The Good Old Money folding system

This works best if you have a long slot or pocket in your wallet that will hold the 6-inch bills unfolded.
There are alternative folding systems but here is a good one:
The $1 is left open and unfolded either in a front pocket for easy access for tips and small payments or in with the other bills.
$5 is folded in half to nearly a square.
$10 is folded in half the other way to make a long narrow shape.
$20 is folded to make $10 and then doubled over in half again sideways: a double fold for the double value of a twenty.
Using this method the 2 bills of greater value are pushed further down in your wallet and are therefore less likely to flip out by mistake when you are removing another bill.
Bills of even greater value should be tucked, buttoned or zipped into another part of the wallet so that this cannot happen to them. Some people also mark them with paper clips.

The $10 bill trick

An addition to this method: Get your cash all in $10 bills direct from the bank teller.
Before you leave the house, put the number of bills you might need folded as above into your wallet.
When you are paying for something you give the correct number of $10 bills to the cashier and if the change may contain a $5 bill you say, “Which one is the five?” And when the cashier indicates the five you simply fold it over into its square folded shape and replace it in your wallet. You are now back in control.

The Future Bills

When the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing finally distributes the bills with the thickly inked numbers that can be read by touch, I suppose the good old folding system will change then. Perhaps replaced by storing our bills upside down or sideways so we can read the numbers by touch!

What do you think? Please post a comment

Previous posts about handling money:

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