What To Do When You Lose Your Wallet

Ok – nobody likes to plan ahead for a worst case scenario situation. But if you do, you’ll certainly be glad. You know that sinking feeling in your stomach when you pat your pocket or reach into your purse… and you can’t find your wallet? Chances are, we’ve all been there and dreaded the outcome.

Here are a few easy steps, and a helpful reminder on some techniques that will make sure losing your wallet isn’t the end of the world.

Get an Inventory

You can write it down, take pictures, or just keep a low number of items in there – but knowing what’s in your wallet on a day-to-day basis is important in case of loss or theft. There’s even an iPhone app for it.

This gets tougher when you’ve got a fully-loaded Costanza wallet that’s bursting at the seems. So do a little spring cleaning in your cash-holder and keep things streamlined.

Know Where to Go

Once you know what’s in your wallet, you’ll know what to do if it goes missing. You need to keep track of the credit cards, bank cards and personal identification so you can cancel the important ones.

After you know that your stuff is missing, get ready to call your banks and credit card companies. Banks will be able to turn around a debit card instantly on premise, and a new credit card should only take a week or so.

Be More Careful

I guess this goes without saying, but be sure not to make the same mistake twice. If you’ve lost a wallet, keep that in mind when you’re changing, getting in and out of cabs, or flying upside down on a rollercoaster. Heed these tips to make sure the unplanned for becomes… well… at least semi-planned.