159 Comments

1. Marian Kechlibar:

Even guys often dislike spare change in a pocket. Metal is heavy and will tear the pocket in a few months.

Some of the change will fit into the wallet. Avoid having too many coins by “mindful paying”: that is, if someone asks you for USD 17 and you have only USD 20 and some coins, give them the 20-dollar bill plus 2 dollars in coins. You will end up with a 5-dollar bill back, instead of 3-dollar worth change. Plus, the cashiers are always short of change and they will appreciate if you actually give it to them.

Using such approach, I am rather always short of change too, than plagued with unnecessary coins, as some of my friends are.

Apr 1, 2008 - 1:23 am 2. RettenTilSelvforsvar:

Regarding the coins falling out of the pocket. There exist quite a lot of pants with so called “coin catchers”, i.e. pockets with the shape of a horn that keeps the money from falling out when seated. Otherwise most pockets in men’s pants are deep which keep thing from falling out. But why not just keep your change in the wallet? No reason to keep money separated in two places
Sometimes I don’t bother to take out the wallet just to put back a few coins, but then it’s of such a little value anyway that it does not matter if they fall out of the pocket, and they will be taken out when I come home.

Apr 1, 2008 - 1:58 am 3. Helen Smith:

Marian Kechlibar:

I actually did start asking for change that way and have less in coins to carry around. It kind of amazed me how much forethought is necessary not to carry so much.

RettenTilSelvforsvar:

A “coin catcher”? I had no idea. Surely, there much be some women’s pants somewhere that have such pockets and that look nice.

Apr 1, 2008 - 2:33 am 4. RodgerS:

Think and plan ahead, use car and desk as temporary storage. Stamps/change stay in my desk and car. Dump loose change into a glass bowl when I return home.

Two sets of key rings. Car key on one key ring, house key and gun safe key on second key ring. When I get into my car I empty my pockets of change, second key ring, and place into car storage slots. Keep chapstick in desk and car. At home, change is thrown into a glass bowl. If I’m on an elevator, I often toss change on the floor for the kids, big and small, to find and smile about.

Wallet is kept slim by clearing out stuff not required daily. Use only one credit card. Electronic address book in blackberry phone. Don’t carry pepper spray – think avoidance, but if did, would keep it in car and then transfer to my desk…should be carried in hand when walking…right?

Yes, I have to do a mental checkoff before I leave to be sure I don’t forget something and sometimes I do, no big deal. Have extra keys hidden outside my house. Often keep an extra $20 in the car for emergencies, though visa does emergencies well.

Can’t imagine carrying food on me, but if I did, that is what a briefcase is for. Gloves are clothes, but can be left in car or desk, just like gym shorts can be left in locker.

Easy dude, think slim!

Apr 1, 2008 - 2:57 am 5. Gregory:

Well, well. The secret is a combination of high tech and low tech. And guythink, also.

The high tech is called a smartphone. We don’t generally carry around a black book anymore – we just load the detaills into our iPhone (or HTC Touch, or whatever) and be done with it.

The low tech is called multiple pockets. And backpacks. Handbags are bad in the sense that you carry stuff with multiple levels of importance in a single place. Whereas, if you had multiple pockets (I have at least five pockets right now), you can segregate stuff in different areas. Backpacks can be used to store less important stuff, and on your back it’s not so easily stolen.

Then there’s guythink. I personally carry an MP3 player (shirt pocket), a mobile phone (hooked on belt), my wallet with money, various IDs and cards (left pants pocket), keys and coins + a hanky (right pants pocket, hanky stops the clinking heh heh) and *that’s it*. If I need something else, I go and buy it.

If I had a suit on, I’d have even more pockets. Food? That goes in my backpack – if I carry one, otherwise, I just buy it from the nearest 7-Eleven.

That’s our life right there. I might wear my keycard around my neck, but that’s all I carry around normally.

Women, on the other hand, well… you tend to carry a whole lot more stuff, you know? And we take advantage of that – my Dad just shoves a whole lot of stuff he receives to my Mum, who then puts it in her handbag.

Apr 1, 2008 - 3:14 am 6. Fatcat:

(1) Take only about $.75 in coins with you.
(2) keep the wallet thin! You only need 2 credit cards at the most (debit card and regular credit card). When buying things, always think of receiving as little in the way of paper bills as possible. I.e. if the bill is $11.45, and you don’t have a $10 bill, hand them a $20 with two $1’s.
(3) Shirts with front pockets are great. I put my wallet in my top right pocket most of the time. Rest of the time it is in my back right pants pocket.
(4) My biggest problem is carrying my Kimber .45 ACP pistol under my left arm … especially as the warmer weather arives. But its good protection if someone wants to try to lift my wallet.

Apr 1, 2008 - 3:26 am 7. RettenTilSelvforsvar:

Gregory has a point when he says that guys tend to take advantage of girl’s purses. My fiancée usually carries most of my stuff when we are out together, which includes wallet and phone (not keys). If we buy something in a shop she also takes this, if it’s “purse size”. On the other hand I carry everything that is heavy or big, grocery backs for example.

Helen, maybe your solution would be to make your girlfriends carry your stuff, that is if you trust them to keep thieves away from your valuables. It can be a hell of a fight if they lose your stuff

Apr 1, 2008 - 3:40 am 8. Novathecat:

A purse is just another burden. I quit carrying a purse in grad school when it was too much stuff to carry along with a backpack. A purse is too much of a pain to worry about securing in the lab and not having change on your person for the vending machine. My biggest problem is finding women’s pants with pockets that are big and deep enough to be secure.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:02 am 9. CatoRenasci:

Once you’ve used a wallet a while, you’ll realize how much of the stuff you carried in your purse is really superfluous.

I carry a wallet, keys, a chapstick, a little change (maybe $.075 + a few pennies), and a comb in trouser pockets. My blackberry on the belt has the addressbook, etc.

You can put a couple of stamps in your wallet – you do need to be fairly diligent to keep your wallet slim: drivers’s license, a couple of credit cards, insurance card, cash, a few stamps is all, maybe 1-2 business cards.

Anything else can go in a briefcase or in a backpack or car — for the times you do need them.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:14 am 10. Sassenach:

Piece of cake. I didn’t carry a purse for twenty years — didn’t go with the uniform very well. I carried a slim wallet in one pocket with credit card, id, and driver’s license. I carried my folding money in the other pocket. Change went only temporarily into a pocket — was dumped in a change bucket at home and at work. (When the bucket fills, take it to the bank — it’s like found money.) When necessary, I tucked a small comb inside the wallet pocket.

As for all the other stuff — didn’t carry it. On occasions when I needed to carry more, I toted a briefcase.

I carry a purse now, but it really serves as a mini-briefcase. I still tend to stick my money and cell phone in my pocket. If someone takes the purse, the worst thing I’ve lost is my calendar.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:31 am 11. Ken:

I’m with rogerS: Carry with you only what is neccessary. I empty out all my change in my car, I keep a stack of pre stamped envelopes in my desk at work and at home. All I carry on me is some loose cash, wallet with all the plastic and buisness cards, keys and cellphone, there is simply no need for anything else. If I felt the need for pepper spray, or handgun, I would carry it in a holster clipped to my belt. Most women tend to carry a fair bit of makeup, which seems like the main reason for a purse. I havent the slightest idea what I would do with it had I had to carry all that around.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:40 am 12. Deborah:

I carry a small wallet—a zippered pouch really—that I found in the Magellan travel catalog. It’s just right. I can attach a thin strap if I want but never have. I have a purse and carry as necessary, but I’ve discovered that it’s only necessary about once a month …

http://www.magellans.com/store/Wallets___WalletsSV246?Args=

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:06 am 13. notutopia:

Here is what has worked for me for 10 years. I resorted to this after being victimized by a purse snatcher. I carry all my “priority items” in a partitioned stylish leather fanny pack which is worn forward under my jacket or overshirt. I have several in different colors to match outfits and provide fashion and stealth. I never allow the total weight to exceed 2 lbs. I purge loose change, pens,receipts, gum or mint wrappers, and useless items routinely. I keep a slim coin pouch in the front pocket with 2.oo of change and tokens. All my valuables are organized and contained in other partitions with zippers. I still have room to carry a lady smith and wesson concealed handgun,(I am legal), pepperspray and small led flashlight.
My cell phone/blackberry rides in a separate pouch which easily slips onto the waist band of the fanny pack and is readily accessible by a velcro flap cover for protection. Hope this helps.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:32 am 14. hitnrun:

Women’s clothes will have pockets when women start buying clothes with pockets in them.

C’mon gals, we guys put the fashion industry under our thumb centuries ago. It’s why we get clothes that use four times as much material as yours for about a fifth the cost.

Just say no! Or, uh, yes! To pockets!

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:46 am 15. Clara:

I wear my credit cards/cash in something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/COACH-SIGNATURE-LANYARD-BADGE-HOLDER-I-D-NWT-RED_W0QQitemZ180214394540QQcmdZViewItem
(expired ebay auction).

Then, I carry nonvaluble stuff in a small purse like this:
http://www.onlineshoes.com/productpage.asp?gen=w&pcid=66467

Since I’m wearing the valuable stuff, I don’t have to guard the small purse

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:49 am 16. David Thomson:

“…about 200 bucks.”

What? I am stunned to read that anyone carries that much cash. To be blunt—that is senseless in today’s economy! My debit card takes care of most of my needs. I might have $40 in my wallet. Only people purchasing illegal stuff normally need to carry a lot of the green stuff. And I hopes that Dr. Helen isn’t doing anything that might get her some jail time!

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:51 am 17. James:

Gregory said it right–sort what you carry by value and importance, and use multiple pockets. Modern jackets often include a cell-phone pocket, for example.

I keep my notebooks in a messenger bag (I’m a student), but I don’t keep anything of value in there. The problem with a purse is that like any bag one tends to leave it around, but, as Gregory says, one also uses it to store valuables.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:51 am 18. Dani:

I gave up on the purses because I forget them. Really, it has restored my faith in humanity because I always get them back- it’s only when they’re deliberately stolen I never see them again (hat’s happened twice). Also, purses are a big black hole because I can’t find stuff in there, either. I use a briefcase when working and the rest of the time carry a small travel wallet and keys that only have house and car key (lost the other set with a billion keys on it and never replaced it). The gun safe key is hidden in the room that contains the safe. The wallet and keys go in my jacket pockets.

I do have a “mom bag” in the car and when traveling. That is unavoidable. There is nothing you can do about that when you’re a mom. Even my husband asks for things he knows I have, and I am sure he’s not the only guy who (traveling or not) knows his wife has that kleenex, chapstick, bandaid, gum or hand lotion in there. So a lot of this “I only need a wallet” is because someone else is carrying everything else!

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:52 am 19. LouV:

For travel, try a photographer’s vest: many pockets, and it’s a great way to add one bag to the two (or one) they allow on a plane. Weight (camera, phone, water bottle, book, maps, tourguide, plus wallet, sunglasses, reading glasses, cosmetics, passport, etc.) is much better distributed than in a tote-bag or large purse.

The “wallet” is actually the hang-around-your-neck zipper bag, for those places where the vest can’t go.

I also pack a fanny-pack, but mine is leather and has a rotating strap so that I can carry it like a purse to nice restaurants.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:53 am 20. SR:

I was liberated a few years ago when I stopped carrying a purse. You really need only your phone, keys, maybe a little money, and a few plastic cards (no wallet). Cards go in the back right pocket, keys and phone in the front. Every morning I load my pockets, and at night unload to the same bucket, and I no longer lose these things. I used to lose my purse all the time. Of course, I pay attention to buying pants with pockets and never wear dresses anymore.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:54 am 21. JennC:

I do not carry a purse. I have one, and it sits in the car for those rare occasions when I need to carry more than my keys with me. The wallet stays stashed in the car unless I need it for something.

