Have you ever lost or had your wallet or purse stolen and experienced the pain and agony of replacing everything? I’m sure if you have, it’s a memory you won’t soon forget and if you haven’t, trust your friends at Havlar, it’s nothing you ever want to experience.
I was driving home from my parents the other day and felt a sharp pain digging in my back. When I reached around, I felt a "George Costanza wallet" that had somehow accumulated in my back pocket.
Realizing that it tilted past the point of excessive, I decided to purge and declutter.
(Update: Initially I posted a picture of my wallet in this blog, but apparently this story really resonated and inspired a Havlar friend to seek change as well and he wanted to share. Good luck my friend!)
The exercise to begin with was a bit of a shock as I couldn’t believe the amount of unnecessary information I was carrying around.
Did I really need my boating license mid-January in Canada? Not to mention gift cards, points cards, appointment reminders, receipts…the list went on.
Do you know what’s in your wallet or would it be as much of a shock as it was for me?
If it ever went missing or stolen, would you know everything you needed to replace?
I started reducing my wallet by getting rid of the low hanging fruit like grocery and gas receipts, parking passes, etc. Then, I looked at what else I could remove to reduce my vulnerability footprint if it ever went missing.
I kept the basics: driver’s license, health card, credit card, debit card, some cash, but what else? The contents of our wallets should be sleek and minimalist, only carrying with us the bare minimum just in case it goes missing.
Do you really need your social insurance card or birth certificate?
Are any of your cards available on your mobile device so you can leave the original at home? Apps like Stocard for your mobile device can be a super convenient way for keeping all your loyalty cards with you and free up space in your wallet.
Losing valuable cards can be a complete nightmare and make identify theft for even an unsophisticated criminal mind, very simple.
You worked hard for those Airmiles, and they’re yours to enjoy, not some “snatch and grab” opportunist on the train.
So what’s in your wallet and what doesn’t need to be?
Take a quick minute to document what you have. Remove what you don’t need and keep what you do. For things you keep, it’s good to write down your card, the account number and the contact information to cancel if it’s ever lost or stolen.
More to come,
