Using My Filofax Malden as a Planner & Wallet in One

It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a dedicated Filofax post! I’ve been so caught up with managing Janet Carr’s Filofax Project over on This Bug’s Life that my own Filofax ramblings have been sent to the back burner. So when Carrie Felts Melvin called me out on Facebook (in a good way) and asked if I was one of the people who used my Filo as a planner and wallet, I figured it was just as good of an excuse as any to get back to some good old Filo-posting. If you don’t feel like reading this whole post, I do have a video of my set up (complete with a doggy video-bomb) embedded at the end! There is sound, however, so make sure to mute it if you’re at work!

Because it’s true – for the past two and a half years, I’ve used my Filofax Malden as my planner and wallet in one. Yes, I get a few odd looks when I pull it out in line at the store (the Filofax, you dirty minded people) but for me, having the two combined is far more useful than sparing myself an odd remark or two. Although using my Malden for both has definitely made it quite pudgy, which I would say is a factor in deciding to use a Filo for both. If you like a smaller binder, you’re going to have to settle for carrying less.

In this post, I’m only going to focus on the wallet section of my system. I’ve done a video on my entire set up, and I’m planning on doing another one as soon as I get my new inserts in. So for now we’ll just focus on the wallet portion of my binder.

The majority of my wallet is in the front of the binder. The Malden lends itself perfectly to being set up as a wallet!

I keep my drivers license and my three most used credit cards in the slots. Any coins go in the zip compartment, and any cash in the narrow full length pocket behind that. It works for me, especially because I don’t carry much cash or coin.

My biggest suggestion for those who are considering using their Filo as a combined wallet/planner is to make sure you have plenty of card holders! I personally have four pages of them in my binder, meaning I can carry at least 12 cards if I keep them single sided.

Right now I have 14 different cards in this section, plus the four that are in the front of my binder. They range from credit cards to store discount cards to membership and business cards. Pretty much anything I’d normally keep in a wallet goes in here!

The last item in my wallet section is my coupon system, which is pretty much just a top opening envelope that I keep store coupons in. Typically I keep a sticky note on the front of it that lists the coupon, discount amount, and expiration date, but it finally got too marked up and I’ve been too lazy to replace it.

Gotta love a dog food coupon advertising nutritious chunks of meat, right? My wallet pretty much ends at this coupon pocket – from there it goes on to my other planning sections. So really, my wallet is just the front pockets, four credit card holders, and a top opening envelope. I’m sure this system doesn’t work for everyone – I’ve even been tempted to go back to a traditional wallet once or twice. But I know this works for me, especially since I’m almost always carrying a big enough bag to make it work. Even my smaller crossbody bag was purposely selected because it was just big enough to hold my Filofax. Dorky, but true. If I do have the odd night that I want to go out with just a clutch, I simply transfer the necessary cards for the night into a small wallet/purse and call it a day!

If you still need a more visual explanation of my wallet set-up, here it is on video! There is sound, so make sure to mute it if you’re at work!