Why is phone case with wallet Better?

One year ago (almost to the day) I posted about the iPhone case that changed my life.

The phrase ‘changed my life’ sounds a little intense for something as insignificant as a phone case, and it probably is. But I’m happy to report that using a wallet phone case truly has simplified my daily routine.

The first case held up great for over a year. It was starting to crack a little (perhaps because I drop it often?!) and instead of ordering the same one as last time, I went with something new.

Introducing, my new iPhone wallet case:

I just received it in the mail yesterday and popped it straight away onto my phone. It’s nothing fancy and cost only $15, but it totally makes me happy.

The gray canvas. The leather detailing. The slim profile. It’s a good one.

I shared a photo on Instagram and there were a bunch of questions in the comments so I thought I would talk about this little life-changer on the blog today.

Can you still talk on the phone?

The quick answer is yes. You just flip open and fold back the cover and it works great. It is a bit more cumbersome than if you didn’t have the case on but as all my people will attest to, I am not a phone talker, so it really isn’t an issue for me.

Is it hard to take photos with the case on?

Not at all.

Here I am in the Redwood Forest taking a picture with the old case on:

I’m a two-handed photo taker anyway, so I hold the phone with my left hand and snap the picture with my right. The case doesn’t get in the way at all.

What do you keep in the case?

One of the biggest reasons I’m sold on this type of phone case is how convenient it is to have my most essential cards with me all the time.

The wallet portion has three pockets and I keep 5 cards in them: my driver’s license, Costco card, Target Red card, personal credit card and business credit card. In the little pocket behind the cards I keep my insurance card and maybe a few dollars. It could probably fit more, but the case starts to get a bit bulky and doesn’t close all the way with much else in there.

Someone on instagram wondered if I worried about leaving my phone somewhere and losing all the cards inside. I guess that is always a concern, but I’m pretty trained to keep my wallet/phone combo nearby pretty much everywhere I go.

How has this phone case simplified your days?

I talked a bit about the reasoning for switching to a wallet case in the first phone case post (you can read that in full here) but I’ll recap and update here.

First, since switching to a wallet case, I rarely carry a big catch-all bag. Having just the essentials in my phone works for at least 80% of my daily errands and outings. When I drop the kids off at school all I need are my keys and phone. When I hit the grocery store it’s just my keys and phone (and maybe a list). Post office, dry cleaner, hardware store, gas station. You get the picture.

When I had babies, I needed to carry a bag with all the things in it but I would still imagine that having a wallet case would make getting out of the house just a touch easier since it is only one thing to remember rather than a wallet and a phone.

Here’s another random reason I love a wallet case: I tend to do a lot of our shopping online and it is just the worst when you’re all cozy on the couch and in order to checkout you have to get up to go find your purse for your credit card number. As long as I have my phone with me (which I pretty much always do), I can just grab the card I need without having to move a lazy muscle.

Limiting the number of cards I can carry also keeps things streamlined. I used to carry a big stack of random cards – debit, punch cards, gift cards, membership cards – and they totally weighed down my wallet. Now, I just carry the cards I regularly need and use. I have the extras in my real wallet in a bag and will bring it with me when I know I’m headed somewhere where I might need one.

I used to leave my Target card in my real wallet and it helped me avoid stopping in (and spending way too much money). We now live far enough away from a Target that it doesn’t have the same effect on me, so I can keep the card in my phone without much risk. If you have a card that you need to limit yourself from using, leave it at home and it is much less convenient to use it.

Maybe the best reason of all? I only have to remember to grab one thing when I leave the house. Super simple.

What’s the biggest downfall?

This wasn’t a question anyone asked, but I wanted to talk about it anyway :)

The only thing I don’t love about a wallet case is that it doesn’t really fit in my back pocket. This probably has more to do with the size of my phone, but it is just something to consider. I typically carry it in my hand or put it in a coat pocket and it is fine. But sometimes I miss the ease of the back pocket.

Whew. That was a lot of words about a phone case. Clearly, I’m into it.

So let’s chat … are you a non-case, a regular case or wallet case type of person?

You don't need a wallet case, you need self control. Put the phone where you keep it, and only "look at it" when you need to do something with it. Every time you reach for the phone, stop and ask yourself, "What am I going to do with it?" If it's "Just look at it", put that hand somewhere else. (I stopped smoking that way, and nicotine is harder to go cold turkey from than cocaine, so "breaking the cellphone habit" should be a breeze.) After a week of having to stop yourself, you'll find that you're not reaching for it.

(I've had cellphones longer than you have, probably - since the early 90s. At one time, repping 4 carriers and an MVNO, I had 5 flip phones on my belt. I've never considered a phone, or a watch to be "part of my body". (Of course, I grew up, most of my life, with "if you're in public and need to make a phone call, look for a phone booth or a Bell sign on a store [that said that they had a payphone inside for public use].)

My daily driver, whatever it's been for years now, is in an Otterbox Defender belt clip - and unless I need to do something with it, about the only time I look at it is when I'm here, online (sometimes there are questions about cellphones on another site I frequent too) to see how to answer someone's question. I might glance at my phone once or twice a week to see the time (I don't wear a watch, I have a phone with the time on it if I need to know the time).

A little self control is good for you. Exercising it once makes it easier to exercise it the next time you need it. The more you exercise it, just like a muscle, the stronger it gets. (Giving up smoking? I just decided to, handed my pack to my wife and said, "Here - I'm not going to smoke any more." After decades of a 4 pack a day habit. And a few years of deliberately exercising self control.)