10 things that should not be in your purse or wallet
Posted
Apr 25 2008, 06:55 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
"Fox" at Squawkfox emptied her purse the other day, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Honestly, Fox, do you need to carry wadded-up paid and unpaid bills, expired coupons, chocolate and dental floss, not to mention mounds of makeup and assorted other girl things?
"Are there things we should never carry in our purse or wallet?" she says. "Certainly, bringing bags of bills along with me every day is silly. But seriously, could a cluttered purse or wallet cost you if lost or stolen?" Oh yeah, and No. 1 among those things that should be left at home with the bills is your Social Security card.
Actually, she keeps hers in a safety deposit box. "With identity theft running rampant, the last thing you want to lose is the one card which identifies every aspect of your financial and personal life," she writes. The same concept applies to your passport and birth certificate.
Here's one that surprised us: Don't take the checkbook with you unless you plan to use it. "Checks are dangerous pieces of documentation since they list your name, address, bank account number, bank routing number and bank name," she says, all pieces of information useful to identity thieves.
Keep your keys in your pocket. As Fox points out, someone who gets your address and your keys could easily break into your home. (To read her post, click here.)
Bonus tip: Don't keep condoms in a wallet. "Condoms can degrade when placed in a warm wallet," she writes, adding, "Protecting oneself is the best financial decision ever, Scouts honor!"