Of course I wear a lab coat for a living, which makes it easier, but I do not like carrying a purse.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:56 am 22. Jay Manifold:

I often have a backpack with me, mainly for carrying a laptop computer but with lots of papers, a notebook, pens, work ID, earpieces, calculator, chapstick, a book or three, etc. No food!

For the past decade or more, I’ve almost never carried cash, even pocket change — I’ve found that I encounter cash-only situations only 4-5 times a year at most. Besides, using a debit card lets me track all my spending online and categorize/budget far more effectively. My ID, insurance cards, debit card, etc all fit in an ultra-thin wallet which has a clip for those rare occasions when I do decide to bring some currency along.

(And I’m just waiting for some moonbat to jump all over you for describing $200 as one week’s spending money. While I imagine it actually represents frugality, someone is sure to think you’ve got $10k a year to blow on impulse purchases, you upper-class elitist, you.)

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:59 am 23. jackal:

Simplify, simplify, simplify. All you really need are your keys, your wallet, and your cellphone (if that). Stamps, chapstick, gloves, FOOD?! C’mon!

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:59 am 24. Joel:

A wallet requires discipline. An over-stuffed wallet will give you back pain, it makes you sit funny.
One observation: the purse seems to be a throw-back to the days when women wore dresses and didn’t have pockets for a bunch of junk. Now there’s a question, why don’t women wear dresses any more? Used to be that a pretty woman in a nice dress would make my walk into walls and fall down stairs; jeans and a t-shirt don’t do that.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:00 am 25. Kirsten:

My solution is a little cell phone purse that has a strap long enough to cross over from one shoulder to the opposite side of my waist. I’m always hands free; I can leave the purse in place when I sit down in say a restaurant so I minimize the risk of leaving it behind; it’s harder for a pick pocket to make off with a purse that’s held that way (or lift something out of it) since it’s A. more in one’s line of vision and B. essentially strapped to one’s body, not just hanging off a shoulder. It’s also small enough that I can wear it inside my coat if I need to be even more discrete. The one I’m using came from Hobo and is a gorgeous leather number that has held up wonderfully. It’s got plenty of room inside for cash, credit cards, there’s a zippered pocket for change, I can even store my keys in it if I want, and a lip gloss fits the pocket next to my phone. I’ve also seen bright canvas ones from Baggallini . . .

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:00 am 26. Marc:

I’ll admit it. I have a man-bag, as my female coworkers refer to it. It’s more along the lines of a workbag, but it is stuffed with crap. The boyscout in me tells me to always be ready. I don’t think twice about it, especially the theft aspect. While it is full of stuff, if it can’t be replaced, I shouldn’t be carrying it on me. I do carry a “throw-away” money clip in case I were mugged. It’s a twenty with a few singles beneath it. I throw it one way, and run the other. Never had the occasion to use it (Thank God), but it’s my solution to living in a city with strict gun control.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:02 am 27. Macon Stoneburner:

I don’t understand why someone would need to carry an address book with them at all times. Doesn’t one normally compose correspondence either at work or at home? Leave your address book there. Same goes for stamps.

You should be carrying a gun, not pepper spray, if CCW is an option in your state. If someone wants to hurt you, pepper spray isn’t going to stop them.

Fanny packs are awful. Avoid them unless you’re camping or just like looking like a goody tourist all the time.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:03 am 28. Reno Sepulveda:

I always hated pocket tees, until I started wearing glasses. Then they they made perfect sense to me. And western shirts, they always have two big pockets one for reading glasses and the other for your sunglasses. Women look great in western shirts and jeans too by the way. I can imagine women would have all kinds of stuff to put in those pockets like say…
tampons! Just put a couple in your shirt pocket like big old ballpoint pins.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:04 am 29. Kirk:

My wife hasn’t kept a purse in 20 years. I bought her an expensive purse/wallet/keypurse/coinbag set in the first year of our marriage. It all disappeared quickly except for the very well made leather wallet, which she still uses to this day. She keeps it in her BDU leg pocket at work, or her front pocket in jeans. She doesn’t apply make up, so obviously she doesn’t have to carry it around. All the other assort odd objects I’ve seen in womens’ purses seem to get there because of this “The Law of Empty Space Container Dynamics” or LESCD. Empty spaces attract and retain objects that have little or no purpose. To test this theory yourself, empty a kitchen drawer completely. Find new locations for the objects. In one week, open the drawer; it will be filled with stuff. A purse works the same way.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:05 am 30. JennC:

Oh, and I forgot to say that I buy only clothes with deep enough pockets to keep things…iPod in the right pants pocket, mobile in the left, with temporary room for keys and wallet when necessary. Cash is stashed along with the iPod, and sometimes I only take along my DL and my bankcard. Bulky, but since I don’t exactly have a slim silhouette to mar, it’s okay with me.

If I didn’t drive most places I wouldn’t be able to pull this off so easily, I realize, because I do use my car as a huge purse. But if I had to take public trans to get places I’d carry a pack, not a purse.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:08 am 31. Aaron Davies:

I have two credit cards, two subway passes (monthly and stored value), my ID and insurance cards, and a “wallet-style” (folds vertically to go in a credit-card slot) book of stamps in my wallet (also a couple cookie fortunes ). It’s all of a quarter inch thick. Cash goes in a money clip in one front pocket, along with chapstick and nail-clippers (I’m a little OCD about my nails) and a very minimal set of keys–building, apartment, mailbox, office desk, utilikey, a couple barcode tags. (Bike keys and SO’s keys live on other rings that get pulled out of a drawer at home when necessary.)

The other front pocket stays is free for my iPhone, and I don’t have to worry about scratching it.

Quarters go in a bowl at home to be saved for laundry; all other change gets spent ASAP, or thrown in communal change piles at work for those times when I need an extra dime to make the price of a soda.

A Leatherman wave lives on my belt in horizontal position, and I keep a d-ring hanging from a belt loop on the other side–handy for hanging a light bag of groceries or an umbrella for a minute to free up a hand.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:08 am 32. Anonymous:

Carrying a wallet in the left or right rear pocket is handy, but makes it easier for pickpockets.
I carry mine in my left side pocket. Periodically clean it out.
Car keys in left rear pocket. Change (If your office has a petty cash box, swap change for bills occasionally) and a couple of contingency tools–small knife and weapon (type unspecified) in right front–I’m righthanded–and hanky in right rear.
Comb in shirt pocket.

Gloves? You don’t need gloves above 20 degrees unless you’re working outdoors. Keep them in the car.

The point is not where to carry the stuff. The point is to carry far less.

Stamps are a waste of space. You have them at home, and at work. My wife will stamp a piece of mail out of her purse and we’ll forget about finding a mail box for half the day. Wasted effort. The thing will eventually get where it needs to get.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:09 am 33. DWPittelli:

I never use my back pockets, because sitting on wallets etc. isn’t good for the wallet’s longevity or your back. So for 20 years the only pants I’ve worn have been pleated khakis (or cargo shorts when really casual). You can put a bifold wallet and a cell phone into one front pocket, and a .32 Seecamp in a sleeve holster in the other.

Most khakis also have a little change pocket inside the right pocket. I have found that keys do the worst damage to one’s pockets, but not if they’re in the change pocket or in a little drawstring cloth bag like they sell tumbled gems and marbles in.

Unfortunately, pleats seem to be “out” now, at least for men, and can’t be found at the Gap, Old Navy or other mall stores. I can’t put much of anything in plain-front pants that otherwise fit right, without odd bulges and cloth stretched tight.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:09 am 34. Ron:

Don’t forget a family picture or two. I carry the plastic ones that come with school photos. They survive a washing machine just fine!

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:13 am 35. JayC:

Most guys just carry a wallet. If you have more stuff than will fit in a wallet, that’s why duct tape was invented.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:13 am 36. Mike:

People carry stamps in their wallets? That’s a new one on me. David’s right. $40 is sufficient cash most of the time. Get a credit card that pays a rebate. Avoid debit cards unless you lack the self-discipline to use a credit card and pay it off every month. Throw change in a bucket if you get it. Nowadays, I pay cash so infrequently that I rarely get coins. I might pay cash once a week.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:14 am 37. Greyland:

Wallet, keys, pen, phone, all go in pockets and I don’t need anything else.
If I used chapstick, I’d keep one each in the car and my desk. If I wore gloves I’d also be wearing a jacket, which would have pockets. Stamps are at my office although you could carry them in the wallet if you foresaw a dire need to mail a letter right away.
Of course, as a male, I don’t wear mascara, blush, lipstick, hairspray, and so forth, and my hair is short enough that I don’t really need a comb, much less a brush.
And I don’t cheat by using my wife’s purse–the only thing that I hand my wife is a receipt for an item she might want to return. Oh, and I hand her money, of course.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:16 am 38. Mike Loew:

My opinion, the most important thing is realizing you just don’t need most stuff, most of the time. Maybe, if you take a day trip to the city or are on vacation its nice to have extra items just in case; however, on a normal day, how far are you ever from your home or office or car. Is there really anything you need that you couldn’t get in 15 min or half an hour. I just carry wallet, keys phone unless I have a specific reason to expect to need something.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:17 am 39. Anon:

I just prioritize what I really need. Sometimes that changes from day to day. If I need to carry more than I can fit in pockets, I carry it in a backpack, I hate to have to carry anything in my hands.
If you only want to protect your money from theft and not worry about protecting your purse, put your money and id in a thin wallet in your pocket and the rest of your junk in a cheap purse, who cares if someone steals your chapstick?

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:19 am 40. Susan:

I too have stopped carrying a purse and rely on pockets. I love shopping hands free and the only problem seems to be the number of people who keep asking “Do you work here?”

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:21 am 41. Dr. Ellen:

I go back and forth. Most of the time, I don’t need all that -stuff-. So I make do with a wallet and my keys. Sometimes I DO need all that stuff, so I take a purse. The hard part is remembering which mode I’m in and transferring things back and forth.

The best solution is jeans. They descended from men’s clothing, and often retain the pockets. Even a jeans SKIRT often has the pockets, sometimes including the watch pocket. We haven’t used pocket watches for near a century, but that pocket is there and it’s perfect for the cell phone or the change.

Of course I’m both married and old, so I don’t need to put on a fashion display. It’s optional, and occasionally fun, but it’s twice the fun when it’s a special occasion.

And don’t forget the top pocket.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:21 am 42. Karen:

I guess this proves that we are not in a recession if our biggest worry is whether to carry a purse or wallet.

Women wear tighter pants and like to have a smooth butt line. Bulky wallet would destroy that. I went through a phase as a 20 something NYer only carrying a wallet, until there was a wave of subway thefts that eventually killed a tourist from Utah: robbers carry very sharp knives and cut out the obvious shape of the wallet in your pants.

As a mom, I use my purse to put the kids water bottles, trash, chapstick, etc. I hate to spend $2.50 for a water bottle on the street. What about car keys? they HURT in your pants.

Go to WalMart (sorry liberals) and buy an old, fake purse. Turn your rings inside to your palm. Wear sneakers. don’t make eye contact.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:23 am 43. Shooty:

I have what I call a book bag – a ragged old cloth bag that I have had for 15 years. In that I carry smaller bags and my wallet. Heading into a store – I just take my wallet, glasses and car keys. Going to the market – I strap on my belly bag with my Taurus .38 and wallet in it. The main bag stays in the vehicle, and only the necessary items travel on my person. Rarely use my phone, so it’s in the big bag. Any change I get goes into a pocket, and as mentioned above, gets put into a bucket at home.

Overseas I carry my money and passport in a hidden wallet, and keep my real wallet in my front pocket with my hand over it – that is especially useful in places like Rome where gypsies are very aggressive. Never lost a thing yet, but I am very vigilent.

