# Where is your wallet? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772 "2016-12-28T13:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/61 "2016-12-30T17:22:20Z")
I’m a girl, so I keep mine in my purse. It’s not large, but a little too big to comfortably fit in my pocket. Back when I had a smaller wallet, and my girly-type clothes had big enough pockets (stupid girl clothes) I would keep in in my right rear pocket. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/62 "2016-12-30T18:01:44Z")
Most of the year, in an inner coat pocket. When it’s too warm for a coat, it’s in my front right pocket, it’s quite thin with only a couple of credit cards, my driver’s license, a few of my business cards, and maybe some cash. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/63 "2016-12-31T18:08:15Z")
Depends. If it’s jacket weather, it goes in a jacket pocket, whichever is most secure. Pockets that button or zip are preferred. If it’s warmer, it could go in a cargo pocket, if there is one. If I don’t need to access it, it could be inside a bag or backpack, if there is one. On any occasion it needs to be in my trouser pockets, it goes in the front left pocket and is attached to a chain which is attached to my belt or a belt loop. Having lost one when I was a foolish youth, I make damn sure that never happens again. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/64 "2016-12-31T18:13:07Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > In the interests of science I just did some measuring. To be able to sit on my wallet the top of the pocket would have to be at least 8 inches below the top of my pants. In none of my pants are the pockets anywhere near that far down. Also in the name of science I loosened my pants and pulled them down far enough for me to sit on my wallet. Enough butt was exposed to make even the most seasoned plumber green with envy. That’s fine if you only sit on barstools. Many chairs have backrests, and _that_’s what makes sitting with anything in your back pockets uncomfortable. Also, people sometimes don’t sit up straight. This also makes having stuff in your arse pockets uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2016, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/65 "2016-12-31T21:05:58Z")
Don’t have one; everything that would go in a wallet is in pockets inside my purse, which is slung over my shoulder. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/66 "2017-01-01T04:15:12Z")
Back pocket, opened. The only other place it ever goes is in the front pocket, and that is only of my pants don’t have a back pocket. ---
**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:** [January 1, 2017, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/67 "2017-01-01T05:58:20Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ll never understand back pocketters. Must be uncomfortable to sit on your wallet. My best friend in college started carrying around a man-purse for that very reason. The unbalanced nature of the tilting of his pelvis factored into it somewhere, too. It seemed like sound reasoning to me at the time, so I decided to try the same thing. I stuck with it for a couple of years, but I found leaving it behind was just becoming too frequent (plus, when I joined the Navy, it wasn’t exactly encouraged), so I went back to right rear pocket. Then, about ten or so years ago, my right hip started hurting pretty much constantly. Switching the wallet to my left pocket didn’t help much, so I decided to “restore bacance to the forces” if you will, and started carrying one in each hip pocket. It also didn’t help much, and last year I had the right hip replaced. But I still carry around two wallets. The weird thing is that now I carry my driver’s license, credit and debit cards, Costco membership card, insurance card and folding money in my shirt pocket. I accumulate lottery tickets in my wallets until they get too thick, then I check the archived lottery numbers on line and cash out the two or three winners. So I voted “other.” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/68 "2017-01-01T12:02:06Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ll never understand back pocketters. Must be uncomfortable to sit on your wallet. During the week, my wallet’s in the back pocket of my jeans from the time I get dressed in the morning until the time I get home. But evenings and weekends, I only put my wallet, keys, etc. in my pocket if I’m about to go somewhere. So I’m sitting down a lot with my wallet in my back pocket, and I’m sitting down a lot without my wallet in my back pocket. And I really don’t notice the difference. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/69 "2017-01-01T13:45:55Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > That’s fine if you only sit on barstools. You talking to me? ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/70 "2017-01-01T16:55:24Z")
I live in fear of losing important things, so put them in a specific place and keep them there unless they’re being used. My wallet lives in my purse. It doesn’t go anywhere else. If I’m going out, I take the whole purse with me, even if I don’t need most of what’s in it, just to make sure my wallet and other important stuff all stays together, where it belongs. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/71 "2017-01-01T17:55:31Z")
