It was just the other day when I was standing in a queue, I was behind some woman who pulled out a really skanky baggie with coins and I thought to myself, “can’t she afford a new coin purse?”
And then I realized that my wallet was positively ancient.
Truthfully.
A long time ago I went through a series of 15-20€ wallets that I bought from vendors off the street. The primary problem with these wallets is that they were crap. Sure they were leather, but they fell apart after six or seven months.
Then, one day when I needed a new wallet, I walked into a leather goods shop in Jena’s Goethe Gallery and found a wallet that cost a lot more than I was used to – probably about 40-45€. I almost didn’t buy it, but I did—and spent awhile kicking myself for having spent so much money.
A couple years later it occurred to me that I hadn’t bought a new wallet in quite awhile—and that maybe it was worth spending that much money if it meant I wasn’t spending less money more often.
However my wallet was reaching it’s final days: stitching coming undone, the leather tearing, and pieces of plastic mesh would occasionally poke me in the leg through my pant pocket.
And a day or two I poured out all the coins I had, counted then, then felt the wallet and realized that a couple coins had slipped under the leather.
Clearly it was time to buy a new wallet.
So today I picked up a bright and cheerful wallet—a mywalit.
Leather, colorful, bright—although the exterior is a deep blue.
I’m happy, and now that I have a decent wallet again, with a nice coin pouch that doesn’t hide coins from me, I am free to start judging again.
And people can judge me.
You’d probably hate my wallet. 😉 Of course, my passport fits in it.
That is an awesome wallet.
I’m firmly in the camp of 15-euro (if not 7.95) wallets, but I don’t carry them in my pants pocket so they tend to survive longer, about 3-4 years. I love the light tan ones that acquire a certain patina after a year or so. B’s burn rate is definitely faster. I never had a US wallet with a coin pouch – is it a European thing?
Cynical Queer – Anything that holds a passport is way too big. I actually like this wallet better than my old, in part, because it is a tiny bit more compact and lacks the slots needed for the gigantic old-style German drivers licenses. I have the new credit-card style drivers license.
CN – Thanks! Just wait till you see it in person!
Michele – I think that because coins are worth so much more in Europe than in the US that people have an incentive to keep track of them and spend them. In my US life I would ignore coins, bring them home and drop them in a jar at the end of the day. Once every few months I would take it to the bank and it might have equaled $20. This past weekend I reached 14€ with something like 9 coins….
Only YOU could make that wallet work, Adam!!!
I bet you could make it work as well…
Um….no. I like my wallets simple and plain. :+)