As for people stealing – go to Japan – there is a culture where theft is an extremely shameful act. I was impressed. The good news is – if people don’t steal, then nothing gets stolen. The bad news is – that’s never going to catch on over here.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:24 am 44. savageknight:

Good Luck on your changeover! I have tried to break my wife of the purse habit for years, but she still resists. (My efforts are not so noble. I just hate having to look after the thing while she tries on clothes / runs to the restroom / helps the kids / and so on.)

Here are a few simple suggestions to live without the purse.
1. Buy a bi-fold wallet with an ID flap. It will be much thinner than the trifold (especially with a bit of cash in it), and won’t produce an obvious bulge in the pocket.
2. Don’t overstock the wallet. Here is my current inventory: Driver’s License, Health Insurance Card, Corporate CC, Personal CC, Club Shopping Card, CCL, Cash.
3. Coins go in the car ashtray.
4. Carry a good cell phone. I have a clamshell, Windows-based phone. It holds all the info I need, pictures of my kids (so I don’t have the dreaded “Dad Wallet”, and lets me surf the net to read your articles.
5. Clean out the wallet at least once a week. Those receipts can start to pile up!
6. Concealed carries belong in a holster and not a purse.

That’s it. All the other stuff that I see coming out of purses is generally just clutter.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:27 am 45. Lee:

Do you carry a man-purse… – Absolutly never! Unless one considers a backpack a “man-purse”, then I might be guilty on trips.
… or a briefcase – Only when on travel or needing to carry documents around.

Never blame straight men for women’s fashion. The fashion industry, including retail fashion, is run by women and gay men. Straight men are nowhere as judgmental in a women’s looks, weight or fashion. With the exception of extreme obesity, the average guy just doesn’t care that much. Yes, we like women when they are dressed-up, but we like women when they are not dressed to the “nines” too. It is not misogyny or anything; we just have more important things to think about.

I also agree with a poster up-thread that wrote that women’s clothing will have pockets when women buy clothes with pockets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:27 am 46. Don:

Don’t have a pocket, use a neck wallet.

http://www.amazon.com/Seirus-Neck-Ditty-Wallet-3815/dp/B000CEDVQO

It also makes pickpocketing a challenge as well.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:27 am 47. Jerry:

I’m with Gregory–I usually have a blazer or other coat on so I have multiple pockets. I wear one even when it’s not really necessary just for the pockets. If I need to carry a backpack or briefcase it never has more than $30 worth of easily replaced items in it–no wallet or phone in there.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:29 am 48. Kathy:

You seem to describe women in the extreme feminine/appearance obsessed in your writings. I know women who use very small purses/fanny packs because they don’t want to be burdened with a purse. They also don’t wear makeup and don’t shop at Sephora (they probably don’t even know what it is). I do wear makeup but don’t enjoy buying it — it is a chore to shop for makeup. Maybe not the worst chore on my list, but a chore none the less. Since pick pockets have been around for ages, a wallet does not seem to be the best route to avoid theft. Wow, you carry pepper spray, must be a high crime region down there.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:31 am 49. Ron Hardin:

Tuck a few bills in the wallet but it’s only there for the credit card.

I don’t need anything else. Keys go in a front pocket. If you get change, spend it in a supermarket U-scan machine before putting in the credit card for the rest.

I haven’t been to a cash machine in years.

Let’s see, what is in the pockets (wear same pants every day, saves time)

1. wallet (back)
2. keys (front)
3. dog whistle (other back)
4. very small swiss army pocket knife with scissors (with wallet)
5. handkerchief

Put handkerchief with keys and they won’t poke your leg.

You get, however, pocket bulges, normal in men but curve-breaking to women.
I can’t see women tolerating that for themselves. Not that men care.

(How come the two buttons now are “submit” and “post?” I’ll try post…

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:32 am 50. anonguy:

Use a wallet, but intentionally keep it current. Check it daily for stuff you really need it for the day. Only carry a few credit cards. You should be glad you only lost cash. What if you lost more due to identify theft?

Carry a coin holder and actually use it to decrease the size. If you end up with too much change, you’re doing it wrong. Otherwise, just dump it at the end of the day and utilize the coin counting machines when you accumulate enough.

I carry a chapstick in my pocket and keys.

Keep the keys small. Don’t put everything on there.

If you carry a cell phone, you won’t need an address book.

Why carry food? Are you always hungry? Carry gum or mint instead. They will fit into your pocket and hold you over.

Men don’t need pepper spray. I’m beginning to wonder why women need it especially since they don’t work as intended. Women don’t defend themselves in a manner that is effective. Also, they manage to be less aware and too accommodating.

A solution that I noticed isn’t entertained here is a small purse with a long thin shoulder strap. It will hold the basic essentials without bulk.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:36 am 51. Wallets Vs. Purses — Dean’s World:

[...] Dr. Helen takes a look. [...]

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:37 am 52. Darksbane:

haha, women are funny. I haven’t even carried a wallet in 9 years. The solution is to be a minimalist, you don’t need anything other than your phone and a money clip with 1 credit card, 1 debit card, 1 insurance card, 1 drivers license, 1 20 dollar bill which you only use in the event that you are somewhere that doesn’t accept plastic. I also keep another 20 in my car. If I spend any cash and get change it goes straight into my ashtray in my car or into my change jar at home.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:38 am 53. Oligonicella:

How interesting. The only suggestion I haven’t seen is my primary one. Ladies, learn to sew. If you like the slacks and the pockets are insufficient, modify them. It’s very easy to do. Same with dresses if you want a pocket in them. Put it there. And yes, I sew and I taught my daughter how to sew.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:39 am 54. Skyler:

Wallets work best in the rear pocket, but that’s not very attractive. If you don’t care about what your butt looks like, that’s the way to go. Men don’t much care about what their butt looks like, but women usually do. Or I should say men care what women’s butts look like. This is why women carry purses.

As for coins, most of the time I don’t have any and I get rid of them as fast as I can. I rarely have more than two or three. Start by throwing away pennies. They aren’t real money. I used to save all my pennies, just like all my other coins. At the end of a year or two I would spend a few hours counting and rolling my coins up. Pennies were most numerous and took the most time, but in the end I’d only get a few dollars from all that work. It’s not cost effective. So I just leave them at the register or put them in the trash.

The other coins aren’t as much a problem. If you keep always less than a dollar’s worth you rarely have more than three coins.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:45 am 55. Mark Buehner:

“I didn’t have all of the things I needed such as various keys, my chapstick, stamps, my address book, my pepper spray, various food, gloves”

Your first step into guydom (in this instance) is to mercilessly reevaluate what you ‘need’. Keys are a necessary evil. Chapstick is a racket as addictive as cigarettes, all that other stuff you can keep in your car (wear your gloves if you need gloves) except the pepper spray, but if its buried at the bottom of your purse it might as well be on Mars anyway. Im anti-pepper spray for this reason and also because it is just likely to piss off a determined attacked and gives the owner a dangerous and misplaced bravado. If you want to defend yourself, buy a pistol and learn to use it and be willing to kill with it.

And don’t carry spare change. If you have no prospect for dropping it off somewhere, give it away or throw it away.

Anyway, thats how i roll.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:50 am 56. Jeff the Baptist:

It takes conscious planning and it also helps that mens clothes are designed around having lots of useful pockets. Women’s clothes aren’t because your designers assume you will carry a purse. It also lets them make women’s clothes more form fitting and curve hugging than ours because they don’t have to plan for anything actually going in their pockets.

Anyway here is my usual loadout:

Right front – keys
Left front – coin purse
Right rear – Comb and maybe a few tissues
Left rear – trifold wallet
Breast pocket – business and security IDs

The pants pockets have been set up that way since before college. All the shirts I wear to work have a breast pocket to keep my security IDs in. All my work khakis are pleated because it gives me more front pocket room (mostly for the keys). All my casual pants are looser fitting cargoes because it gives me more pockets and comfortable pocket room. Cell phone, multitool, pens, pencils, flashlight, etc. went from backpacks in college to the current briefcase and car system.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:51 am 57. Fidel, MD:

Keychain with leatherman mini and LED light (plus keys)

Fisher Space Bullet Pen (in case I need it)

Gurkha business card case that I use as a wallet – credit cards, etc in the outer pockets, cash folded in the center pocket
http://www.portlandluggage.com/adtemplate.asp?invky=4449426&catky=&subcatky1=&subcatky2=

And whatever change I collect during the day gets dumped at night. I collect it in an old ice bucket, and take it to a coinstar machine when full (every 4 months or so). The several hundred dollars (usually) is good for a dinner out with the wife.

When I carry a cellphone, it’s in a front trouser pocket. When I’m at work, I carry a PDA and better (also cheap) pen, and a pen/pencil/stylus combo (also cheap, since they get lost) for the PDA. Stethoscope and ID card on lanyard around my neck and I’m done.

Serious tools – big leatherman, bigger flashlight, laptop, books, etc go in the briefcase.

In the winter, my wife carries almost everything in her parka pockets – keys, a rather large wallet, ID cards, inhaler, cellphone, PDA, lipstick, etc. Her makeup goes in her briefcase. She was carrying a purse for the first time in months this past weekend.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:59 am 58. altoids:

Virtually all men I know, including myself, carry three items: wallet, phone, keys. I place each in different pockets, so that while walking, each can be subconsciously felt – the absence of one of these items is immediately detected because it “just doesn’t feel right”.

The difficulty for women, I think, is that women usually feel the need to carry much more – snacks, first aid, makeup. I don’t think it’s possible to store that much on your person without a purse. For social occasions I carry a pack of gum or mints in my jacket or coat pocket.

As for change management, I always try to give exact change within a quarter. For example, if the price is $3.33, I’ll give $4.08 or $5.08 or $20.08. If you follow this rule, you will never have more than 25 cents worth of change in coins other than quarters, which easily fits in the change pouch of even small wallets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:00 am 59. bfwebster:

A few thoughts:

– I spent two years (1972-74) in Central America doing missionary work. That’s when I learned to keep my wallet as thin as possible (not a big problem back then) and to keep it in my front pocket (to minimize the pickpocket risk). I’ve kept my wallet in my front right pocket ever since. I also go through it from time to time to prune out items I’m not using.

– Some years ago, I had a colleague tell me that he could always tell how complicated a person’s life is by the number of keys on his/her keychain. I go through my keychain from time to time also to get rid of keys I’m not using. (Right now, I have exactly two keys and a small folding screwdriver/pliers combo.) Keys go in my front left pocket.

– I recently picked up a small Buxton leather index card (3×5) holder that I use to, well, hold index cards that I use for my various to-do lists, notes, and so on. It fits nicely in a shirt pocket, and I make sure that most of my shirts — from t-shirts to dress shirts — have front pockets.

– I have a black shoulder/messenger bag that I quite honestly call my purse (hey, men were carrying purses for centuries — nay, millennia — before women did). I have a second wallet in my purse that I use to carry all the stuff I don’t want to carry in my main wallet. I also use my purse for my cell phone, check book, pocket protector (honest!), and various other items (change, stamps, index cards, pens, iPod(s), earbuds, sunglasses, reading glasses, a book to read if I get stuck somewhere, etc.). I use a few little zippered mesh bags to keep stuff organized. I go through my purse about once a week — I literally empty everything out — and then decide what goes back in, what gets thrown away, and what goes elsewhere.

And I almost always leave the ‘purse’ in the car unless I know that I’m going to be stuck for some length of time (getting the car washed or serviced, visiting the doctor/dentist, etc.). If I’m out shopping (and I do most of the grocery shopping), all I have is my wallet, my keys and my index card holder (and a pen — usually a Staedtler pen).

Works for me. ..bruce..

