14 March 2019

Filofax as a wallet?

Which Filofax works best as a wallet? It is a question I often see being asked.

However, someones comments recently got me thinking again about it from another point of view.

So what do you need when you are shopping?
  • Money
  • Credit cards, Bank cards
  • Store cards 
  • Shopping list
  • Short list of essential phone numbers (optional if these are all on your mobile phone) 
  • May be a monthly planner or year planner
  • A few sheets of note paper may be. 
But does your 'wallet' Filofax need to be your planner as well? 

After the discussion recently I reached a conclusion that may be it shouldn't be..... why? As a wallet you want your organiser to be small enough to put in your pocket or in your bag. As a planner a lot of us need more space possibly. And obviously using an A5 as a wallet isn't going to look too cool at the check out? But it is an ideal size as a desk planner. 

Is personal size an ideal compromise? May be but unless you have some big pockets... or you carry your organiser in your handbag/purse or man bag, you have to carry it in your hand, not ideal when emptying your basket on to the check out? 

If you are going shopping do you need to carry all of your planner, information, addresses etc in your main planner with you? If a friend does meet you whilst at the shops and asks if you are available for coffee next week, you could have a facsimile of your calendar on a monthly or yearly calendar in your 'wallet' Filofax, or simply take a note of the details and offer to ring back when you get home? 

So may be an A5 or Personal for home use and a pocket or mini for shopping?  Personally I would favour a small ring pocket, slightly slimmer, 15mm rings would be more than big enough I'm sure. Credit card pockets are available in pocket size too, although I know people do make their own for mini size. 

See my video below from a few years ago, about using a personal size and pocket size Malden as a wallet.


What about you, what would your ideal solution be?


9 comments:

  1. A lot has changed since you first wrote this post and made the helpful video about five years ago. At that time, different store, loyalty and discount cards were extremely popular and we were carrying lots of them around. Postage stamps were still a daily requirement and we were still using cash for most things and maybe even writing the odd cheque!

    Online purchasing, the introduction of Apple Pay, digital rather than paper rail tickets and contactless payments from the Apple Watch has certainly revolutionised things for me since 2013

    I still carry my Pocket Slim around with essentials (printed key info, goals, annual calendar, blank pages for notes, jotter pad, a couple of stamps and a few business cards). However most of the things on your “must carry” list are now very much optional fir many of us.

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  2. They are so versatile-that is why I am still loyal to Filofax although Hobonichi and Nolty planners(and all things paper and Japanese) are making me waver.

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  3. I love this video! Thank you for posting it! I go back & forth between a pocket and personal size Filofax Malden and have recently tried the Filofax Croc which I love as well! I wish Filofax still made the Malden as now they are hard to find. :/

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  4. I do use my Malden Personal Organizer as a wallet of sorts. It holds cash and coins, receipts and most cards (business, gift, credit, etc.), but I use my phone case to hold my debit card and grocery list (phone app). Not a perfect solution, but if one of you folks finds one, you can let me know :)

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  5. I have now been carrying a Personal as my wallet for six years. I first used a Buckingham, then a Pimlico, and now a Classic Croc. What these have in common are: at least six credit card slots, a zipped security pocket (cash, coins), and a full height slip pocket (receipts).

    In my Classic Croc, I've added two card holder inserts, but that is my limit. One is for business cards, the other for a store card that won't go into my iPhone, and a gift card I haven't used, yet.

    The reason why I started using my Filofax as my wallet was to ensure I never left my Filofax behind. The only times I won't carry my Filofax are for formal events, and that only because I have yet to find an evening bag large enough for my Filofax!

    A personal organiser is only useful if you have it with you when you need it and you actually open it up and use it.

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  6. I have got a bright pink Filofax Pennybridge, designed as a purse,(wallet.) On the slim rings I put anything shopping related, lists, meal plans for the week, Lottery numbers, notepaper and a pull out of birthdays to shop for. It is beautifully designed, but is for a female buyer really. I love mine. xx

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  7. I have just bought a mini piazza, with only 5 rings. Very tiny, wallet sized, perfect condition, but where can I get refills for it? Any help gratefully received
    Jo C

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    1. Hi Jo
      Filofax still sell Mini inserts, but not the organisers now. We also have some inserts for Mini in the Diary Inserts page. And there are some general inserts on the Files page too. Or look on Etsy, Mini size is very close to A7 paper size.

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  8. Thanks Steve, very helpful,

    Jo C

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