Lost wallet?

Posted on December 7, 2004 9 Comments

The “oh sh*t moment.” It happens to the best of us, usually following swiftly on the heels of “the worst week ever.” My friend Brenna experienced her “oh sh*t moment” last week, while attending a Mary Kay convention at the Marriott Chicago. According to her,”apparently some weird guy wandered up there,” stealing her wallet while she stepped out of the room for a break. She lost her money, credit cards, insurance cards, CTA fare card and a whole bunch of frequent buyer cards (including, tragically, her Sub Club card that only needed two more stamps!).

In moments like these, most of us don’t stop to reminisce about the fabulous brand of wallet we were carrying. Louis, Calvin, Kate…who cares!?! We only want to know that our finances are secure, that someone else has not bought all the items we only dared to dream about owning. In Brenna’s case, the theif spent $600 in two hours. It could have been worse; Brenna could have frozen, paralyzed by her “oh sh*t moment.” Instead, she came home, got on the phone and secured her finances, making it out for cocktails and smiles with the girls that weekend.

For those of us who haven’t experienced the “oh sh*t moment,” wallet-style, here are a few helpful hints for getting past it, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune’s Lorene Yue (December 5, 2004). You can find the full article here ( a free subscription is required): http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/sns-yourmoney-1205onthemoney,0,3523370.story.

• Keep a list of all your cards and customer service numbers in one place. Update the list frequently. When your wallet disappears, you can locate the list and make all your phone calls quickly – no scrounging around required.
• Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet. Bonus points if you can leave all cards listing your SSN at home.
• Keep an extra credit card at home. New plastic takes a few days to arrive.
• Call the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian or Trans Union – one call takes care of all three) and have a fraud alert placed on your account. If the theives have your SSN and your ID or license, they can steal your identity. Better to be safe!
• My own advice: always file a police report, write down the number and request a copy of the paperwork for your files. This can help you by offering credibility to your claim when dealing with banks and credit card companies, and can help you refute any suprises down the road.

These tips should help turn an “oh sh*t moment” into an action-oriented moment. Like Brenna, you’ll be ready to party with your girls again in no time!

Thing I Didn’t Buy Update:

Two things, actually. I did a lot of shopping this weekend and managed to stay on budget. But here are two things I’m still thinking about:

1) This gorgeous blue silk tube dress from Banana Republic:

http://www.bananarepublic.com/browse/product/259/product_259447.htm?cs_catalog=BR%5FHoliday2%5F2004&cs_category=2019

It has flowers on the side! And a matching purse! So cute for new years…I stared at it a long time.

Sadly, I managed to have a dream about this dress. Literally. I dreamt my boyfriend married another girl and this was her wedding dress. All I do was cry, “She has my boyfriend AND my dress (sob, sob).” Pathetic.

2) This super cool piece of cat furniture: The Cat Magnet

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441778325&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302025565&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1102393292027

I don’t know if that link will work, but this looks like something Nala would really enjoy. Nala is my super divalicious cat. She’s shedding and loves to rub herself on everything, particularly my black work pants. All the time. Sigh…

Category: Money
   Tags: basics , how-to

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