Organize Your Credit, Debit and Reward Cards

One of my husband's pet peeves with me happens whenever I pay for an item at a store.  I stash my receipt and change or debit card or credit card into my purse.  Then at the next store, I'm scrambling to find my cash or card to pay.  Since I'm the one usually paying, he gives me "the look".  If you have seen my husband, he can give "the look".  He taught seventh graders for thirty three years so he is really good at it.   I had gotten better in recent years.  I would put my card back in it's spot each time to avoid the problem.  I still was having difficulties with reward cards and grocery store cards.  I would forget and then at checkout they would ask if I had a reward card.  I would say yes, but then couldn't find it.  Usually they would have to look up our phone number and spend more time finding it than the benefit received from using the card. Most change purse/wallets have slots for cards, but not near enough for all of them I have.  The other day I went shopping with my very organized daughter.  You may remember her from her menu planning skills.  http://www.thecabincountess.com/2015/02/meal-planning-system.html

She had purchased a Thirty-One Mini On-The-Go Organizer.  It was basically a small wallet with a little alphabetized file system inside.  When she paid in a store, she would easily get out the proper card.  I loved that system and knew I needed such a thing.  It would save a lot of time and dirty looks.  I found out that Thirty-One had retired this product.  I could have purchased one on ebay for about $20, but I set up my own.  I had this little zippered wallet and some index cards.

Zippered wallet that I had never used.

The first thing I did was take the pack of index cards.  I traced the shape of the credit card on the index card and put a small tab on the top by tracing a coin.

I traced onto index cards.

I staggered tracing the tab across the card.  I had four separate templates.  Then I just cut out the shapes and alphabetized them.

Each card had a letter except XYZ is on one.

I cleaned out my purse and collected every card I could find.  I put my important medical cards in a special place, my driver's license in the front, but took the rest and organized them by name.  Now if I go to Shopko and they ask if I have a rewards card, I look behind the "S" and there it is.  I love it.  My tabs are getting a little floppy so I think I will laminate them so they hold up longer.  I am lucky and have access to a laminator.   Yup, you guessed it.  My very organized daughter has one.

Update:  I found some plastic alphabet index cards.  I cut them to fit, and they work great and don't wear out.