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:00 am 60. just wandered by:

“Only people purchasing illegal stuff normally need to carry a lot of the green stuff.”
WTF? What about the people who shop at Sams Club, where they don’ take Visa? And the people buying ammunition at Walmart, where they don’t need their credit card company and Walmart to have a personaly identifiable record of the transaction?
Back to wallets, though, The trifold you picked is thicker and less efficient than a bifold wallet. In the bifold wallet
like this

http://www.leather-wallets.com/photos/YPC-92XCE-2.jpg

choose one where you have slots for 6 credit cards, 3 on each side, two inside pockets under the slots (one on each side) for the business card of your lawer and stamps. Cash and your shopping list goes in the money pocket. Avoid wallets with a clear plastic window for your DL, it just adds more bulk.
Avoid any wallet with extra flip-out stuff, it adds bulk and you will feel like you are carrying a brick in your pocket.
Now for the change: get a little plastic change purse. It looks like a squashed egg, with a slot down the wide face. You squeeze it to open it and get change out. Whenever you pay for something, get your change out and try to give exact change, that way it will not build up.
It looks like this:
http://www.keychainworld.com/Imgs/256ChangePurse.jpg

For keys, I put them on a plain piece of ring, and then I tie a length of parachute cord or rope to the ring (8 inch long or so). That way the keys stay stuck in the pocket and will not fall out when you sit down.

I know you love amazon, but I got my last wallet, made of some sort of lizard skin, for $12 at an ocean state job lot store. The change purse is about a buck at the key counter at Lowes.
Good luck!

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:02 am 61. Ron W:

A tip for front pants pockets. Get the pants with the pocket cut into the pants with seperate material. Avoid the ones that are sewed onto the outside of the pants of the same material as the pants. They do not hold change when you sit.

Deep pockets are good. I like cargo pants for extra pockets to hold sunglasses, etc.

My cellphone, keys, camera, etc go on my belt.

To and from work I carry a backpack to hold books, lunch, CD player, TV, and anything else I need for the day and for the commute.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:03 am 62. Nick:

Actually, my girlfriend gives me a hard time over my pockets because they bulge a little with the things I carry. She’s joked that I should get a “man purse”. I refuse.

Anyway, I can’t carry “just a wallet”. I mean come on… I’m surprised you try. I carry a wallet (in the front pocket for precisely the reason you mention), my cell phone (in my pocket because clipping to my belt self identifies me as a geek too much), my keys in the other front pocket (gotta have those), and a second key chain with various tools (mini leatherman, USB key drive, mini LED flashlight). I actually use something on that extra tool chain every day. If I didn’t use something on that chain at least once a week, I’d take off that item.

The coin thing is tricky. My trick is to minimize the change I carry by never having more than $1 in change, and to put it in the bottom of the pocket and have my wallet on top of it. The wallet generally keeps my change from falling out.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:06 am 63. Aronamos:

Pockets, hell. I want to know why my husband’s trousers all have hefty, hardy metal zipperes and all of mine have these thin, fragile plastic ones. I’m not talking about on thin, cute little side-zip Mary Tyler Moore capris, either, but substantial winter trousers!

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:07 am 64. Pro Cynic:

Sorry, Dr. Helen, but I as a guy am jealous that you get the option of carrying a purse without having your sexuality questioned like we do. I’d much rather carry a purse than stuff everyhing I need in my pockets, where they not infrequently fall out, often without your knowledge. Between wallet, several sets of car keys, cell phone, sunglasses, iPod and occasionally handgun, I do not have pockets that can handle all of that.

And before anyone asks, no, I don’t leave that stuff in the car because they make targets for car thieves. And I take keys for multiple cars because when my house was burglarized several years ago, they took all the car keys I had left at home.

Short story long, some guys would prefer to carry a purse than stuff our stuff uncomfortably in our pockets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:16 am 65. Brian:

Here are some handy tips:

Deep Pockets: Some pants have deeper pockets than others. For instance, Lands End and LLBean pants tend to have pockets that are easily twice as deep as your average Levi’s.

Coins in one pocket, keys in the other. That way, when you pull out your keys, they don’t drag out the change with them.

Here’s my typical load:
Front right pocket: keys, tissue if I need one
Front left pocket: pen, handkerchief, pocket knife
Rear right pocket: wallet

Whenever possible, however, I keep my wallet in an inside jacket pocket. Also, keep in mind that a lifetime of carrying a bulging wallet in your back pocket my result in odd lower back pains. At least, that’s the urban legend I’ve heard.

- Brian

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:19 am 66. tyler h:

As a man i rarely have to carry much past id, cellphone and debit cards. When I do I resort to a jacket because i dont like to have big bulging pockets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:20 am 67. plutosdad:

Stamps? What do you need stamps for? Do women often find themselves in situations where they need to send out emergency mail? The stamps stay home in the drawer, that’s where I am when I send out mail, no need to carry any around.

Address book? That’s what a cell phone is for. Most cell phones have fields to enter more data on a contact than just the phone. Some people just carry around a pda, or a combo phone/pda. But address book? This is the 21st century! I use a rather small and light phone. I had a nice Treo once that broke the first time I dropped it, now it’s small, light, and cheap from now on.

In fact, you also don’t need most of the cards we carry around. I have plenty of cards that stay at home, ones I don’t use day to day.I used to think “I have to keep my library card/this card/that card in case I need to stop there” then realized I was never stopping in those places, and I only used one credit card day to day. And usually if I did it was a planned event “I’ll go to the library today” and I’ll just bring it that day. Keeping all those extra cards at home halved the thickness of my wallet. It’s safer too in case your wallet is stolen, only one credit card company to call.

You must let go! Re-evaluate again what you need and don’t need. You only went through one round, simplify more!

I keep my wallet in the front pocket, I think it makes it harder to steal. I have not really seen any studies done on this though.

Ok one of the benefits of going bald young is that I don’t need a comb or brush. So score one for me.

Change is rather annoying. But that’s a reason to use your credit card more often (especially if it’s a cash back one like mine) or else when I get home I just dump it in a bank. I find the change falling out phenomenon depends on which pants I’m wearing. Dress slacks have this problem more often than jeans.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:27 am 68. BigFire:

Regarding changes, go to a hardware store and buy a coin purse. It holds all of the loose change well enough.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:28 am 69. Slocum:

I usually carry just a wallet, cell-phone, and keys. When it’s colder, I tend to keep them in my jacket pockets. When it’s warmer, I usually wear cargo pants or shorts that have side pockets that are much better for carrying the wallet and phone than ‘normal’ pants (and, no, I don’t care about fashion). If I’m wearing a suit jacket or sports coat, the wallet and cell phone go in the breast pocket.

I find a wallet in the back pocket uncomfortable (and, of course, it’s not secure there). A few coins in a front pocket are OK, but if I end up with more than that, I leave them in a pile on the desk rather than carry them (and a lot of them end up in the car for meters). Occasionally I do carry a computer briefcase or backpack for work, but I never carry a bag otherwise.

No stamps, no chapstick, no checkbook, no address book — you really don’t need that stuff with you all the time (at least I don’t).

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:30 am 70. Richard of Oregon:

It seems like a person has need of two kinds of things to carry about- true both sexes. One set is money, credit cards and other good “stealables”. The other set is functional tools that we need in the course of a day – like umbrella’s, briefcases, etc. These are things that are valuable to us but have generally low “street value”. There, of course, is likey to be some overlap between these two groups, but hopefully it will be mostly manageable. One wallet takes care of the fgirst set, usually. This need to be attached to the person securely, leaving hands free. A real pocket in pants, shirt or jacket can do the job here. A fanny pack would serve as an add-on container. Most men have plenty of secure options in their clothing. Women less so, but noone forces women to wear pocketless appareal, clothing styles can and will follow demand. The other stuff can be carried in any sort of bag because it isn’t generally worth stealing and if stolen it’s an inconvenience not a trauma. Backpacks, large handbags, grocery bags, etc., all suffice.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:33 am 71. roux:

How do we do it? Large deep pockets…. all of my pants or shorts have deep pockets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:36 am 72. Bill Peschel:

At last, a subject I’m familiar with, although I don’t think I can help much.

Money: No coins. In general, I try not to carry any bills on me, either, because I’ll spend it on frivolous stuff, like Coke and candy.

Wallet: Rarely have I had a problem, but I suspect that’s because men’s pants are cut for them. Have you tried borrowing a men’s pants seeing if there’s a difference?

For anything else, I use a soft-sided attache bag (Land’s End makes a rugged one that’s held up well when I used to tote a laptop in it). Or else I just carry my papers and notebooks in hand.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:42 am 73. Mike:

Try this wallet; it’s what my wife uses.
http://flylady.net/pages/FlyShop_Wallet.asp

My wife does well without a purse. She uses coat pockets, dress pockets, car storage, etc. for lots of other things.

Putting extras of things in the car, office desk, etc., can cut down on things that have to be carried.

Then, there’s always the husband’s pants for extra storage when you’re out together.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:46 am 74. Crafty Hunter:

I have a wallet that has a small coin compartment with a zipper. On occasion it gets a bit too full, but the uncomfortable bulge is a quick reminder to dump the excess change at the next opportunity. It has worked well for me for years. I’m faced with the sad task of finding a similar replacement for it in the next year or four. I also wrap the wallet in a handkerchief, then with a few large rubber bands. This makes it harder for a pickpocket to simply slide the wallet out of my back pocket, but this is not a common practice amongst men as I understand it, and does make leaving a checkout counter a bit slower.

For extras, I’ve in recent years taken to wearing a fanny pack. Yes, I realise that this is much like a man purse, but what the hell. I also wear a cheap metal spring-loaded loop clip (you know what I mean, because they are everywhere) on my belt, to which is attached a nice dog collar from the dollar store, the other end of which in turn is attached to a clip on the fanny pack, to make a bit harder for the fanny pack to just fall off unnoticed from a broken plastic connector. The dog collar jingles, naturally. I may replace it with a noiseless looped polyester cord for that reason, one of these days. In the fanny pack, I keep such items as a small bottle of alcohol-based hand disinfectant, a roll of quarters in a plastic quarter container of the sort found at coin collector stores, paper towels, a calculator, etc. This all probably makes me look like a dork to the suave set, but I never did much care what idiots think of me with which to begin.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:50 am 75. rob collins:

Dr. Helen,

I guess my solution is a “man bag” of sorts. You see, I need to carry my laptop around, so I have a canvas timbuk2 laptop bag that is worn as a bike messenger would. I stuff it full of crap on some days: macbook, ipod, phone, wallet, keys, papers, writing implements, aspirin, nalgene water bottle. It’s (probably from a woman’s point of view) ugly as hell and can be heavy when the water bottle is in it.

Strapped across my body, velcroed and latched shut, on the streets of New York City, I never feel that someone will surreptitiously pilfer anything from it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:53 am 76. rob collins:

Oops, forgot the URL to timbuk2:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/laptop/

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:55 am 77. Andrea:

Agreed that purses are a burden. But then, where would my husband keep his wallet, keys & Blackberry? The first thing he says when we arrive somewhere is, “Put this in your purse” as he hands me his wallet/keys/Blackberry.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:01 am 78. missmanytoes:

I ditched the purse around 20 years ago. I recall carrying all sorts of stuff that I was convinced I needed. When I made the switch to just a wallet, I discovered all I really need is my 2 IDs, my 1 credit card, my debit card,my health insurance info, around $20 cash, a knife and a gun. Sometimes the wallet gets more cluttered like when I make a trip to Sams and forget to take the membership card out of it and my receipts can also make it fat if I don’t empty them out after a day or 2 or 3. I carry my wallet in my back pocket when I wear jeans which is most of the time. The other back pocket gets my cell phone (I hate carrying it on my waist and have broken quite a few cell phone holders before I figured out to put it in the other back pocket) For the most part, I don’t start a day out with change and any that gets collected goes into the right front pocket. The pocket knife occupies the left front pocket and the gun goes on the right hip. Other “essentials” such as personal grooming items stay at home/in the car/in my desk. Car keys went onto a clip and hang from a belt loop or get stuffed into one of the back pockets.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:02 am 79. Anonymous:

To David Thompson at 6:31am, you bet I like to carry around $100 or $200 with me all the time, and not to buy anything illegal. While I’m sure I could live on my debit and credit cards exclusively, I like having a better sense of how much money I’m spending and I still think service providers (waitstaff in diners, cab drivers, etc.) prefer cash tips. Also, to tell the truth, I don’t want Visa knowing exactly where I went yesterday, or how many coffees or beers I drank, or what books or medicine I bought. Again, not that I’m doing anything illegal (or even embarrassing), but data mining technology is so good that a little anonymity in this world isn’t a bad thing if you desire any privacy.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:04 am 80. Joe:

Why carry cash? My wife insists on always having some, but I haven’t needed cash in years. I carry a Visa debit card, and Mastercard and American Express credit cards and can’t recall the last time neither of these worked (my Amex has worked everywhere for the past year except one online vendor whose Amex processing process was down.)

