one with the greatest benefit to you. Whether it’s selling point is a low-interest rate, cash back, or reward miles, decide what has the most value to you. The extra credit cards you have for specific purposes should not be so easily accessible.
Cleaning your wallet is an easy and effective gateway to financial organization. First, remember not all receipts are made equal. You do not need to keep all of them. Next, take the small change from your purchases and put it in a change jar every week (or night) as a simple way to start saving. Lastly, remove the cards from your wallet that you do not or should not be using regularly.
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Posted in: Financial Tips
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute financial, legal or other professional advice. For full details, see MoneyKey's Terms of Use.
