I lost my wallet – which had my credit cards, social security card, checkbook, debit cards, and health insurance card inside – and I am, understandably, freaking out. I have called all of the credit card companies and canceled all of the cards. I have called my bank and put a “restrain” on my account – apparently, this means that nothing will post for the 24 hours or until I visit my local branch and decide what to do next. I went online and requested a new insurance card. I will head to the DMV in the morning to pickup a replacement for my driver’s license. (If you live in Georgia like I do, you can request a replacement copy online – but you have to KNOW your license number – but, alas, I do not know my license number, so I have to go into the local DMV and provide them with some identification so that they can issue me a replacement.) I searched the Social Security website, and once I get my new license, I should be able to get a new copy of my social security card. If they won’t accept the license, by itself, I called my dad and he has my birth certificate. I can use it, along with my license, and get a new card. I’m bummed out, and I hope that it just “shows up”. I’ve searched the house, high and low, but there’s no sign of it. I hope that no one is running around, opening up accounts in my name or using my bank information – but there’s not much I can do about that at this point. I’ve notified all of credit card companies and my bank, so I’ll just have to hope for the best.  (By the way, don’t be an idiot like me – take your social security card out of your wallet! Yes, yes, yes – I KNOW that I should have done so a long, long time ago – but even your loyal personal finance blogger forgets things from time to time.)
Anyway, If you are looking for some interesting posts from folks who actually know how to manage their money, check out the following posts from last week:
Articles from the Money Blog Network:
AllFinancialMatters has been blogging for three years – and he’s giving away a book and a $100 gift card.
Blueprint has advice for where to get a flu shot – I’ve never gotten a flu shot because I’m afraid of needles.
Consumerism Commentary suggests that folks who use ING’s Electric Orange might want to check their overdraft protection – did it go down or go away?
Nickel breaks down information about the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act – good stuff for anyone who is dealing with collection agencies or creditors.
Free Money Finance comments on an odd suggestion from Kiplinger’s – Save Money By NOT Having A Hotel Reservation.
Get Rich Slowly is eating well -but he’s not spending a lot of money – Eating Out While Saving Money.
Mighty Bargain Hunter asks – separate or joint checking accounts? My wife and I have 2 accounts – both are joint.
Articles from my Blogroll:
SVB lists the 10 cheapest ways to exercise – a list I should memorize.
Lazy Man shares some thoughts from his first day as an unemployed lazy man.
Ben writes about losing your job and finding happiness.
Jeremy talked about using the benchmarks and investment performance.
4M leaves the plastic wrappers on products – and would love my grandmother’s couch.
Sun has a roundup of current interest rate offerings.
Clever Dude closed his pool – a sure sign that summer is really, really over.
My Two Dollars has written an article about run-flat tires.
Man that stinks. Hope you can get it all cleared up soon, and thanks for linking to my post!
Good luck finding your wallet. I know how freakishly scary that can be. I lost my wallet back in college, but then found it 2 days later on top of a box of cereal. By then I had gotten a new student ID card (which at the time had my SSN on it) and canceled the one credit card I had. I was working out a way to get to the DMV when I found it.
And yes, you should never carry your SS card in your wallet. Silly man 🙂
That is a huge pain. I’m sorry to hear about your wallet. I don’t usually have that problem (knock on wood) since I always place it in the same spot all the time — in my one and only bag that I ever like to use. However, I always seem to misplace my car keys. I hate that. Also, that’s one of the reasons I don’t carry my house keys with me. Which is fine, since I have someone home all the time (a relative lives with me). I’m terrible with keys. But good luck with resolving this problem!
I photocopy the contents of my wallet every Groundhog’s day (easy reminder, nothing going on). I know it isn’t of much help to you now, maybe someone else can get some love before it happens to them.
NCN, another thing I’ve heard that you should do if you lose your wallet is to contact the three major credit bureaus. They can put a hold on your information — or some sort of restriction — so that companies have to personally contact you before opening any accounts in your name. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but you might check it out for peace of mind.
Sorry to hear that…..I hope your wallet turns up!
NEVER, EVER, keep your social security card in your wallet. sorry to hear that the wallet was lost. maybe some good samaritan will return it.
Sorry to hear of your trouble, but one clarification. The title of your blog is No Credit Needed — why do you have credit cards if you never intended to use them or need them?
Yikes – I went to reply to this comment and accidentally deleted it… NCN I retyped the comment and I’ll answer in a follow up… NCN
tlange – I have the credit cards in my wallet just in case I find myself in a strange situation where cash or debit would not be accepted. So far, I’ve never had to use them, but I do keep them on me, just in case. With a wife and 2 kids (plus 1 on the way) I wouldn’t want my “no credit needed” stance to put my family in harm’s way… so I keep them on me just in case we were to find ourselves stranded, in need of big time “i never thought this could happen” emergency situations – think 9/11 or Katrina. Plus, one of the cards is a Kroger credit card – I don’t use the credit feature, but I do swipe the back of the card so that I can use the “grocery discount” feature… you know, the little things that hang from your keycheain? well, the kroger credit card has one of those built in.. so, I swipe the discount part and then pay in cash.
NCN
NCN….sorry about you losing your wallet. Now for the harsh reality: bad, bad NCN for carrying around the SS card. Go stand in the corner!!
I hope you find your wallet in some place like behind the milk in the refrigerator or something like that. good call on contacting the officials immediately and getting holds placed on your accounts.
Lulu: Originally, you were supposed to carry it around. There has been ‘scope creep’ and now it’s not safe to have it on you.
NCN: Bummer. But I always try to keep a photo copy of my driver’s license and passport on file at home. If you still haven’t checked, try looking at your car insurance papers. You might have the number written down there.
Been there, done that. I hope all turns out well.
Hm. Strangely, my co-worker found a debit check card this morning. It was for an employee at our company. He emailed it to her and all was resolved, but I don’t even think she knew she lost it till he emailed her.
Man this EXACT thing just happened to me. Same cards inside and everything; SS, Liscense, credit cards, etc. Luckily I keep all my money in a money clip in my front wallet, but I think I would have rather lost that then the wallet, it was a duct tape wallet I had made and had since high school, it even had some famous autographs I had gotten years ago. It’s a bummer. I’m still hoping mine “shows up” too.
I just lost mine yesterday.. I am so nervous because I do not know who has it. My license (which had an old address so that doesn’t help out at all), SS card (which I had been planning to take out ugh!!!), check card, insurance card, and $1 was left in it. Along with a couple of gift cards. I’ve checked ALL my pockets and looked around my apartment. No sign of it anywhere. The last place I had it was at a grocery store.. I think I might have sat it down on the self-checkout register. Ughh.. I wish I could go back. What sucks even more is that I have a flight out tomorrow and I don’t have an ID!! This is NOT a good way to start 2009.