What should a normal guy carry with him? What do I really need in my wallet?
Well, obviously, the question varies depending on your specific circumstances, but as a general matter the answer is always “as little as possible”.
In translation, this means that you should carry as little as humanly possible in your wallet and especially in your pockets, as doing both tends to mess with the silhouette of your pants. If you can, avoid carrying too many “membership cards” or the like — if you can give your phone number at a terminal do so, and if you can’t, use a website like KeyRingThing to put a bunch of different login codes onto a single card. While I highly advise carrying an “in case of emergency” card in your wallet (usually these contain your name, blood type, applicable allergies, an emergency phone number, etc), this need not be more than a small and thin slip of paper.
As for anything else, again, go light. Keep keys to a minimum, and try to find a relatively small cell phone (or carry a briefcase or something and keep it in there). Don’t pretend to be tough by carrying around something stupid like a knife or brass knuckles — such weapons are not only almost entirely useless but they also may actually prevent you from entering some buildings.
Obviously, all of this depends on your needs. Still, as a general matter, just remember that less is more.
Tags: carrying things, everyday life, wallet
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I always carry my wallet, my phone and my keys. I keep as much stuff as possible on my phone so as to limit the need for hard storage of information I need to keep on me. In my wallet I have my bank card, some cash (notes and coins), my driving license for ID and an “in case of emergency card”. These are all non-specific things and I can’t imagine what else anyone would need so I make it a pretty good list.
You can get away with carrying a little bit more if you wear a blazer or other jacket with breast pockets. I like having a pen on me, which would not go well in pants pockets.