For the record, I use a thin leather wallet I’ve had for at least twenty years (I can’t even remember where I bought it and haven’t found a nice replacement.) I learned to put it in my front pocket when traveling for security, but it also keeps my butt from getting sore on long trips and prevents cards from bending and/or breaking in half. I carry a driver’s license, above credit cards, library card, insurance card, a simple paper list of phone numbers and a Subway card.

I have exactly five keys, two of which are small, that I keep in my right pocket along with my grocery store key chain card a USB key I need for my job. That’s still too much, but I live with it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:08 am 81. UK Midlands reader:

In mens blazers and suit jackets, at least the better ones, there are extra pockets in the side pockets for change, keys etc. There are also extra inside pockets for mobile phone, theatre tickets you name it. Tailoring has changed to accomodate new gadgetry in trousers also.

Chinos are always a problem compared to jeans for change otherwise.

I don’t carry a wallet, I have a small case with a lid which opens and snaps shut for my cards. Cash is often unnecessary, where cards suffice. Most people in the UK do not carry large amounts of cash where it is seen as slightly suspect due to counterfeiting and association with illegal cash income such as drug dealing. Not to mention the risk factor of having it stolen or misplacing it. People line up at cash points for an evenings supply for drinking in bars, and the taxi home but apart from that…

People will take out money to show they have it when ordering drinks but you will never see it in plain sight of them on the bar while drinking as is commonplace in some American establishments.

I do have a shoulder bag for a laptop and books maybe a bottle of water, this is also a common sight.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:09 am 82. Fred:

I have to concur with the main advice above – if you are going to carry things in your pockets, you need to minimize what you carry. Also, you just need to accept that it may affect your clothing options. I prefer pleated pants to a certain extent because I normally load my pockets (wallet, keys, small pocket knife, comb, handkerchief, a little change). Cell phone and pocket watch (I hate wrist watches!) go on the belt. I don’t wear close fitting pants, nor do I worry about bulges under the jacket at the waistline. This lack of concern for fine lines and dressing right may be a “guy thing”, but there it is – putting stuff in your pockets will make them bulge, and it is noticeable for those who care. I just don’t know too many guys who do.

Oh, and watch the keys – too many keys on the ring, and it will wear the pockets out from the inside rather quickly. Not to mention poking you in uncomfortable places when you sit down.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:12 am 83. JD:

Ugh, spare change is terrible, and I refuse to carry it. I place it on the counter, or in the cup holder of the car, and transfer it to a giant mug once I get home.

As far as carrying ‘other things’ its mostly an issue of how many pockets you have and what you can do without.

Your typical guy can get by with carrying 3 things: wallet in one pocket, keys in another, cell phone in a 3rd.

You should have a 4th pocket open for pepper spray, pocket knife, concealed weapon, etc.

I ruthlessly prune out my wallet to make it as slim as possible. No spare receipts, no coupons, no coins, no unnecessary plastic cards. I do keep a spare car key in there though. And a stamp or two.

Same with the key chain: only the keys I absolutely need, and a couple of the reduced size key chain sized plastic cards. I’ve seen people with about 30 keys on their keychain: why? I have house keys, car key, post office box key.Other keys stay at home on separate key chain until I need them.

The cellphone/blackberry takes care of all your addressbook or notepad or memo needs.

Gloves? If it’s cold enough for gloves I have a coat, Put one glove in each coat pocket when not in use. Or slide them down the sleeve if they’re really bulky. Hats and scarves go there too.

Chapstick? Typically only needed (at least by me) when it’s cold outside, so it goes in a coat pocket as well.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:14 am 84. mvargus:

Wallet (back pocket) – less than $40 cash, debit & credit card, ID, grocery store discount cards.

Keys (front pocket) – car door, car engine and house. Others stay at home on alternate keychains

Cell Phone (thigh pocket if available, otherwise opposite front pocket from keys) – its a small Samsung flip phone.

Change (front pocket w/ keys) – never more than $1.00, always dumped in change bowl when I arrive home.

anything else either stays home, or if I’m going on a daytrip where I’ll need additional items I have an ammo carry bag purchased from an Army Surplus store that’s perfect for carrying most small items. But the bag mostly is used to carry my lunch into work, or to carry rabbits on trips to friends houses.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:28 am 85. Ardsgaine:

Here’s how I (a guy) manage. When I go out of the house, I am usually carrying the following:

cell phone
sun glasses
reading glasses in case
wallet
key chain (w/blinker, four keys, p-38, and four retail membership cards)

That’s a lot to stuff in your pockets. I wear cargo pants a lot. I never carry change. If I get change, it goes into the little compartment in my dash. I can’t stand sitting on a wallet. I read once that it causes back problems, and I believe that. When I get into my van, the wallet goes into the floor or cup holder, as does the cell phone, since it would be inaccessible in my pocket with the seatbelt across it. That means I have to remember to gather my stuff when I get out of the van.

Ditch the purse if you like, but don’t expect the alternative to be ideal.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:28 am 86. Dr. Kenneth Noisewater:

Two words:

Cargo Pants.

Also, mens’ jackets tend to have inside breast pockets which are very handy for wallets and cellphones, but for ladies, they’d probably chafe…

Not to mention we just don’t tote all that much stuff around in the first place. Wallet, keys, phone, and possibly medication, is basically it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:32 am 87. Bill:

I keep cash in a pocket, seperate from my wallet, minimal change (a holdover from payphone days), a set of keys and identification in a wallet. Wallet can stay in jacket until needed. Cell phone in breast pocket of jacket.

Occassionally a small pocket knife.

That’s it.

The keys double as a weapon should I need them too.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:36 am 88. Mark Buehner:

Never wear a fanny pack (unless you have matching hot pants), never carry a change purse (unless you are over 80 and buying rock candy for your grandchildren), and certainly, under no circumstances, ever strap anything to your belt. There’s only one batman, and even he didnt have his cellphone in a holster.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:41 am 89. rep:

The only things a woman really needs are her passport, credit card and lipstick. These fit quite easily into any pair of 5-pocket jeans. Everything else can be borrowed.

Apr 1, 2008 - 9:59 am 90. Wearyman:

I think the big difference is that while Women will want to carry as much as possible with them, Men prefer to have storage areas to stash the stuff they might need. Most Men use their cars.

Which is why you end up with the stereotypical guy with a zillion things in his car glove compartment (and the passenger floorpan, and the back seat, and the trunk, etc.) but only a thin wallet and cell phone in his pockets. The Stereotypical Woman, on the other hand, will have a car that is as neat as a pin (other than perhaps a box of tissues and some hand sanitizer in the glove compartment) and will carry around a massive cargo bag/purse full of everything under the sun.

I think you, as other have said, need to simplify and prioritize. Do you REALLY need to carry around a box of band-aids, 3 pens, Purell, hand cream, 15 types of makeup, a change purse, 2 half-chewed packs of gum, various random bits of candy and mints, a mini-pack of tissues and a checkbook-sized wallet? I don’t think so. The MOST you should need is a trifold wallet, a cell phone, and your keys. Keep extra makeup in your car and your office desk if you must, along with all the various other sundries you might need.

When shopping for clothes, intentionally look for pants with extra pockets, or those “hidden” pockets (pockets that start along a seam, so that when they are closed you don’t see them) or zippered pockets. Also, coats are your friends. Be sure to buy coats with good, flap-over covers, preferably ones that have Velcro or snap closes.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:02 am 91. Why Am I Hesitant to Post This? [Dan Collins]:

[...] Dr. Helen, in an interesting post about why she’s ditching her purse, asks the following (not rhetorical) question: And are there any other man-traits that might make women’s lives easier? Help me out, guys! [...]

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:28 am 92. njcommuter:

I’m a guy. I probably carry enough in my pockets to fill a small purse: wallet, multi-tool, miniature tape measure (which I should retire) car keys, chapstick, pennies–one front pocket. Checkbook, calendar/phone book (other front pocket). Several handkerchiefs (especially during allergy season) in one rear pocket, change in the other. (Pennies are hard to tell from dimes by feel, so they go in a front pocket.) I like to have at least $3 in change, mostly so that I can operate coin-op machines without having to hunt up a bag of stuff.

I also use my breast pockets for a small pad (which often carries some my next prescription for regular meds) a small cellphone (I used to have a large one for my wallet) and various other stuff, like eyeglass
wipes. This is probably not a good option for the ladies.

Note that the trouser pockets are all the kind made with a sack of white fabric, rather than patch pockets, which are good for very little.

A hint on wallets: different kinds are more or less effective in using space. I like the bifolds that hinge on the long side. They are a hard to find. I don’t carry any pictures there (except for the one on the driver’s license). There are very slim wallets made, and they work when you don’t put too much in them. When travelling (rare) I’ll use one for one credit card and a stack of traveller’s cheques, and tuck it behind the checkbook (which is in a large leather wallet–deliberate, to make it too hard to dip).

On the larger question of women defining themselves by how they look: really understanding that would redefine feminism, and probably society. I don’t know if we are ready for it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:29 am 93. Rob in Kansas:

I carry my wallet in my left front pocket. My cell phone is on my belt just above that pocket.
My checkbook (with a leather cover)is in my left back pocket. On the belt on the right side is a small leatherman multitool. Next to it is a spring clip that holds my key ring. Right front pocket is one of those plastic coin holders. In the watch pocket just above the right front pocket, I have a metal pill container with my lactase pills, in case I decide to have pizza for lunch. The Right rear pocket is kept clear for temporary use, ie- keeping a receipt until I get home. Most of the time I’m wearing basic blue jeans.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:30 am 94. Pat:

Men’s slacks also often have shallow, slanted pockets that cause loose change to fall out when you sit down. But that problem is easily solved by putting your change into a small, flat leather coin purse. The leather grips the pocket lining enough to keep it from falling out.

I don’t carry a man-purse. I wear cargo pants so that I have enough pockets for the essential stuff (wallet, coin purse, keys, smart phone, Swiss Army knife). And I carry a backpack to and from work. The backpack is primarily for my laptop, my lunch, and any work-related papers that I’m carrying, but it has numerous smaller pockets that I use for stuff that I like to keep handy but doesn’t have to be on my person (USB flash drive, digital camera, credit card case, checkbook). My MP3 player, which is fairly bulky (it’s a 30GB Zune), migrates between a pants pocket and the backpack, depending on how much I am using it that day.

Cargo pants are important not because they have a greater total pocket volume (although that is certainly a good thing), but because they let me separate items into different pockets. My Zune and smart phone both have screens that could be scratched, so I don’t want them sharing a pocket with my keys or my knife.

My wallet contains only the cards I absolutely have to have with me: driver’s license, debit card, Blue Cross/Blue Shield card, AAA membership card, that sort of thing. All other cards are in the credit card case in my backpack.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:40 am 95. Darwin:

I skateboard, so I *hate* having change in my pockets. But I’m too cheap to forgo change entirely, so I only take the quarters and leave the rest of the change on the counter. Using this method, I almost never leave more than $.15 behind, and don’t have my pockets full of effectively worthless change. When I have a quarter or two in my pocket, I use the quarters to pay fractionals, leaving the lower change again.

