Organizing Your Wallet: Part IV

It's wallet week here at Bneato. Every day, I'll be profiling a friend and their organized wallet. The majority of my lady friends own the Bettina Framed Latico Wallet (myself included). But I'm also including a couple other organized wallets for variety and inspiration. And stay tuned for Sunday's post where I'll post a video of how I organize my wallet!

Melissa's interests run the gamut--she plays the bass in a local LA band, blogs daily for a fashion site and enjoys seeking out spirits and the etherial with her long time honey at historic So Cal spots. She's a busy gal and her wallet works it for her when the rest of her life is chock-full of other tasks.

How long have you had your wallet?
I think I've had this wallet for a good 8 years now

What do you like best about it?
I like that it's large, and it has several zippered pockets so I can stash different things in different compartments (i.e., business cards, credit cards, etc.)

How do you keep your wallet organized?
Keep receipts out of your wallet! When I have a receipt, I take it out and file it away in my little receipts file as soon as I get home. (Note: This is probably the most "organized" behavior I exhibit in my daily life.) I also make sure I take out excess change and throw it in a change jar instead of keeping it in my wallet forever--coins get bulky fast.

Wallet of The Future

Since it's wallet week on our blog, we've gotten some great tips from Twitter users, especially this one from echoparkgal. She uses the ACM wallet (or as I like to call it, the wallet of the future). It's sleek, shiny and teeny and depending on the size, holds 6-12 cards. Designed for dames and dudes, it can fit in the smallest of places from your front pocket to a jacket compartment. We like the idea of simply pressing a button and out pops the card you need. Plus, cards won't get willy-nilly and bent out of shape since the case is an aluminum hard shell. The only problem we have with the ACM wallet is the question of receipts. Where would we put them? Yes, there is a money clip but we're guessing that could get a little tricky. Apparently ACM has a leather case that attaches to the 6 or 12 card wallet (but doesn't that defeat the purpose of the sleek and small wallet previously touted)?

(Images: ACM Wallet)

Organizing Your Wallet: Part III

It's wallet week here at Bneato. Every day, I'll be profiling a friend and their organized wallet. The majority of my lady friends own the Bettina Framed Latico Wallet (myself included). But I'm also including a couple other organized wallets for variety and inspiration. And stay tuned for Sunday's post where I'll post a video of how I organize my wallet!

Jessica has great design style. Whether she's making handmade cards or picking up vintage furniture to make her house a home--she rocks it. So it's no surprise that she keeps her receipts and credit cards looking fancy in her organized wallet.

How long have you had your wallet?
3 or 4 years (I sure do love it--and I get compliments on it everywhere I go)!

What do you like best about it?
I love that it fits everything I need in one place with a great exterior, cute interior, and reliable latch

How do you keep your wallet organized?
I only keep the cards of most importance in there and my receipts only stay in for a few days at most. Then they are entered into our Excel budget and taken out of my wallet. The cards I only use every now and then, like gift cards, refund cards or Banana Republic, etc. I keep in a separate little card holder in my desk. Then I have to plan the trip that uses them... saves time and space in wallet and keeps my impulse shopping at bay!

Organizing Your Wallet: Part II

It's wallet week here at Bneato. Every day, I'll be profiling a friend and their organized wallet. The majority of my lady friends own the Bettina Framed Latico Wallet (myself included). But I'm also including a couple other organized wallets for variety and inspiration. And stay tuned for Sunday's post where I'll post a video of how I organize my wallet!

Kara thinks like a professional organizer but dresses like a vintage starlet. Her busy life includes producing business for a new start-up and helping her hubby run his company (think overnight success). While her work life is chaotic she keeps it under wraps by staying organized.

How long have you had your wallet?
2 years--bought at H&M

What do you like best about it?
I love that I can keep my checkbook and register next to all of my other banking items. It makes me feel super organized and I never have to search for anything.

How do you keep your wallet organized?
I like to enter my receipts into my checkbook register within a couple of days of the purchase so that I don't have a buildup with receipts. Not only do a ton of receipts freak me out (how much money have I spent?!?) but they also just clog my wallet. All receipts that I have to keep (for taxes or returns) get filed in the back part of my wallet so they are out of view.

Additional tips?
To keep my wallet light I make a game out using my change. It makes me feel good that I'm not breaking a dollar for $0.18!

Organizing Your Wallet: Part I

It's wallet week here at Bneato. Every day, I'll be profiling a friend and their organized wallet. The majority of my lady friends own the Bettina Framed Latico Wallet (myself included). But I'm also including a couple other organized wallets for variety and inspiration. And stay tuned for Sunday's post where I'll post a video of how I organize my wallet!

Heather's motto--less is more. She carries only the necessities and groups her cards in a zipper pocket for easy access. Her hobbies are shopping, shopping and shopping. Ultra sound technician by day and lead singer of a girl band by night--so you see, it's extremely important that her wallet stay organized.

How long have you had your wallet?
4 years

What do you like best about it?
It's sturdy and compact

How do you keep your wallet organized?
I only keep the essentials in there.  You don't need every credit card, social security card, etc, with you every second.  I have my AAA card, license, health insurance card and one debit/credit card.  Depending on events, you can add things or remove them from your wallet.  It also helps to go through my wallet every day and take out receipts.  They immediately go into a file at home.

Additional tips?

Take advantage of the key chain cards that grocery stores, etc. give you.  That way, your wallet has more breathing room for the important stuff.

Keeping Track of Important Paperwork

These wall pockets are on the wall right next to my desk. I open bills, pay bills and have a printer at my desk so I need a spot close by to put my important paperwork and receipts. Because I'm a visual person, paperwork must be in view (or be in a container with labels) so I don't forget where it is. Even though my office space is teeny, you'd be surprised how easily you can forget where you put something. My upcoming bills go on the bottom wall pocket (paper clipped to the outside) with the date written in large font. I also put the due date in my calendar. Furthermore, for bills that are automatically debited, I do the same thing. In my experience, you can never be too safe when it comes to making a credit card payment (late fees are the pits)! In addition to keeping bills in the outermost pocket, I keep movie and dodger tickets and coupons that I don't want to forget to use.

Additional file folders that I have close by are "TO FILE", "PENDING", and "QUICKEN." I hate filing on a daily basis, so after a week or two, I take my "TO FILE" folder and file all of my important paperwork. "PENDING" is for things like my passport renewal form, photos I've ordered to give as gifts for upcoming birthdays and confirmation numbers for traveling. "QUICKEN" is where I store all of my business receipts. Like filing, I dislike updating my books day to day, so I save that task for the end of the week.

Organizing Receipts

Having a simple way to handle receipts will save you tons of time
1. Just say no. Grocery store receipts are rarely needed so just say no at the check out line and decline the receipt.
2. If you use your credit/debit card at Target, they're able to pull up your receipt (so again--you can feel confident declining the receipt at the register).
3. Have a place for your receipts to go in your purse or wallet. Go through them when you get home and transfer them to an active storage spot.
4. Your active storage spot might be a small drawer or an accordion file folder. Each week (or as often as needed) go through your active file spot and recycle or shred receipts that you no longer need.
5. If you're going to hang onto your receipts long-term, think about scanning them in. Most receipts are printed on thermal paper (which fades over time). Plus, the IRS prefers scanned in paperwork (which means less clutter)!
6. Fijitsu SnapScan and Neat Receipts are great products to invest in for scanning paperwork.