Have you every missed the train because you couldn’t find your ticket which was hiding in your overstuffed purse/wallet?

Wake up call: wallets aren’t meant to carry more than 30 cards!

Yesterday I was in a cathartic mood and pulled out every card in my wallet, threw all the unnecessary ones and put back in the other 28.

Well maybe I haven’t learnt my lesson completely or maybe I should just buy myself a larger wallet that will end up taking up my entire handbag!

It’s a no-win situation, so why do we still think that we can abuse our purses anyway?

After examining my wallet of crushed notes, random cards, old receipts and I can’t believe I’m admitting this, earrings in the coin compartment, and comparing that to my partner’s tidy wallet of eight essential cards (credit, ID, etc) and perfectly folded notes, I think I have the answer.

A lot of my girlfriends seem to have the same problem so I’ve come to the conclusion that us girls like to hold onto things that we think we might need but are completely useless and that guys wouldn’t consider keeping in their wallets in the first place.

For example, in my wallet I have kept a Thai foot massage card which gives me a 10 percent discount once I clock up 10 visits.

In the last two years I have gone three times. What a waste and no wonder I threw that out yesterday.

Or even worse, the video card from the Sorrento video shop which I will never use again.

Here are the biggest purse/wallet crimes and fashion no-nos:

  • Keeping your supermarket/petrol receipts in your notes section or coins compartment. Keep them in your filing folder.
  • Pen marks, make-up stains, a broken zip, or even worse, food crumbs in your purse. It’s seriously ratty so do something about it and clean out your purse, or buy a new one!
  • Too many coins: Unless you want a broken zipper, or a coin compartment that’s bigger than Busting Out, this is not practical.
    Consider stashing your loose change in a piggy bank and who knows, if you keep it up for another 30 years you might actually have enough money to retire at 65 after all!
  • Fake designer purses: You’re complaining that you can’t afford a real Louis Vuitton, so buy a well made mid range brand like Fossil. A fake Louis Vuitton means some poor kids in India are working their butts off for $1 a day!
  • A cartoon or surfy inspired purse. Imagine wooing your man in a sexy soft goth outfit and then pulling your pink Hello Kitty purse with little cartoon character charms on it. Ha ha! (Nelson Simpson’s laugh sound effect).
  • Keeping unlaminated paper cards for long periods of time. Do I need to say more?
    As for that annoying 5x daily train metcard that always seems to become unusable at the slightest crease, if anyone has a solution please email me.
  • Buying a purse/wallet that looks fabulous but has credit card spaces that are too small for your cards.
    As cliched as it sounds, always try before you buy for a wallet that will realistically fit your contents.

Hint

I found this neat solution on the internet for all those extra cards that I’m planning to try out.

Buy yourself three small carabiner-like key ring clips, punch a hole in the top corner of each LAMINATED card and put all travel related cards on one clip, and all the grocery, movie and miscellaneous cards on a second clip.

Hang them next to the keys by the door or store them in your car.