Some incredibly frugal (even compared to my extreme frugality) people may disagree with this policy. A back-of-the-envelope puts the absolute value of the change “lost” to this technique in the realm of money I don’t care about. The peace of mind is worth it to me. And extra pocket space for my phone, chapstick, floss, eyeglass cloth, lighter, earplugs and keys doesn’t hurt, either!

=darwin

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:41 am 96. Ken Hahn:

I think the key to women’s dilemma is in the Sephora story. Most men don’t carry makeup. By the time you add up lipstick or chapstick, compact, mascara, eyeliner, tweezers, nail polish, nail file, emory board, etc. or a subset thereof, you have overwhelmed pockets. If you don’t include makeup you can make do with pockets. If you must carry it, stick with a purse.

Men generally don’t mind some bulge in their pockets, women generally do. Anything you put in pockets will bulge to some extent. The tighter the clothes the greater the bulge. Most men are good at ignoring such things when looking at women. Most women aren’t. If you dress to impress men, you can relax more than dressing to impress women. My best guess is that this is the reason it is rare to find functional pockets in women’s garments.

If you still want to put your stuff in your pockets, I’ll give you my inventory. I don’t like to sit on things so I save my hip pockets for temporary items that I will remove as soon as possible. I have wallet and change in the right front. I carry more change than most commenters but only a couple of dollars at the most. Bus fare and snack machines got me into the habit. Keys, lighter, nail clippers, comb and cell phone in the left front. Pen and any paper items in the shirt pocket.

When I was riding the bus every day, I carried a book bag. I could cram books, magazines, newspapers and my lunch in it. It was useful but a pain.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:48 am 97. Pat:

Regarding spare change: I carry very little of it with me, and I don’t have a receptacle at home that I dump the extra into. I limit the change by looking for opportunities to get rid of it, either by putting it into a vending machine or by paying for a small purchase with the exact amount in cash. This enables me to get rid of coins as often as I receive them. I almost never have more than four pennies.

There’s no clutter in my car at all except in the glove compartment or in a milk crate in the trunk (which contains jumper cables, extra fluids, and a few tools). I don’t leave anything on the seats or the floor when I get out.

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:50 am 98. SwissArmyD:

bottom line? what is it that you NEED to carry? I have a swiss army knife on my belt because I use it all the time [see username] it actually includes a pen, don’cha know. Wallet and keys… sometimes a cell.

Do you actually NEED anything else? What’s the 80% solution? If you spend a lot of time going between home and work, why do you need food? How often do you need chapstick? Truthfully I could rely on my wallet alone, since it has a spare key in it.

This totally used to drive my ex- crazy… but then she gloried in making me carry her purse like a sherpa. Actually I treated it with the disdain of roadkill, because that is what that bag of bricks deserves.

“I don’t want to worry that I don’t have something with me…”

Why worry, are you traversing the wilds of Mongolia? Sure, when I’m going to be traversing wilds, I carry a full pack with spares for any contingency, BECAUSE it’s the wilds. Where help is FAR.

Oddly enough my ex- and other girlfriends always complained that I pack too much to hike, and they don’t WANT to carry a purse then. Wha? You could actually break a leg, and be miles from help.

Meanwhile, when there is a starbucks on every corner, your are always close to shelter, so why worry?

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:52 am 99. Dan Collins:

I recommend you invest in one of these, Helen. All the guys are wearing them!

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:52 am 100. Isabel:

Yea, but without a purse, where the heck am I supposed to put my gun?

Apr 1, 2008 - 10:58 am 101. Freeman:

After moving to a big city, I too resolved to simplify the carry-arounds and switched from a full sized wallet to a small front-pocket model with money clip. It holds 6 cards (two credit cards plus ID’s and health card), plus the folding money.

Coins are the enemy. Unless you need them for vending machines or parking meters, leave them home. period. Spend using cards when possible. From cash transactions, dump out any acquired coins daily into a small jar. To avoid them piling up, take them to the CoinStar machine at the grocery weekly or monthly–as Dr Helen has previously pointed out, there is no fee for this if you take the money as an Amazon gift card instead of cash.

If you take trips to countries where coins are simply unavoidable (most european ones, for instance, have coins worth $3-5 apiece, not bills), or you have to have them for meters or vending, then it can be worth getting a small coin pouch.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:01 am 102. Pat:

Oh, I forgot to add: If I know I’m going to need extra pocket space — for example, if I’ll be walking around at a science fiction convention or a trade show all day — I’ll wear a fisherman’s vest over my T-shirt. That provides all the extra pockets I can possibly need. These are the same vests that you see photojournalists wearing on field assignments, for the same reason. I don’t typically need to wear my vest more than a couple of times a year, but on those occasions when I need it, I really need it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:08 am 103. baldilocks:

Putting things in my pockets make already curvy area look curvier, something I really don’t need. I’ll stick with a purse–or a back pack.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:08 am 104. baldilocks:

Putting things in my pockets makes already curvy areas

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:09 am 105. Dan Collins:

Panniers, Juliette?

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:10 am 106. bitsy:

My husband’s trick is to ask me to carry all that extra stuff in MY purse! So I suppose you could find yourself a wife with a purse who’s willing to carry the camera, GPS, Purell, Altoids, and your sunglasses for you, or get yourself a more practical purse.

Find one made of a durable, washable material, that has zipper pockets and an adjustable shoulder strap. It is also nice if it is water-proof. Wear the strap over your shoulder so the bag rests comfortably on your opposite hip; this way you can get into it easily and never need to take it off so it never gets lost and is hard to grab. Dickies and Timbuk2 are two brands that have worked well for me. They come in tons of colors.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:13 am 107. Sameer Parekh:

On the question of how do you carry stuff around? You don’t. You just ask a woman when you need something.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:17 am 108. RebeccaH:

I stopped carrying a purse when I retired, for the very same reasons you cited, Dr. Helen. I don’t need to haul along everything I can cram into a bag. Now I refuse to buy clothing without pockets for a wallet, a small, fold-up brush (available in any big box drug store), my keys, my fold-up reading glasses, and a cell phone. Anything else I need I keep in the car. Occasionally, if I’m out with my husband or going somewhere special, I’ll slip in a tube of lipstick, and sacrifice one of the other items if I need to. If I’m traveling any distance that requires more, I have a small back pack. It’s been incredibly freeing to realize I don’t need as much as I thought I did.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:33 am 109. TmjUtah:

I always have wallet, smart phone, single key ring with belt loop clip, folding pocket knife, Gerber combo tool, and a concealed firearm + extra magazine(s) where it’s legal. I carry a .311″ diameter rifle projectile for checking the muzzles of rifles I am interested in buying and a set of foam earplugs in my coin pocket.

If I’m traveling in an acknowledged tourist and /or high crime /threat evironment, I will upgrade my wardrobe to include a vest, sport coat, or even a fanny pack or soft side case in order to upgrade my weapon/ammo load. Travelling usually means a laptop, so travel conveniences go in the shoulder bag.

I find cleaning the wallet out weekly to be essential. There’s no need to carry more than a dollar in coin, or more than twenty in cash. Inside there is one debit card, one emergency credit card, DL/CCWP, laminated card with thumbnail medical info and ICE contacts on it…and slim copies of my truck and house keys because I’ve lost the keys before. Oh, and one of the keys on the ring is actually a magnesium blank used for fire starting. I’ve never had a problem with TSA. Yet.

The smart phone covers a lot of ground, but it’s not GPS capable. The next one will be. I have a compass on my watch.

Mrs. Tmj says if I put on one more belt pouch, I’m authrorized my choice of a cape or sidekick.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:37 am 110. baldilocks:

Panniers, Juliette?

They’re genetic.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:38 am 111. Vic:

As many have said, think about what you truly need and the rest is superfluous. I carry a money clip in my front pocket that contains my ID, debit card and $50 in cash. In my other pocket reside my keys on a 2 piece key ring so a valet will only receive my car key and nothing else. The cell phone is what I have trouble with. Unless I’m wearing a jacket or shirt with a pocket, it gets placed nowhere comfortably.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:40 am 112. David:

BTW – if you’re buying good pants it is well worth it to get the bottoms of the front pockets reinforced with extra material (inside the pants of course) – it is an inexpensive way of keeping keys and coins from tearing the pockets.

The many comments about “change management” are interesting. It must just come naturally to the male of the species, I’ve always just done it naturally because it speeds things up at the register to hand over bills + “just over the amount” of change.

Note that if you’re interested in checkout speed, you don’t want to fuss with exact change. You want to hand the cashier a couple of coins which are “just over” the amount.

Coin purses! Bleech. Nothing is slower than standing behind a person who is fishing in the bottom of an enormous, full, purse for a coin wallet, followed by the long wait for that person to count out the exact change.

(Note that I use the word “person” in the previous sentence to avoid being criticized for using the accurate, but politically incorrect, word “woman”.)

Apr 1, 2008 - 12:09 pm 113. Swen Swenson:

All the guys are wearing them!

Okay Dan, we’re going to need pictures of that.. Oh, and someone willing to look at them ,8^}

I find that wallet, money clip, phone, keys, and various deadly accessories all fit in my pockets just fine.

Frankly, skip the makeup and dab a drop of Hoppe’s #9 behind your ear. We’ll follow you anywhere.

Apr 1, 2008 - 12:22 pm 114. triviaqueen:

I second the recommendation for the FlyLady wallet!

Apr 1, 2008 - 12:33 pm 115. Bruce Rheinstein:

Thin billfold and small comb in my left front pocket. Keys in my right front pocket. Everything else, including my cell phone, generally doesn’t need to travel with me. If I do need it, the cell phone is small and slides in next to my wallet.

Apr 1, 2008 - 1:03 pm 116. JC:

I’m one of those guys that carries a backpack. Then again, I usually have two or three books that I’m reading over lunch or breaks, a portable radio for listening to baseball games or CDs for during work and the drive home, a small first aid kit, spare batteries for the radio, breakfast and occasionally lunch, and if it was legal in this state, a gun for concealed carry. I suppose I’ve taken the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared” to heart.

As it is, my pockets usually have change, a lens cloth, pocketknife, cellphone, rosary and other assorted stuff for my day. I like keeping my mind occupied in between bursts of work-related work, so this stuff helps.

Apr 1, 2008 - 2:19 pm 117. Jeff the Baptist:

“The trifold you picked is thicker and less efficient than a bifold wallet”

While bifolds are thinner, I’ve always found it very difficult to fit them in a pocket. Maybe I’ve been too thin for most of my life, but cramming a bifold into my back pocket is often impossible.

I also very rarely find myself sitting on my wallet. Because of how my pants fit, my wallet generally ends up beside my butt, not under it.

Apr 1, 2008 - 2:33 pm 118. PersonFromPorlock:

“Men seem calmer than women, and maybe not having to keep up with a purse 24/7 is part of the reason.”

A side issue, I know, but we men are ‘calmer’ because we’re more aggressive by nature: there are many practical reasons for sitting firmly on our inner Orc.

Apr 1, 2008 - 3:13 pm 119. Helen:

I’ve got a little canvas thingamabob with a large hook that I attach to a loop on my jeans. The little canvas thingie is always in front of me, and my hand is right there. Do I have handbags? Heck yeah. I no longer walk with them cuz that long strap is always falling off of my shoulder, dagnabbit! Convenience? Yep. I hear my keys jingling cuz the large hook also serves as a keychain. No longer do I have to dig in a damn purse for my wallet or keys. I like men and I like freedom.

Apr 1, 2008 - 4:06 pm 120. bfwebster:

A few more updates:

– Change. I get rid of change as fast as possible. If I’m paying cash for something and have change, I’ll use it if it reduces my net amount of change. Every evening, I dump any change I have in a nice carved wooden dish (with lid) I picked up on a trip to Costa Rica. My 21-year-old daughter does a good job of, uh, recycling that change. When I’m travelling, I dump change into the front zipper pouch that all of my briefcases and shoulder bags have.

