What's in YOUR wallet?

I'm a big fan of the personal organizer. They're binders with calendars, phone directories and other stuff you can use to keep your affairs in order. They're like the precursor to smart phones and "apps". They're made by Franklin Covey or Dayrunner and you can get them anywhere that sells office supplies. Mine is a Dayrunner and I've had it since the early '90s. This is a picture of it:

Might be time to buy a new one.

It sort of looks like it's been through a war, doesn't it? In ways, it kind of has. But it's very dependable and with my penchant for over-scheduling myself, I can't imagine my life being on track in any way, shape or form without it. I take it everywhere. I also carry all kinds of stuff in it and so some people think it's funny to call it a "murse", short for man-purse. I don't mind because, let's be honest, that's what it is. Yesterday I got around to cleaning it out and updating it for the first time in a while, something I've been meaning to do but just never got around to. My inventory of membership cards indicates that either the economy was worse than I realized or I need to sit down and go through my stuff more often...

Borders: Gone.
Gameworks: Gone.
Albertson's: Gone.
Blockbuster: Maybe not gone but definitely forgotten. I have no idea where one near me is. They used to have stores all over the place but now the business with a blue and yellow awning that's on every other street corner is Amscot.

But it wasn't a complete purge. I also found some gift cards that I was pretty sure I'd barbecued but had hung on to for some reason. I checked the balances and here's what I found:

• Red Lobster ..... $5.26
• McDonalds ..... $0
• 7-Eleven ..... $2.12
• Vanilla Visa ..... $3.33 (I accepted this as payment for a $30 fare during my cab driving days. I could have gotten ripped off but I took a chance and it had a whole $50 on it! That was a good night.)
• Another McDonald's ..... $0
• Long John Silver's ..... $2.56
• Another 7-Eleven ..... $1.82 (Hey, I can combine the 7-Elevens and buy a gallon of gas!)
• Starbucks ..... $1.67
• Yet another McDonald's ..... $0  (don't judge me)

So while I'm sad that so many well-established corporate entities either weren't equipped to adapt to changing business climates or weren't prepared to weather a severe economic downturn, I'm thrilled to have found $16.76 I didn't know I had.
Win some, lose some, I guess.