My Deteriorating Wallet

With a few days to go before Christmas, and my Hanukkah and birthday shopping completed nearly a month ago,  I could casually keep my eye out for sales to get things mainly for me.  Boscov's generally has the most suitable stuff at the optimal price so I pay special attention to their brochures.  I've gotten a likely non-licensed Penn long sleeve T-shirt and a new shaving brush for half price.  I really don't need anything, having stocked up either last year or in anticipation of my cruise last fall on clothing and spent my accumulated $5 bills on an electric shiatsu massager which I have used less than I expected.  But one thing I actually need is a new wallet.  Wallets don't last more than a few years.  I buy them on sale when I need them.  I do not know if an expensive Coach wallet would make the replacement every five years or so unnecessary but I don't want to put up a large sum to get disappointed anyway.  The best selection is easily the leather shop at the New Castle Farmers market.  Some stuff like my passport case remains sturdy, some like my coin cases soon have zippers that separate from the leather.  Last time I paid a little more than usual for a light tan model, softer than usual leather and able to hold as much as I could cram in.  It lasted less than five years as enough stitching has separated to make the contents insecure. 

My wallet has important stuff, some hard to replace.  My lifetime passes to the Delaware State Parks and the National Parks would cost a considerable fee if lost.  My drivers license identifies me for all sorts of useful purposes.  It could be replaced but would be quite an ordeal if a police officer asked for it on the way to the motor vehicle department to do that and I didn't have it.  I keep copies of my medical licenses, voter registration, some shopping cards that get me discounts, two credit cards and the debit card that allows me access to cash from my checking account at any time.  I carry my Medicare and other medical insurance cards. My eyeglass prescription could be important some day. Relatively little cash, though.  My old wallets had clear film inserts suitable to remind me of my wife and kids, but recent ones lacked this feature, as the need to store plastic cards overwhelmed the need to remember what your family members looked like.

Since the Farmers Market wallet turned out shabbier than expected despite the small premium in price, I opted for a more conventional replacement source.  Shopping with two days before Christmas has its own challenges, but you can never go wrong with TJ Maxx or Boscov's, especially when Boscov's advertised them for $10.

First, the models have become more standardized.  There are bifolds, trifolds and passcases, each with a set number of card slots, a clear window for drivers license and one or two pockets for currency.  The passcase being most suitable, I priced those.  TJ Maxx only had a few, $12-$16, mostly with names I recognized.  Moved on to Boscov's.  For $10 you could get a very flimsy looking wisp of thin leather, forgot the brand.  Wallets looking more sturdy, which is what I want, sold for $16-20.  It can wait.