– Cash. I like having $20-$100 in cash in my wallet. It’s useful because I often have heavy periods of travel and so have to have money for tips, taxis, etc.

– Comb and handkerchief: back right pocket.

– Pants: jeans, of various manufacturers. Pretty much I wear jeans or suits.

– Cellphone/PDA (I have a Palm Treo; hoping to upgrade to an iPhone). I usually leave the phone in the car except for those relatively infrequent occasions where both my wife and I are out together but are splitting up (to shop at different stores, etc.). If I take my cell phone with me, I usually stick it in my back left pocket, unless I’m going to be sitting somewhere, in which case I’ll stick it in my shirt pocket (it’ll fit behind my Butxon index card holder).

– Car: contra the post above, it’s my wife who fills up the car with, uh, stuff, particularly the storage compartment between the two front seats. I periodically empty out that compartment into a large plastic tray, throw out the obvious trash, and let her decide what to put back into the car. ..bruce..

Apr 1, 2008 - 4:12 pm 121. Sarah:

I like having a purse; it makes me feel like a professional adult, and it means not worrying about how much stuff I have and whether or not my chapstick is melted. Having to carry a twenty dollar bill wrapped around a credit card and my driver’s license, with my car and house keys in the other pocket? I had to put up with that when I worked at Disneyland; along with cute shoes and clothes I pick for myself, a purse very firmly says “You’re not in Critter Country anymore.”

Now, mind, I have the smallest purse I could buy, and when I got a cell phone again I had to pick three or four things to ditch, and I don’t use any cards to pay for anything. “Your mileage may vary” is a beautiful phrase.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:00 pm 122. Chuck Pelto:

TO: Dr. Helen
RE: How I Do It

Keys go in pockets. A couple of Hall’s cough drops. Loose change, which isn’t very much, go there to. Along with billfold and checkbook.

[Note: Checkbooks are superior to credit/debit cards. Especially in light of the Tom Clancy approaches identity-thieves are using to infiltrate grocery store computers. See The Bear and the Dragon for an example.]

Pockets, dear Doctor. Pockets. I generally don’t wear a business suit. I wear civilianized battle dress trousers and vests with lots of pockets. Indeed, if I looked any gruffer, I could be mistaken for a Protector.

But I recall my two suits have five pockets in the coats and two in the vests.

[1] Stamps? Who needs stamps? I pay my bills from my house.
[2] Make-up? I don’t use it.
[3] Food? Don’t we have eateries or vending machines just about everywhere? Certainly within walking distance. Then there’s always the glove compartment or between seats console of the car. If I’m going very far away from any of those, I pack a ruck-sack….and web-gear and some forms of long and hand-guns.

Speaking of guns, a purse is a great place to carry such, provided you have a CCW permit to go along with it.

Bottom line here is I don’t care what people think of what I wear. As long as I’m not messy nor obscene. And therein lies the proverbial difference betwixt men and women and utility.

Regards,

Chuck(le)
[Fashions are induced epidemics. -- George Bernard Shaw]

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:16 pm 123. Carlos:

I just don’t carry change anymore. Stopped taking pennies on New Years Day 2001; stopped taking nickels in 2005, stopped taking dimes last year. Total cost to me is probably under $10 per year.

Quarters go in a little rubber change purse in my car console, for parking meters.

But who handles cash these days anyway? Even McDonalds, my barber, and finally the pollo stand on Lee Highway gave in and started accepting credit cards.

Opened up a whole free pocket for the Kel-Tec.

Apr 1, 2008 - 5:59 pm 124. Gregory:

Holy smokes! When I started commenting, there wasn’t a whole lot of activity here, but now!

Doc, I think you’ve got a whole lot of advice, enough so’s you can pick and choose. But I’ll add in a bit more.

If you ever travel out of the USA, or intend to make it a regular affair, then you need to get into the habit of carrying cash. $200 is a good start (carry around USD200 in equivalent local currencies is usually overkill). Reason is, not every street vendor and/or eating establishment overseas will accept cards (for that matter most smaller shops won’t, either). And some places, ATMs are few and far in between.

Belts are meant to be used to hang stuff off. For men, anyway. If you really need a flashlight, where better?

And yes, Mums get treated as walking repositories and storage spaces. This is quite standard, I believe, and mostly unavoidable.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:37 pm 125. TAF:

First off, you should have no house keys. I long ago replaced the door locks with mechanical pushbutton locks (no keyhole to pick, no battery to die). That way the keys can’t be stolen or duplicated by someone, and I can never be locked out of the house. I strongly encourage everyone to make this change. One less thing to carry…and if you have people who need to access your house, go the electronic lock route of the sort that can be programmed to give them access during certain times and not others; just make sure the battery is always fresh.

Observations on my standard loadout:
Front left pocket – wallet (Filson packer)
Front right pocket – handkerchief; plus chap stick, swiss army pocket knife, inhaler
Breast pocket – Levenger International pocket briefcase
Left belt – cell phone (Blackberry…makes a dandy PDA)
Right belt – Surefire U2 in custom horizontal holster (this has literally saved my life a number of times)
Right belt behind the flashlight on the belt loop – clip with my car keys
Left back pocket – change until I can dump it in the car/desk/home

Three seasons I have a jacket which has my sunglasses and reading glasses (and cell phone); in summer, I hate to admit it but I tend to carry a very small bag over my shoulder or clipped to my belt with the glasses in it (and some kleenex…summer is allergy season).

I will note that I intentionally buy my clothes one size larger than might be proper fashion, because I like things loose and comfortable (also great for CCW). Pants with deep pockets get the nod (JC Penny St. Johnsbury are great). Shirts are measured by their pocket size (if the Levenger thing won’t fit, I don’t buy the shirt).

When traveling, that’s a different story…a backpack gets added (camera, laptop, etc).

For CCW, I recommend Thunderwear.

Apr 1, 2008 - 6:45 pm 126. J. Otto Tennant:

My “purse” is a sport coat or a suit coat. Miscellaneous things go in to the extra pockets.

A week or so ago, the WSJ had a little article about purses and pockets. The writer suggested that putting stuff in women’s pockets affected the appearance of the garment. The writer was correct, but it does not change the danger of carrying a purse. As a mystery novel author observed in one of her recent novels, if you carry your house keys and a driver’s license in your purse, the thief knows which house to rob and how to get in.

On the other hand, if all your purse contains is cosmetics and maybe tampons, it is no risk if you lose it; except for the cost of the purse.

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:11 pm 127. Terri King:

Helen –

I have NEVER carried a purse. When in college, I carried a backpack. If I have to now, I carry a rolling computer bag. But I always carry a little 6″X3.5″ zipper pouch that holds cards, drivers license, cash – even my Blackberry if necessary. It fits into my front or back pocket nicely and carries just what I need.

If not, the cards and cash always fit into the pocket just by themselves.

Terri

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:12 pm 128. gsarcs:

My wife made me a suede wallet to my specs. It had to be the length and width of a credit card when folded together, pockets on each side to hold the following items: two credit cards (Amex, MC) one ATM/debit card, drivers license, costco card, AAA card, insurance card, and health insurance card. With those cards I have identity, license to drive, buy stuff, get emergency cash, call my insurance company in case of an accident, get towed if the vehicle breaks down, and get readily admitted to any hospital should the situation arise. She will fold a fiver, or a tenner, or a twenty into the wallet periodically because “I should carry cash.” That cash gets spent when she asks if I have any cash on hand. The wallet is usually left in the vehicle (out of sight)and I only carry it if I have a specific reason to use one of the cards. Otherwise it is strictly keys and my cellphone. Do you really need anything else?

Apr 1, 2008 - 7:15 pm 129. TAF:

That would be JC Penny St. Johns Bay.

Oops…

Apr 1, 2008 - 8:09 pm 130. AP:

I hate carrying a handbag or a wallet and only carry them if I’m out for an evening and need make-up stuff and a comb. I always wear trousers with pockets and either a sweater or blazer with big pockets. Cash goes in the trouser pockets, keys in the jacket/sweater pockets. If I am traveling and need to bring a passport, I use a fanny pack, otherwise, I use a tiny bag by Bagellini that either clips onto a belt loop or gets slung across the chest. It holds phone, two cards, license and chapstick.

Apr 1, 2008 - 11:38 pm 131. Dennis:

How do I just carry a wallet? My wife has all the things I need in her purse!

Apr 2, 2008 - 2:47 am 132. Different River:

I have wallet that has a coin pocket in it. These are kind of hard to find (except in Europe), but they exist, and I wouldn’t use a wallet without one.

For a calendar/planner, you can make a very tiny one using http://pocketmod.com — you select the pages you want, print it on letter-sized paper, then cut and fold according to the instructions to make a little booklet that’s slightly smaller than 1/8 the size of a letter-sized page. I keep this in a shirt pocket, but you could keep it in a wallet if you like.

My problem is the “big stuff” that won’t fit in a wallet — things like reading glasses. That’s why pants have two pockets, but sometimes there’s still too much stuff.

Apr 2, 2008 - 5:49 am 133. SayUncle » Agreed:

[...] with Phelps, women just carry too much shit. Not counting clothing, on my person as we speak are the [...]

Apr 2, 2008 - 6:23 am 134. AndyMS:

Something that I would advise to just about anyone is one of the newer Swiss Army knives. Mine has, aside from the knife, a flashlight, scissors, screwdriver/file, pen, and 1 GB jump drive. The entire thing fits on my keychain. The pen has saved me many times at restaurants when the waiter forgets to give me a pen for the receipt or it’s out of ink. The flashlight has been running off the same battery for two years now and is surprisingly bright.

Apr 2, 2008 - 6:56 am 135. Martya:

Carrying a purse speaks to a core female weakness, vanity. You carry a purse because you do not want to spoil your natural female lines (no matter how cow like they may be) and you carry in your purse an excessive amount of gear and chemicals to adjust your mask.
Deceit is another core female weakness. You may dress to emphasize your fine looking rack or rear end and then get very edgy when some one other than those for whom the display was intended, notices or comments.
Another weakness is that you are willing to pay outrageous amounts for this season’s wardrobe, often created by a tinkerbell who hates females. My wife, who used to sew a lot, often points out the poor quality of women’s clothing (it only has to last a season or two) and the high quality of men’s clothing.
Try a men’s recycled clothing shop and buy a tweed jacket, one with inside and outside pockets. With some careful planning and a calculated reduction in cargo, it should work. It will help to put things in the same pocket every time.
Of course, you may look a little lumpier and a little butcher.

Apr 2, 2008 - 7:26 am 136. rjschwarz:

I think it’s time some enterprising person created a modern, stylish, Sporran. Small enough like a micro purse, it could keep your kilt, er skirt, from blowing up in the wind, and your valuables are attached, close, and somewhat protected.

Apr 2, 2008 - 7:47 am 137. CavalierX:

My pockets normally contain a set of keys, a flash drive, my wallet, a handkerchief and (of course) my gun. For work purposes (computer tech), I carry a gym bag with a couple of sets of tools, a screwdriver which doubles as a flashlight, a Swiss Army knife, some pens, a CD wallet with work-related software, a book and something to drink. My cellphone is on my belt. That’s about it.

Apr 2, 2008 - 8:15 am 138. AndrewJ:

I hate having too much stuff in my pockets. They bump while I walk.

I carry:

Wallet in back right pocket. When my spider-sense tingles, I hook my thumb in there. I live in the ‘burbs, and it’s not that big a deal. I’ve also lived in Philadelphia and spent extensive time in NY, and never had my wally lifted. Guess I’m lucky. I use a trifold but pare down to the necessities regularly. Rarely have cash in it.

Keys, in left front pocket. ‘natch.

