Earlier this year, I lost my wallet
and had a major scare. That was in May
One Monday morning, as I left my
apartment and went to 7-11. While at 7-11, I felt my pockets and
.................no wallet!
I went home ................no
wallet!
I was supposed to work at a school
that day and had to cancel my work assignment.
The previous night, I was on the UH
campus. I remember using the vending machines, so I went to the same vending
machine the next morning.................no wallet!
Checked lost & found, called
Campus Security................no wallet!
My wallet not only had cash, but
my
- state ID
- debit card
- medical insurance card
- social security card
- bike registration
- bus pass
- and more
So yeah, I had to call
the bank and other agencies. To get a replacement state ID, I need a
social security card, but to get a social security card, I needed a state ID
(or a driver license or a passport for which I have NEITHER)
I had to empty my
bottles of coins and used Coinstar at Foodland just so I could have cash for
the week!
Just when I went back
home and feel all miserable, I got a message on my BlackBerry! Someone found my
wallet!
The cash was gone but
all the cards were still there!
A few lessons
- DO NOT PUT ALL YOUR CARDS IN ONE PLACE
- DO NOT store your state ID and your social security
card in the same place
- If you carry your state ID (or driver's license) in
your wallet, DO NOT put your Social Security card there too! Hide your
Social Security card somewhere else. Hide it somewhere in your home where
burglars will have to struggle to find it!
- Also, hide a small stash of cash somewhere in your
home, in case you lost your wallet outside. But make sure it's just a SMALL STASH
of cash! Hiding your life savings under the mattress is just another
recipe for disaster!
- If you don't need to carry certain cards very often,
don't leave it in your wallet! Hide them, depending on their importance!
- Also, I haven't got around to this, but get a Passport and hide it if you're not traveling. In case you lose your wallet with your state ID, you still have your Passport as photo identification
I'm sure there's more
tips, but those are just a few I learned from this experience!
