How do I spend my ordinary days without a wallet? -minimalist lifestyle introduction "wallet strategy"
For almost 5 years, I have been without my wallet; the typical wallet that most human beings have.
Being a minimalist traveler for five years, I have a strong belief in the benefit of not having a wallet.
Let's jump into it.
Why I stopped using the wallet?
Actually, I had no concrete reason or trigger that I decided to throw away the wallet, but as I have been through the process of becoming a minimalist, I started to doubt every single object that I have like "Do I really need this?"
My answer for the wallet was "no".
Because the purpose of having a wallet is to bring around cash, identification, and credit card.
I think many people bring around the old receipt or small papers which they don't even know exist in their wallets.
I looked back on my lifestyle and the places I go frequently accept credit card payments or cashless payments.
Although some cafes or restaurants in Japan are cash-only, it isn't a big deal for me because when I go to unfamiliar places, I always research whether I can use a credit card or a cash-only place.
Pros of not having the wallet
Of course, there are pros and cons, so I would like to share some of the pros and cons I have heard from my friends.
The positive feedback from my friends about not having the wallet was very similar to mine.
Most of them told me that they don't want to lose it, they don't want to have the risk of being stolen, or simply it is very heavy to carry around with so many coins.
This makes sense to me very much because as you may know the famous "Pareto principle", I think 80% of your wallet is unnecessary to carry around.
Okay, now it's time to experience the idea of minimalism.
Let's get your wallet and keep reading.
- How many credit cards and other cards are in the wallet?
- How often do you think you have used each credit card recently?
- In extreme cases, isn't it gonna be fine to go out without 80% of the credit card which currently in the wallet?
I have asked this question because as I have written in the article " Minimalism Concept and Goal; What is Minimalism and how to set your goal? ", if you are trying to reduce the thing you have or if you are considering not having the wallet right now, starting by asking yourself "Do I really need this?" is very important.
I'm not going to write a concrete solution, so you can talk to yourself about what you are going to do next.
Cons of not having the wallet
Some people want to have their wallets all the time.
For example, it can be a totem for that person, or if you are a fashionista it can be part of your fashion which is necessary for you.
If you want to be fashionable and if the wallet is a part of your fashion, then the wallet is very important for you to carry around so you want to carry around your wallet with all the confidence.
Also sometimes it is not convenient to have a wallet.
- What if I get a lot of changes in coins?
- What if I have several credit cards to manage the payment period and payment usage?
- What if I'm traveling to different countries and I want to carry around the local currency in cash including coins?
Even though I don't have that wallet with me for a long time, I could come up with these negative effects of not having the wallet...
By the way, in any of the articles in this blog, I'm not trying to force you to reduce the things without thinking; it is more like I'm trying to allow you to rethink your possessions.
My case
This is a picture of my smartphone cover.
What I carry around is as below
- Credit card
- Bank cash card
- Japanese identification card
- 5,000 yen Japanese banknote ( just in case )
Sometimes the credit card or cash card doesn't work, I may need cash so I fold in four and put it in between my smartphone and smartphone cover.
To sum up, I would like to say I have a positive effect from not having that wallet for a long time so if you want to try it out, it is very worth trying.
Even though you want to go back to the original style after trying life without a wallet, it is totally fine because you have got the opportunity to rethink the necessity of the wallet.
If you are interested in becoming a minimalist, Reasons why minimalism gives you a simple life will help you to open the door to the minimalist world.