I need an European Carry-All

We took the kids to the Museum of Flight Monday. While we were in line, I fished through my wallet trying to find my membership card. I found it — after we reached the front of the line, my wife put down the youngest, dug out her purse, and flashed the card. This is a sign that I may soon need an European carry-all for all the stuff in my wallet. A quick inventory:

Important stuff:

• Cash
• Driver’s license
• Proof of Auto Insurance — one for each car
• Two credit cards — yes, only two
• ATM card
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance

Grocery store affinity cards – Taking a cue from Jennifer Government, QFC, Albertsons and Safeway have these ridiculously stupid “discount cards” that one has to carry around to get normal prices for items.

• Quality Food Center — convenience store prices
• Albertsons — no hassle registering anonymously
• Safeway — my Safeway Card still has Rob Cockerham‘s bar code sticker. I wondered why the cashier was chuckling.
• Costco — membership warehouse; the biggest value is saving $0.10/gallon on gasoline.
• PCC natural foods — I don’t know that there’s any real discount except on the 1st and 16th of the month. The cashiers are very cool.

Various memberships:

• AAA — American Automobile Association, discounts galore
• Homeowner association card — so I can use the pool.
• King County Library — otherwise my Amazon.com bill would approach that of my mortgage
• Seattle Children’s Museum — the kids dig this place, but it’s so noisy
• Museum of Flight
• Woodland Park Zoo
• Seattle Aquarium* — I’ll renew this when the kids want to look at more than just the octopus.
• National Parks System — bought when I went to Great Basin NP in December

Aviation-related:

• Pilot license — I tried using this as a “government issued ID” once.
• FAA second class medical — in the unlikely event that I exercise my commercial pilot privileges and fly for hire.
• WA state pilot registration
• AOPA membership
• SPA — Seaplane Pilot’s Association* membership
• NAFI — National Association of Flight Instructors*

Discount cards:

• Performance Bicycle — 10% rebate on cycling toys
• Ritz Camera — free extra prints or film
• REI — 10% “dividend”
• Cold Stone creamery — buy 9, get one free
• UW Alumni Association — instructions for the secret handshake
• Barnes and Noble – 20% off
• Jiffy Lube — $7 off an oil change
• Adventure Cycling

Gift cards:

• Barnes and Noble — $10
• Sears — $25

Miscellaneous:

• Puget Sound Blood Center — I am almost ineligible to donate because I’ve spent too much time outside the U.S.
• University of Washington Student ID*
• Blockbuster Video rental card (x 2)*
• Blockbuster Video discount card*

* = so expired, it’s not even funny.

Noticably missing: pictures of the family, soda crackers, spare change.

Not in my wallet because I don’t travel any more:

• Frequent flyer cards: United (gold), American (platinum), Continental, Northwest, America West, US Air, Alaska Airlines — most of these have been converted to tickets or redeemed for magazine subscriptions.
• Hotel: Hilton, Holiday Inn (yeah, I know, don’t say it), Hyatt (platinum), Best Western, Sheraton, Marriott
• Passport
• Canadian currency