# The Money in Your Wallet **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 30, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823 "2023-07-30T14:26:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/21 "2023-07-30T16:47:53Z")
Same here. In my cashiering days, I was also a bit compulsive about facing bills in my drawer. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/22 "2023-07-30T16:58:32Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > _if_ I have cash, it’s faced and ordered. Thirded. (And **Seanette** , I totally blame it on all the years I worked retail!) ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/23 "2023-07-30T17:37:24Z")
My current wallet holds cards only. There is a little pocket where I could put a single bill folded over twice in. I don’t think I have withdrawn cash, other than travelling out of the country, in over 2 years. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/24 "2023-07-30T18:07:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The bills in my wallet are all the same - $20. I never put anything less in it. All change from transactions, bills and coins alike, goes into the cup in the car for use are drive-thrus, etc. What do you do with it between making the transaction and getting back to the car? Or do you only use cash at drive-in businesses? Mine is ideally sorted by size of bill, larger ones in back, right side up and faces front, large folds or bends more or less straightened; but while shopping I often just put change in there however it comes and sort the bills sometime later, and I don’t bother with minor creases and wrinkles. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/25 "2023-07-30T18:19:30Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > What do you do with it between making the transaction and getting back to the car? Wadded up and stuffed in a pants pocket, most likely. The only time I use anything other than $20 is in Vegas and the like, when I carry $1 & $2 bills as tips for the cocktail waitresses. Those would go in a shirt pocket, so as not to over-cram my slim wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/26 "2023-07-30T18:57:28Z")
I chose the “somewhat organized” option because euro notes are color and size coded unlike US bills so you don’t need to sort them strictly to see what’s there. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/27 "2023-07-30T19:28:27Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I chose the “somewhat organized” option because euro notes are color and size coded unlike US bills… Ah - now I understand the question better. I haven’t been to the US for quite a while and this had slipped my memory. Have I (now) got it right that all US banknotes are the same size and color? I rarely carry more than 3 or 4 notes - anything less than £5 is a coin; and since COVID, cards are pretty much universal in the UK. Notes are folded so they fit one side of the wallet, no particular order. If I’m carrying a second currency, that goes in the other side. So: somewhat organized. j ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/28 "2023-07-30T19:33:32Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Have I (now) got it right that all US banknotes are the same size and color? More recent US paper currency has some color, but not a lot. All denominations are the same size/shape. It’s my understanding that the visually impaired use a system of how bills are folded to make distinguishing what’s in their wallet easier. > **[United States dollar | Banknotes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar#Banknotes)** > > The U.S. Constitution provides that Congress shall have the power to "borrow money on the credit of the United States." Congress has exercised that power by authorizing Federal Reserve Banks to issue Federal Reserve Notes. Those notes are "obligations of the United States" and "shall be redeemed in lawful money on demand at the Treasury Department of the United States, in the city of Washington, District of Columbia, or at any Federal Reserve bank". Federal Reserve Notes are designated by Though ... ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/29 "2023-07-30T19:35:35Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Have I (now) got it right that all US banknotes are the same size and color? Per the above, there is now some slight color variation: [![](https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/88/32/00/8832004767b405c104d98f5ee4ba4fab.jpg) ](https://i.pinimg.com/1200x/88/32/00/8832004767b405c104d98f5ee4ba4fab.jpg) But not like euro notes at all. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/30 "2023-07-30T19:36:50Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > It’s my understanding that the visually impaired use a system of how bills are folded to make distinguishing what’s in their wallet easier. Man, you answered my question before I even had a chance to ask it. Here’s what the Bank of England does - see the 4th block of questions: > **[Banknote FAQs](https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/faq/banknote)** > > Frequently questions about our banknotes j ETA > [@Cervaise](#): > > But not like euro notes at all. I had never checked it out before but yeah, much the same thinking for Euro notes - see 1.2 of > **[The Banque de France is the leading banknote printer in the Eurosystem](https://www.banque-france.fr/en/at-your-service/central-banks-public-institutions/design-manufacture-banknote-paper-banknotes/banknote-printing)** > > The Banque de France has recognised expertise in banknote printing thanks to its state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/31 "2023-07-30T19:59:30Z")
I always order my “bank notes” from lowest to highest (or highest to lowest, depending on where you start) but I really don’t give a damn about orientation or wrinkles or the like - so midway between two choices on the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/32 "2023-07-30T20:00:15Z")
> [@XOldiesJock](#): > > In order, highest to lowest, consistent orientation. That way I can see at a glance how much I have on me. However, I don’t worry about folds and wrinkles. I’m not **that** obsessive. Same here. I do sometimes put the change from a purchase in without slotting it between already-present bills by denomination, but I typically re-sort it not too much later when I’m at home and think about it. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/33 "2023-07-30T22:53:53Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > Oh, and of _course_ they all face the same direction with the presidents’ heads up. Jefferson doesn’t like hanging out upside down. Carry around a lot of two-dollar bills, do you? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/34 "2023-07-30T23:02:18Z")
I more or less have them in order, ones on top, but if I stash a bill in the wrong place I don’t bother to sort them again. Not that I touch my cash more than once a week. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2023, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/35 "2023-07-30T23:30:26Z")
Cash goes into my money clip, which is carried in the same pocket as my wallet (left-front, if you ever target me for pickpocketing). Bills are organized largest on the outside, smallest on the inside of the fold, facing the same direction. Heads are usually up, but it’s not mandatory. Of course, these days I rarely carry more than 50-60 bucks, and sometimes the same bills stay in the clip for a couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/36 "2023-07-31T00:17:43Z")
My wallet has two bill compartments. Twenties and tens are in one compartment, fives and ones in the other, with all bills (usually) in the same orientation. There’s generally less than $100 in my wallet, unless I’m travelling and feel the need to carry more. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/37 "2023-07-31T04:43:52Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > [@InternetLegend](#): > > > > Oh, and of _course_ they all face the same direction with the presidents’ heads up. Jefferson doesn’t like hanging out upside down. > > Carry around a lot of two-dollar bills, do you? Um…yes! That’s it! I _totally_ didn’t forget which president is on which bill! (And maybe Jackson **does** deserve to be carried around in his head, the douchebag.) ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/38 "2023-07-31T11:35:22Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Carry around a lot of two-dollar bills, do you? I just checked my wallet this morning. I have fifteen in twos ($30) in there right now. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/39 "2023-07-31T15:07:55Z")
Slight hijack: Am I the only one who’s waiting for Samuel L. Jackson to say, “What the fuck is in _your_ muthafuckin’ wallet?” or something similar? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2023, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823/40 "2023-07-31T17:17:23Z")
Stopped by the ATM to pick up some $5s and $20s. The 5s all came out faced; the 20s were all jumbled. None of either were new. So of course I had to rearrange the 20s before they went into their binder clip. Cash is a PITA. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-money-in-your-wallet/987823.md?page=3)