using things and buying it for life
I've owned my wallet since May 12, 2016. That's over 3300 days, or a little over nine years. I'm fairly certain it's the object I've owned the longest. I love that it's still the same one and it's all dented and beat up from time. It's Used. It's been Used as it was meant to.
Using things with a capital U is something I wish more people did, including myself more often. This is like things you see in r/BuyItForLife. Its the idea of getting something durable and high quality that will last you indefinitely. This in turn reduces waste, improves your overall experience, and supports businesses that make high-quality goods.
My wallet is from Secrid, its an ultra compact 6 card holder made from aluminum. There are exactly two moving parts, a lever that brings out the cards, and its spring that brings it back inside. I have this one in black. The 6 cards are held in a nice stack that gets flared out when you pull the level. This makes it difficult to not find the right card at checkout or to show your ID, it is also very fast.
Having this wallet for 9 years I've noticed a few things. I have not once missed the stereotypical thick leather "man wallet" that's full of business cards and other junk. All those receipts go right in the recycling. I also noticed that at first I did miss not having a place for holding cash, but these days (9 years later) more and more vendors don't even take cash so I miss it less. When I do carry cash its not for very long usually just a few hours like at the farmers' market or a bar and that's it. The other thing I've noticed is that people love to ask about it. It's like 70/30 between "what is that?" over "is that your wallet?" It's a nice conversation piece when waiting for the bill at a restaurant. It's also very difficult to lose. Since its made of metal if it falls out of my pocket it makes a ton of noise falling on the ground. Overall its a great product that I think I can use indefinitely, barring it gets horribly crushed or lost.