I keep my phone in my jacket pocket or shirt pocket, because I *HATE* keeping things in my right front pocket. It just gets in the way there. During the summer, I either wear cargo shorts or loose-fitting jeans. The only thing I ever keep in my RFP is my iPod, when I use it, or sometimes chapstick, but only during the winter, and I just as often put in in a coat pocket.

My wife gets by with a wristlet or a very small purse most of the time. She is very disciplined about policing it.

Apr 2, 2008 - 9:11 am 139. Harpoon:

There’s an page on Flickr called “the items we carry” — people take photos of all the stuff they habitually carry, nicely laid out.
http://flickr.com/photos/tags/theitemswecarry/
You can view it as a slideshow via a link on the page. What I found interesting was how little some people carry. I put wallet, keys, and folding knife in my pockets, and also carry a messenger bag that’s packed with useful and useless things. I’m going to try to cut back now…

Apr 2, 2008 - 10:39 am 140. BillK:

A purse cannot compliment a wardrobe, since a compliment is an utterance. A purse can complement a wardrobe, however. (Did you really get a doctorate someplace?)

Apr 2, 2008 - 11:39 am 141. TimB:

The heck with what we think.

My wife *swears* by this thing:

http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages/bxtbg_ontv.html?gid=

It’s small yet big and pretty pick-proof.

Apr 2, 2008 - 11:41 am 142. Chuck Pelto:

TO: TimB
RE: In the Army….

….we referred to those things as fag-bags. Usually carried by staff pukes to hold maps, grease-pencils, OPORDs, etc.

The distaff has something like it. She uses it, instead of a purse for all day ‘outings’, i.e., trips to the state fair, or other such events/activities.

Regards,

Chuck(le)
P.S. It too, looks good for holding a ladies personal protection weapons system….along with several additional clips.

Apr 2, 2008 - 12:45 pm 143. SteveWe:

How do guys get by with just a wallet and a couple of pockets? Easy! We don’t carry a bunch of non-essential stuff. You mentioned carrying chapstick, stamps, address book, pepper spray, food, gloves and spare change. Put the chapstick in the car box. If you need a stamp, buy them at the PO or the grocery. Address book can be in your cell phone or PDA. Pepper spray is easily trumped by martial art training. Food is available on sale everywhere. Gloves in the glove box or your pocket. Spare change you can pocket or give away.

My pockets have a comb, glasses in a case, keys (minimized to house and car), change (use it to pay; don’t accumulate it), a kleenex or a handkerchief, cell phone, and wallet.

My wallet has two credit cards, an ATM card, driver’s license, triple-A card, a pocket-lens, my health insurance card, my MD’s business card, a BlockBuster card, a few of my business cards, maybe a dry cleaner receipt, and a few twenties and smaller bills. Thickness is 0.75″.

Pockets in women’s clothing are different that in men’s. Check out Glenn’s front trouser pockets. They extend back of the rear opening creating a cup that keeps change from falling out while sitting. Women’s pockets are straight down from the front and rear edge of the opening — cheaper to fabricate, but useless as a pocket .

As to pockets not even being in some women’s slacks, etc., it’s because pockets add bulk to the silhouette and we know that women don’t take kindly to that.

My sense is that if you have more to carry than what will fit in your two cupped hands, you have too much junk that should either be in the car or, if really need at the moment, can be bought nearly anywhere.

Apr 2, 2008 - 1:44 pm 144. Deborah:

Helen, I’m with you! Years ago I got fed up with carrying a purse especially at the mall. I’ve had a tailor put inside pockets(like a man’s suit) with a zipper into nearly every blazer I own! I had them make my pocket big enough to hold my passport, and took the wallet I wanted to carry with me to show the tailor. I stow money, my phone, and my wallet in it. It wasn’t expensive to have done either.

NO-one expects a womens blazer or jacket to have that nifty little inside pocket. I loved having it when I was in Europe.I called it my security pocket. ;-D

I use my pants pockets too, but love my hidden inside pockets the most.
I keep an old beat up purse in the trunk of my car with gloves, umbrella, chapstick, lipstick,
kleenex, fem products, and I only carry a mix of coins adding up to $1.00 a day. I dump all other change in a big jar at the end of the day.

Good luck being purse free!
Deborah

Apr 2, 2008 - 1:48 pm 145. Josh Reiter:

I say hire yourself a personal escort who is ordered to wear clothing with all manner of pocket and pouch.

That or a trained lemur that wears a back packet and follows you around on a leash.

Or, how about a richly clad Sikh with an over-sized turban. Then when you need something you can turn to him and say in a overly dramatic, “Conjure forth my make-up at once.” Then he can raise his arms over his head and proclaim, “Allakhazam!” and pull for a compact from behind a gaudy gem outlining his turban.

Apr 2, 2008 - 4:54 pm 146. rightwingprof:

“Metal is heavy and will tear the pocket in a few months.”

What crappy excuse for men’s clothes do you buy? I’ve never had a pocket rip from carrying change, nor heard of such a thing.

Apr 3, 2008 - 5:01 am 147. taoist:

I feel the need to point out a couple of things.

1. Plastic is great, but avoid using a debit card instead of a credit card, because the credit card is generally much better protected against identity theft than the debit card. Having had my identity stolen once, I was incredibly thankful that it was a credit card that was ripped off.

2. Definitely use a wallet with a change pouch, but try and either use plastic, or spend your cash/change in such a way to minimize the amount of change you’re carrying. Doing so is also a bit of a fun math exercise every time you make a purchase.

3. A little trick I learned: attach a key ring to the zipper for your change pocket and you can attach your keys to your wallet, meaning you have one less item to worry about carrying. When I leave the house I only need to check that I’m carrying my cell phone and my wallet/keys. 2 items, and I have everything I need.

The goal is to multitask in such a way as to have as few items with as small of a form factor as possible. It takes a bit of cleverness, but is possible.

For serious self defense with a tiny form factor, might I recommend: http://taoist.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/self-defense-with-style/

Apr 3, 2008 - 10:40 am 148. kay-el:

The easiest thing to do is either get a fanny pack or find a great purse – I use a brand called “Travelon” and it is terrific because it slings over you and you wear it in front – no holding, no clutching, and no one is able to grab it from you. I buy mine from QVC; they come in several sizes. I use a bigger size because my husband usually has me carry his wallet and I keep children’s Tylenol and Motrin chewable tablets along with bandaids, sanitizer, and etc. that moms can’t be without. I tried downsizing or going without a purse – it just wasn’t possible. So I like my Travelon and would recommend it to everyone.

Apr 3, 2008 - 10:35 pm 149. jvon:

I never carry change. I view it as an annoyance. It goes straight home and into a jar, and gets rolled twice a year or so.

This is an amusing conversation to me because I’ve often thought women had an unfair advantage having some socially acceptable way to haul a bunch of stuff around with them. Men really don’t have the briefcase option in a non-business setting (people will think you’re odd), and the whole fanny-pack thing is a little too… crunchy for me, I think.

Apr 4, 2008 - 1:45 pm 150. Willys:

I would know this because I have some theatre background… Frequently, Beverly Sills would fret about what to do with her hands while on stage, not always needing to wave them about. To resolve, she began having her seamstress sew pockets into her costumes.

Now, I’m not suggesting you start wearing opera regalia with pockets to resolve the no purse cause but it could lead to some remedy.

Buy dresses, slacks, jackets, etc. with pockets. They needn’t be large, to wit… as Fatcat suggested above, all you need is 1 or 2 credit cards, debit card, drivers license and some cash. When I go out clubbing, all I carry is my DL and fifty bucks. If I get mugged I don’t lose a lot and if I get toooo intox’d I won’t spend too much. As noted above, take some quarters. If you get change from a purchase drop it in the car or put in a charity box at some check out. And I never take pennies. The yearly cost falls far short of the hassle of those nasty little things collecting.

So, what do you carry this in? I’m constantly looking for wallets that are minimal in size, typically when folded not much larger that a folded bill. And when I go bar hopping, I put that cash and DL in a business card wallet. Minimal.

If you really need a purse, you may as well get a fashionable back pack.

Apr 4, 2008 - 8:27 pm 151. Lily S.:

Great Post!
Lily S.
http://www.myspace.com/zriiforlife

Apr 4, 2008 - 10:45 pm 152. John Richardson:

The glove box and the center console is where I keep stuff like stamps, receipts, etc. I also use the glove box for the “car pharmacy”. I tend to keep stuff like Tylenol, antacids, and other meds in the glove box along with the Glock Field Knife, screwdrivers, and maps.

Apr 5, 2008 - 6:44 pm 153. Gary from Jersey:

oh–I forgot something in my last missive…..
the one I emailed…..
my wife (aka slavedriver) carries the extra stuff for me…..hey! where’s my pants….where’s my magazine….where’s my….

So, all in all, I reccommend one–you throw them a pocketbook once in awhile and they are happy.

Apr 6, 2008 - 8:42 am 154. Chris R.:

There’s one secret – my wife’s purse! Not really – she doesn’t like carrying her purse around much so I can’t use it for storage too often. The only real secret is that dudes normally only carry what they need, and we don’t need a lot to be out and about. On a normal trip around town, I bring only sunglasses (daytime), phone, wallet, keys, and some cash. My cash is never in my wallet, but rather in a front pocket including change. Pickpockets like to go for wallets but there’s no way a pickpocket can get into my front pocket without my knowledge.

Spare change does fall out of pockets, especially shorts and mostly while sitting in car seats. I normally toss spare change in my car’s center console or a big jar at home. I always have somewhere to store it besides my pockets. I wind up accumulating change, but I just take it to my bank once a year or so.

Dudes likely have an instinct about not tying up our hands by carrying purses and such. It’s difficult at best to defend yourself when your hands are full. I was in a South Florida mall several years ago on Christmas eve when a young punk tried to mug me for the bags of gifts I was carrying. He got in two decent hits on me before I could drop everything I was carrying and retaliate. All he got for Christmas was a free trip to jail.

Apr 6, 2008 - 2:08 pm 155. colorless.blue.ideas:

Since you asked.

Jeans (standard wear):
Left front: wallet, money clip
Right front: keys; coins in coin pocket
Left rear: nothing
Right rear: handkerchief
Shirt pocket: pen, planner

Slacks (when necessary):
Left front: planner
Right front: keys, coins (in inner pocket if equiped)
Left rear: wallet
Right rear: handkerchief
Shirt pocket: pen, money clip

Reason for switches is that in slacks, wallet-sized items tend to fall out of front pocket. This isn’t true of all, but is a general rule. Also, I generally prefer western or cargo shirts (i.e., with pocket flaps), but am not picky. Hate pocketless polos and tees.

Wish-list:
1. Coin pockets in all jeans
2. Inside zipper/velcro on front pocket of slacks (to better protect
wallet)
3. Slightly larger shirt pockets

Apr 7, 2008 - 5:02 am 156. Mumbling2Myself:

Lose the purse – old shopping carts work great!

It’s not hard to find some old, discarded clothing that fits just fine.

Talk to yourself loudly. And ARGUE – this keep most thieves (and everyone else) away.

Good luck and I’ll see you under the bridge!

Apr 7, 2008 - 9:36 am 157. Marty:

Wandered by this site which came up when I googled “sring wallets” while looking for a string wallet. I find that I have spent so much time and energy, not to say money, looking for “the perfect purse” to organize all my stuff. Then I realize that most of the stuff I carry I don’t use anyway. That’s why I am going to a travel pouch or string wallet. Most of the stuff I carry in my purse I don’t need when running around town, I can leave it in the car if I need it. If I am on a trip where I have to take the subway or hike or be out all day away from my car, “daypack” is the way to go.

I am going to try the purse free thing. I think it is easier in the winter, because I have an LL Bean 3 way jacket that has tons of pockets for cell phone, tissues, mp3 player, etc. Summer when we don’t need jackets, it’s a little more challenging due to lack of pocket space.

I surmise that this is rather a right wing web site. Who says conservatives don’t believe in the simple life?

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Jul 20, 2009 - 12:23 am