WALLETS OR MAN BAGS?  That is the question...

Does your back hurt?  I know mine does.  Do you have poor posture?  Most of us do.  Well, for men the reason could be related to your wallet.  A man's wallet can add up to an inch of extra padding on one side of your body.  This extra inch makes your entire body uneven when you sit there for causing your back, to become misaligned.  Back pain in many cases can be limited or demolished by adjusting the way you sit.  I went for about a month without carrying my wallet in my back pocket and noticed a significant amount of lower back pain pressure subside.  So much so that now I refuse to carry a wallet in my back pocket.  So what is a man to do?  Buy a handbag?  Well for most of us the answer is no, but why not?  Why has it become such a stigma for a man to carry a bag?

I know what you're saying right now; I'm not carrying a handbag.  I'm not saying men should start carrying handbags.  I know I wouldn't, but what I am saying is that there should be some type of alternatives. 

We’ve tried money clips but let’s just face it, they are bulky as well.  We’ve tried emptying unnecessary items but the majority of items that men carry are all important.  Credit cards, cash money, ID, Membership cards, all of these items we need and use on a daily basis so there is little chance that men can empty their wallets much.  We need to get rid of that bulk causing so much pain but how?

One alternative that I have found is the messenger bag or laptop bag.  This bag is cool for the young urban dweller who hangs out at the coffee shop.  The bag holds not only your wallet but also other cool items that you never thought of carrying around (like hand sanitizer to keep you from the swine flu or chapstick - just in case you get a date at the coffee shop).  However there are drawbacks to this option: 

1) You don’t carry your laptop everywhere you go. (Unless you’re a true geek)

2) They don’t make you look cool when you’re over 30. (Sorry to break it to you)

3) Thousands of laptops are stolen each year so if you wallets in it, it’s gone too.

Another alternative is a money belt / Fanny pack.  Do I even need to go there?  I mean they used to be pretty cool back in the 80’s but if you wear one of these around every day, your either a body builder or over the age of 70.  For the most of us fanny packs are either a NO NO or at least only for travel. 

So what is my solution you ask?  Well here it is….  There’s not one really, all I can say is that from personal experience remove it from your back pocket.  I went for about a month without carrying my wallet in my back pocket and noticed a significant amount of lower back pain pressure subside.  I also noticed that I don’t spend as much (probably because I didn’t have a wallet full of crap to spend)  I now only carry a little bit of cash, one credit card, and the membership card that I am going to use that day.  I empty my pocket every night and more or less budget my time and money this way.  By selecting and consolidating the things I’m going to need for each day I reduced my wallet size in half.  I put the rest of my membership cards in my glove box of my car so that they are within reach if needed.  Overall only carry what you truly need for each day and you’ll notice a definite difference in your posture and back pain.