Trent’s comment “When I got my home loan, I had only two active credit cards and the lady who did the underwriting said that my prudence with credit was a very positive sign.” That’s very good, and probably reflects the fact that mortgages actually care about financial prudence and responsibility. Unfortunately, everyone else looking at your credit score want the opposite. When I got out of college and bought an el-cheapo used car, they said that due to my “lack of credit” I could only get a loan at 22% interest. Let me say that again. 22%!! I had had a credit cards, but used it carefully and paid it off. I bought in cash when possible, or used checks or my debit card. Result: no credit.

For the curious, the shop was located on the Riva, steps from the Arsenale vaparetto stop. I can’t remember the name of the shop or if they do mail order. Can anyone find out?

The material used is obviously why it’s so thin, but it’s also the only complaint I have. My wife makes fun of it. It makes a crinkling sound when it’s opened & closed, etc.

There’s now a leather version of the ALL-ETT that will probably be my next wallet. The best of both worlds!

Canceling credit card accounts lowers your credit score. Google it yourself. Perhaps canceling a card show an inability for self control and thus affects negatively on your credit score. Where smart people can resist impulse buying, some have to suggest and employ tactics that would cause your co-workers, friends, and friendly cashier give you a second look when you pry that credit card from the ‘inspirational’ picture wrapped around it.

The main post’s suggestions are valid for a freshman college student just realizing the risks of credit cards. Once more savvy, tricks such as wrapping pictures around a card, and canceling credit cards so one isnt tempted becomes amature-ish and unrealistic, even detrimental to your credit score.

If you really want to control your wallet, the most important think to do is CREATE A BUDGET first. Wrapping pics around credit cards can be done after if thats your style.

Example: your one Username is “Wamu” and your one Password is “july4″

when online at website Geico.com, you customize it.. your user name becomes “GWamu” and password “Gjuly4″ (WGamu, jGuly4,WaGmu,juGly4, as long as you are consistent in how you customize.)

When online at citicard.com, you customize it.. your username becomes “CWamu” and password ‘Cjuly4″ (WamCu, julCy4, WamuC, july4C, again as long as you stay consistent in your customizing.)

Then all you need to remember is one password but each different for every account…

I just realized that I bought this wallet 6 or 7 years ago. It was a bit pricey, Fossil brand even though I’m realllly not a brand name person, but with this durability I think I’ll get another almost just like it. I even have a student who works there so maybe she can get me a discount!

I only bring my pocketbook & checkbook with me when I go grocery shopping (once a week), or if I’ve planned to shop elsewhere.

And you’ve probably heard enough about passwords, but…

I carry a lot of my passwords (excluding my major credit card & bank account passwords) printed out in my planner notebook. If my notebook is lost, I have an electronic copy at home & can quickly change the passwords.

And I do believe it’s a good idea to keep both a written list & electronic list of all passwords & account numbers somewhere safe at home so that if I’m ever disabled or killed, my significant other (who doesn’t handle the day-to-day family finances) can find them fairly easily.

I keep my house key in the change pocket, and I have a small bag on a string for change, which gets hooked around a belt loop and put in my front pocket. I put a cell phone in that same pocket, and have an empty back pocket and front pocket, but everything I could need within a day.

I use a backpack for day-to-day carrying of my stuff, and a wallet-on-a-string for when I don’t need the whole backpack (such as leaving it in the trunk when I go into a store). The wallet has a coin pouch, two slots for bills, and a checkbook carrier, pen loop, and plastic card holder on the other side.

So I use one of the bill slots for paper money, and the other to hold receipts, which I take out and process once every day or three. It’s a good way to make sure I track all my expenses YMOYL-style without having to pull out a separate notebook.

I honestly don’t understand how people get by with anything more minimal . . . unless they use plastic for *everything,* and don’t carry checkbooks or coins at all. I’d love to go more minimalistic in the wallet department, but I haven’t been able to pull it off yet.

Stick Whisper32 on a thumb drive and put it on your keychain or something..

I set it to be constantly viewed on the “desktop”

It is in this format

dd/mm/yy of week $Amount of spend
$RunningAmount

Every time I spend, I deduct from the running amount. Been doing this for a couple of weeks, seems to be working. As a new week starts, you can reset it again.

Isn’t it good to keep a few accounts open – especially older accounts? I have two credit cards. For my primary card, I intentionally requested a smaller limit. The only way the limit will increase is if I request it. The other does not have a balance but the limit is increased by the CC company. I thought having existing accounts, especially with a zero balance, will help to improve your credit rating? So wouldn’t canceling most of your CC accounts, in a way, hurt your credit rating?