Things You Should Never Keep in Your Wallet

When Jane Santucci parked by a popular hiking trail near her home in Indiana this summer, she hid her purse under a folded beach blanket locked in her car—something she’d been doing for years without incident.

This time, a thief broke in. Among the things lost along with Santucci’s wallet: her credit card, driver’s license, Starbucks gift card, warehouse club card, library card, checkbook and medical insurance card.

“It is unbelievable how many things you don’t think about” that are in your wallet, said the 33-year-old from Terre Haute. That is, “until you need it and remember it was in there.”

The loss or theft of personal belongings can mean minor hassles, major material losses or a potentially serious security breach. You can protect yourself by doing a “wallet audit,” a significant weeding-out of things that you don’t need to carry every day.

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