Thin Wallet: Avoid Back Pain |
6 Comments |
|
Thin wallets save your back
Fans of the show Seinfeld know the value of a thin wallet. They are may be familiar with the episode where George Costanza experiences back pain due to an over-stuffed wallet. The episode lead to the coining of the phrase, Costanza wallet. If you think George’s back pain from his wallet is just a figment of the writers imagination, think again. The American Chiropractic Association says:
carrying your wallet in the back pocket of your pants can cause discomfort… Sitting on your wallet or card holder for the entire day will create a pocket in the muscle lying underneath the wallet, and whether your pants are tight or loose-fitting, this can result in discomfort or pain.
The recommended solution is to not carry a wallet in your back pocket. However it’s difficult for many people to carry a wallet in their front pocket. If you have as much stuff as I do in my wallet, you can see why it wouldn’t fit in my front pocket.
I went through a two-step process to get a thin wallet:
- Remove unnecessary cards - I did this by eliminating a couple of the credit cards that I bring with me. I don’t need to bring the Home Depot card with me - and it’s been years since I went to Blockbuster. I decided that I needed the Costco, Safeway, two credit cards, two bank cards, health insurance card, my driver’s license, and my military ID. I looked into Just One Club Card, but I’m too Lazy and I’m not sure I can consolidate things any more.
- Get a Thin Wallet - I did a lot of research and found two possible solutions. The Junior All-Ett
and the Jimi Wallet
I realized that I couldn’t go with the Jimi - I just could limit myself to the 4-5 cards and one or two dollar bills. However, the Junior All-Ett was exactly what I was looking for. It has space for 10 cards and a few bills. It arrived in a standard envelope - I almost expected it to be a notice of the item being back-ordered. Upon shifting to it, I couldn’t believe the difference between it and my leather wallet. It’s not going to win any fashion awards, but I still want to show it off every chance I get. Unfortunately it’s such a thin wallet that I forget about it in my pocket and fail to show people.
I’m not sure if it’s going to prevent me from getting back problems in the future, but I feel good knowing that I’ve eliminated a potential problem
Photo Credit: b_d_solis
Featured Information
This post deals with:All-ett, back pain, costanza, jimi wallet, wallet
... and focuses on:Featured, Sickness Prevention
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Digg
Del.icio.us
PropellerNext: I Pre-Ordered a Wii Fit
April 15th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I use a small cardholder that holds about 6-8 credit card size cards (or driver’s license) and carry a money clip. I’ve been doing it for a couple years now, and love it. I don’t even sit on those and keep them in my front pocket. I hate sitting on things.
April 15th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
I can absolutely related to this. I’ve had severe back problems from a basketball injury in college, and I stopped carrying my wallet in my back pocket years ago. It didn’t solve the problem, but it sure helped.
April 15th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
An easy solution which I first did three years ago. Instead of thinning out your wallet (I have a bi fold), I just keep it in my front pocket. Now, initially after making the switch, I couldn’t sit correctly for three weeks and my back hurt profusely (my friend who is a chiropractor said that that is because my back was ‘of axis’ and that i had grown used to ’sitting at an angle.’ I haven’t looked back; I highly recommend doing it. It will take a few weeks to build the habit but you will thank me later.
April 15th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I like to use a money clip. It keeps my cash, my atm/credit card, my id and that is it. That is all you need.
April 20th, 2008 at 9:04 am
[...] wallet has been getting fat from nearly two years of reading Lazy Man and Money, you might want to get a thin wallet like I did - it was one of the biggest upgrades of my life this year. Let’s pretend that speaks about [...]
April 25th, 2008 at 8:52 am
I always figured having your wallet in your back pocket wasn’t good for you. When I used to carry my wallet in my back pocket I’d always remove it when sitting down, especially when going on car trips.
However, I started using my front pocket. It feels so much better, plus I don’t have to worry about being pick-pocketed.
BTW, that is a very thin wallet!