Happy Spring!
With Sunday marking the first official day of spring, we naturally got to thinking about spring cleaning. Since we recently outlined all things tax-related, we felt it only appropriate to start with ways to spring clean your wallet.
(You know, that catch-all for paper receipts, membership cards, pictures and spare change.)
1. Ditch the Social Security Card
If your social security card is in your wallet, remove it immediately. Not only is it unnecessary, but if someone steals your wallet, they can access your accounts, bank info and basically anything that's registered in your name. Leave it at home!
2. Consolidate Coupons, Store Loyalty Cards and Business Cards
There are apps for almost anything nowadays, and the aforementioned cards are no exception.
- CamCard will store your business cards by name,
- Keyring will keep track of store loyalty cards, and
- Grocery Pal is king for electronic coupons.
3. Toss the Receipts
For grocerys, restaurants and gas, immediately toss receipts. If there's a clothing or larger purchase you aren't sure about, create a file at home for receipts. Better yet -- request e-receipts from retailers, and sort those in a e-file in your email.
4. Remove Extra Credit Cards
Financial experts recommend having no more than 2 credit cards in your wallet. This makes you less vulnerable in the event that your wallet is stolen. The others should be left at home and come out only when needed.
So open your wallet and start cleaning! It'll be the easiest clean you do this season -- and could really save you down the line.
Source: RealSimple.com.
Photo credit: bozontee.