Unclutter your Wallet

Is there stuff overflowing from your wallet? Are you always frustrated because there are receipts, cards, or personal notes crowding the important things and you can\’t find what you need? You are about to find out how to easily get your wallet organized and keep it organized forever. You\’ll determine what SHOULD be in your wallet and what should NOT be in your wallet, how to be ready in case of emergency, and how you can protect yourself in the event that your wallet is lost or stolen.

Items that SHOULD be in your wallet

* Gift Cards – Treat these like cash and keep them with your cash. Over 30% of all gift cards are lost and never get redeemed.

* Credit Cards – Keep only the credit cards you use in your wallet. Keep cards that you are no longer using in an envelope in your safe deposit box or shred them.

* Driver\’s License or ID

* Emergency Contact Card – Type the names and numbers of two different people you would like to be contacted in the event of an emergency on a business card size piece of paper. Laminate it and keep it behind your Drivers\’ License or ID. If an accident were to happen, the police and/or hospital would know whom to contact.

* Medical Insurance Card – This would also be helpful in an emergency or accident.

* Auto Insurance Card – It can be helpful to keep a copy of your insurance card in your wallet if you own and operate a vehicle. Typically, insurance companies will send you an extra one. If your car is stolen or if you are in an accident and can\’t get at the one in the glove box, this would be helpful.

TIP: Make a photocopy of everything in your wallet. Copy the front and backside of all of your credit cards. Keep the photocopy in your safe deposit box. If your wallet is ever lost or stolen you will know exactly what you lost and whom you need to call.

Items that you should NOT keep in your wallet

* Business Cards – Your wallet should hold a couple of your own personal business cards. However, as you receive the business cards of others, enter them into your address book or contacts and toss them, or put them into a file.

* Receipts – Place your receipts into a simple and efficient filing system as soon as you get home from shopping. My Fast-Filing Method program explains how to set up a super fast self-cleansing filing system.

* Misc Notes & Papers – Use a more efficient system for organizing your information rather than just writing on misc. paper, napkins, or sticky notes. An explanation on how to use a Capture Tool to simply and efficiently keep track of information can also be found in my Fast-Filing Method.

May this be your best and most organized year yet!

Heidi DeCoux is publisher of Life Made Simple e-Magazine, a professional organizer and creator of the Fast-Filing Method home office filing system. Heidi energizes her readers\’ by simplifying their homes & schedules. For more info, free tips, and to receive her FREE Report: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Organized and Stay Organized Forever, visit ClearSimpleLiving.com