If you have a hard time keeping your money, receipts, membership cards, and business cards from bulging out of your wallet, this post is for you.  Organize & Create Discipline has specific suggestions that will definitely help you keep your wallet neat and not bulky.

Say NO MORE to this:

and say HELLO to this:

Step 1:

Collect all of your receipts and take them out of your wallet.  Receipts for large merchandise purchases or merchandise you might return keep them in a folder  Label each tab or section by date or categorize your receipts by item.  For example: Shopping, Accessories, Electronics, Home Goods, Appliances, etc.  For all other cash receipts, they should be reconciled with your accounts and then put into an envelope or folder that is labeled for the current year.  This keeps your files organized and just in case you get an audit from the government for tax purposes, you will have your receipts in order.

Receipts that are significant and that have warranty’s associated with them should be scanned and filed appropriately on your computer.  If items are especially important, they should also be added to an insurance policy which will require proof of purchase/receipt confirmation.  A scanner can be found at most local office supply stores.  This is an efficient way to keep your receipts organized and consolidate the amount of papers you have. Our O.C.D. favorite is the Fujitsu ScanSnap.

Step 2:

Organize your cash in numerical order.  $1 bills go first, then $5, $10, $20 etc.  Your cash will be easily accessible whenever you need to get money out of your wallet.

Step 3:

Use your loose change.  Everyone hates the jingle of change, so when you have the chance, spend it! Or, at the end of the day put your change in a cup, jar, or box and once it gets full take it to the bank and exchange it for bills. Most banks and even pharmacy’s have Coin Stars or coin exchange systems that you can dump your change into in exchange for store vouchers or cash for a 3% service fee.

Step 4:

You do not need to carry around your membership cards.  Take pictures of both sides of each card so you have your name and ID # and the bar code recorded.  Make sure you either take the picture with your phone or email yourself the picture so you have it stored on your mobile device.  This way, you don’t have to carry all those cards that take up unnecessary space in your wallet.  O.C.D. Experience consultants also recommend that you use password protectors for your credit cards.  If you lose your card you will have your card’s information backed up on your phone.

Step 5:

Get a business card holder for your desk.  When someone gives you their business card your should discipline yourself to add their contact information in your phone immediately.  That way you don’t have to search through a pile of cards or papers to find the person or company you are looking for.  If you have the chance, give the business card back to the person who just gave it to you.  This will give you another reason to strike up conversation and they will be shocked you already put the info into your phone. If you decide to keep the card use a business card holder like the one below. Make a habit and discipline yourself to input all of the cards from the holder by the end of each work week so the holder is empty at the start of each week.

Step 6:

Watch this helpful video of O.C.D’s Justin Klosky on how to organize your wallet the O.C.D. Way!