Hack Your Pocket Moleskine Into A Wallet

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If you’re like me, you love your Moleskine, but hate having to lug around one more thing in your pants pockets. With a cell phone and wallet already occupying valuable pocket real estate, the addition of the Moleskine can make your bottom half start to feel bulky. I thought about getting one of David Allen’s NoteTaker Wallets, in order to combine my wallet with the note taking functionality of the Moleskine, but they’re $90! As a law student who’s taking on student debt, I can not bring myself to drop $90 for a wallet.

So, here’s the next best thing. Hack your Pocket Moleskine into a fully functioning wallet. The Moleskine already has a folder in the back that serves as a great place to keep paper money and receipts. What it’s lacking is a convenient place to store your credit cards. This hack fixes that. By combining your wallet with the Moleskine, you’ll have one less things to carry.

What We’re Going For

Pretty cool, huh? Let’s get started on your Moleskine wallet.

The Materials

• Moleskine
• Credit card holder template
• Scissors
• Gluestick
• Light card stock (100-120 gsm)

Instructions

1. Print off the credit card holder template that I’ve provided. Cut them out.

2. Fold the tabs on the cutout. I usually fold the tabs around a credit card to make sure I get precise and snug fold.

3. Apply glue on the side of the tab facing out, like this.

4. Place the first holder at the top of your Moleskine. I placed my credit card holders next the folder on the back cover. You can put your’s where ever you want.

5. Layer the subsequent holders in a stagnated fashion until you get to the bottom, so it will look like this.

6. Let dry. You’re done!

Here’s what it looks like closed:

It’s a little full, but has worked out for me pretty well for me. Now, I never forget to have my Moleskine with me. If anybody else has suggestions, please feel free add them to the comments.

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23 Comments

1. AgentSully on 02.10.2007 at 21:21 (Reply)

   pretty groovy!

2. Skeptical on 02.10.2007 at 21:57 (Reply)

   I’m skeptical of the durability. How many of these must you have to construct, reconstruct per month to keep up with wear? I would hate to lose valuable items due to a glue stick and card stock.

3. less on 03.10.2007 at 03:45 (Reply)

   this could be made really durable if you made it out of tyvek- you know the priority mailers? Print your templates on the inside of one of those mailers, cut it out, use a heavier glue and this would be bomb proof.

4. Mekkaniak on 03.10.2007 at 04:56 (Reply)

   This reminds me of a hack I made over two years ago. The same result (pockets in a stagnated fashion) but using only one single piece of paper folded like a accordion.

   1. Brett McKay on 03.10.2007 at 09:08 (Reply)

      That’s a brilliant idea! Much easier than my hack. Thanks for your comment.

5. Juggling Frogs on 03.10.2007 at 05:23 (Reply)

   This is a great hack!

   I have glued parts of envelopes to certain Moleskine pages in the past. Maybe cut envelopes would help with the aforementioned durability/ease factors?

6. Neil Ford on 03.10.2007 at 06:20 (Reply)

   This is an awesome hack. I can see the durability concerns but there are ways to tackle that.

   Just a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing.

   - Neil.

7. malcolm on 03.10.2007 at 08:16 (Reply)

   I just use a pocket protector (from staples 3/ 99 cents) not quite as organized but durable and you don’t have to keep making them over and over

8. Brett McKay on 03.10.2007 at 09:02 (Reply)

   These are all great ideas! I can see the concern for durability. I haven’t had any problems yet, but I’ve only been using it for a week.

9. Heather on 03.10.2007 at 09:07 (Reply)

   Along the same lines as the pocket protector, there are little clear plastic card sleeves you can buy, too, that might work as well, yet be more durable. And, you could place them so the open end is on the inside of the moleskine, rather than facing out, which makes me nervous about having cards slip out when you least expect it.
   Cool hack!

10. Lani Teshima on 03.10.2007 at 10:17 (Reply)

    Here’s an idea. Why don’t you buy one of those wallet credit card refill sleeves? One end is always a thicker plastic that’s there to slip into a wallet’s opening. You know, it’s the stuff you fill with photos of your kids.

    You can find some that are designed to slide into checkbooks. Just slip the placeholder into the Moleskine’s back pocket and voila, you don’t even have to glue it down since the notebook’s pocket should hold it in place.

    1. Brett McKay on 03.10.2007 at 12:54 (Reply)

       Great idea, Lani! I’ll have to go to the store to see if I can find a plastic credit card holder.

11. Brip Blap on 04.10.2007 at 20:47 (Reply)

    Excellent idea - honestly, any way you set this up it’s a great idea. If you can keep your “cards” (driver’s license, credit card, etc.) to a minimum this could very easily eliminate the need for a wallet. Simplicity in action!

12. Janne on 05.10.2007 at 01:38 (Reply)

    Nice hack! For those disinclined to DIY, here’s my solution for both saving space and forgetting the notebook: Get a business card holder (small, takes easily most of your needed cards and small stuff like 1-2 folded banknotes) and use Moleskine’s back pocket for contact cards such as travel card etc, and for bigger stuff. For me, having my travel card in Moleskine means I’m unlikely to get very far from home without my notebook :).

    Works like a charm, as an added bonus your “wallet” becomes very inconspicious. Of course, if you are robbed, then you have to make a hard decision as whether to give away your cards, or your notebook…come to think of it, I would actually give away my cards!

    Oh yeah, this works only if your essential cards etc are about the same size as your credit cards. Might differ from country to country.

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14. Mara on 08.10.2007 at 12:52 (Reply)

    what is your best and least expensive site for a mole skin? What size do you use?

    1. Brett McKay on 08.10.2007 at 17:24 (Reply)

       Mara-
       I’m not sure where the best and least expensive sites for Moleskines are at. You can always try Amazon. I just bought mine at the local bookstore for about $10.

       I use the pocket size Moleskine.

       1. Scott on 05.12.2007 at 23:28 (Reply)

          IKEA has them (in blue with a yellow ribbon book mark, natch), free to their “Family” members here (Holland). I’m not sure if this offer is going on in the rest of the world, but if you are an IKEA family member (it’s free to become one), you can get one each time you visit. At least for awhile. I’m stocking up and recommending them to my law students.
          Nice site, btw. But however do you find time to study?

          1. Brett McKay on 05.12.2007 at 23:56 (Reply)

             Thanks for the tip, Scott. I’ll have to see if they have that deal going on in the states.

             I try to find time to blog in the morning. Lately with finals, blogging has taken the backburner Just two more weeks of school!

15. Larry Beane on 19.11.2007 at 10:32 (Reply)

    Hi Brett:

    Great blog! I found out about it from Tulsa World. I like the Moleskine idea. Here’s a similar one - a low-tech palm organizer: www.pocketmod.com. Very cool.

    Good luck!

    Rev. Larry Beane
    Gretna, LA

    1. Brett McKay on 20.11.2007 at 09:42 (Reply)

       Larrry-
       Thanks for stopping by! I love the pocketmod! Every now and then I’ll print one off and use it. Great stuff. You’ve got a great site. Good luck with your ministry!

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