I voted for the most frequent situation (back right pocket, open), but in reality it varies depending on which pants or shorts I’m wearing, and my situation. - When I was in NYC in November, it was in my front pocket for better security. - If I’m wearing dress pants or a suit, it’ll go in a jacket pocket, or I’ll ask my wife if she has room in her purse. Or, I’ll only carry the bare minimum (DL, debit/credit card, cash) in a front pocket. I fight a never-ending battle with the “[Costanza wallet](https://coxrare.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/costanza-wallet.jpg?w=1200&h=627&crop=1)”; having a half-dozen cards _necessary_ for daily carry in my current situation makes it a particularly difficult battle… not to mention the other half-dozen that aren’t necessary, but make things a lot easier. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/72 "2017-01-01T19:52:31Z")
Front pocket, open. Wallet goes in left front, phone in right front, key case in right rear, and random bits of paper like receipts I need to throw away in a secure location (for shredding) in left rear. I hate purses. I’ll carry a messenger bag or backpack, but I won’t trust important things like my wallet and phone to them. They need to be on my person or I get really nervous. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/73 "2017-01-02T02:42:52Z")
I am a man, and I carry a bag. It has a bunch of stuff including my wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/74 "2017-01-02T03:47:50Z")
How about in my purse? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/75 "2017-01-02T05:43:47Z")
Hanoi commonly pops up on 10-Most lists for pickpockets. While we were there, I actually tried to get pickpocketed but to no avail. I kept a fake wallet in my back pocket, an old beat-up one ready for the trash that was empty except for a note that read: “FUCK YOU!” I kept poking my ass in the direction of any shady person I saw, bit there were no takers. (I mean for the wallet.) The wife was horrified that if the wallet did get snatched, the perp would be so enraged that he’d come back to get me. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/76 "2017-01-03T00:56:41Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m right handed, so right rear pocket for the last 45 years. Same here, but for a few years longer. 🙂 Or in my sporran. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/77 "2017-01-03T01:19:05Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Hanoi commonly pops up on 10-Most lists for pickpockets. While we were there, I actually tried to get pickpocketed but to no avail I lost a fake wallet in Hong Kong on the ferry back in the 80s. There was a rush of people, I got crushed and my fake wallet was gone. I hadn’t thought to put a note in it. A friend who worked all over Asia would keep a money clip in one front pocket, ID and cards in the onother. I tried that but didn’t like it. Normally, I keep my wallet in my back left pocket. I’m only sitting on a corner of it. It come out of my pocket the moment I’m home and when I used to work in an office I would put it in my desk so I doesn’t actually get sat on that much. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/78 "2017-01-03T05:20:08Z")
Just made the switch from back left to front right. Credit/debit/gift/reward/ID cards are pretty much uniformly sized as well as folded money and receipts so it’s just a neat little stack now. Key ring tags have replaced most of my store loyalty cards and even my library card so no more need to be sitting on a bulky wallet, yay. (google for “front pocket wallet” or “minimalist wallet” if you’re interested) ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/79 "2017-01-03T05:34:16Z")
Other: In my purse. That possibility didn’t occur to you? ---
**Author:** ![ultimate11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/49beb7/32.png) [@ultimate11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultimate11)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772/80 "2017-01-03T12:01:44Z")
We’re reaching 200 votes right now, and what I see is this: [li]More than two-thirds keep their wallets unprotected, with half of them from the back pocket. Most transit agencies frown upon that notion. I would probably add another 15% (accommodating for errors) for dopers with purses (I assume the typical handbag), and it’s a 4 out of 5 chance that a pickpocket would have an easy chance compared to the 1 out of 5 that mind their security.[/li][li]At least 38.26% of the poll put their wallet in the back of their pants. (Personally, I never like the idea of sitting on a wallet. Ouch!)[/li][li]Nobody has a virtual wallet (so nobody uses Apple Pay or Android Pay?), nobody has a coin holder only, and everyone has some money. Also, nobody has pants that have zippers in the front of the pants pockets (I do, it’s very handy).[/li] Although, not everyone lives in Chicago (or near New York City), commutes to Chicago on the elevated rapid transit lines (or in NYC, subway rapid transit (in Manhattan), or on the bus (ditto with NYC), such as me- so more or less there’s nothing to fear if you live in an area where commutes are all car based (or even tractor based). Of course, it still helps at least have some security just in case, cause it gets kinda annoying if you’re on a tractor and your wallet falls off on top of muddy farmland or crops…regardless. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-your-wallet/775772.md?page=5)