Everyday Toolkit

I like to keep track of an everyday toolkit of things that I use in my day-to-day life that bring me pleasure. You’ll usually hear me gushing about something on this list or something that will be added to this list.

This is not a complete list of things I use in each category. The focus is meant to be on things that I depend on or use regularly in my day-to-day life. For each category, I have other items I use for special occasions or specific use cases.

Note: Links are for convenience and information. I don’t use affiliate links or make any money here.

• EDC (Everyday Carry)
• Wallets
• Watches
• Pens and Pencils
• Wardrobe
  • Tops
  • Bottoms
  • Accessories
• Wetshaving/Skincare
• Personal Finance
  • Cash accounts
  • Credit cards

EDC (Everyday Carry)

I rarely leave the house without all of these on me.

• My phone, an iPhone SE (2nd generation)
• Keys – I don’t yet use a key organizer because I need to access the physical keys too frequently
• Carmex is the best lip balm/ointment on the market, bar none. I prefer the tube over the stick so I can control flow and use it on my nose or other areas that get chapped.
• A wallet, most likely the Charlie Cardholder Wallet from Herschel
• A watch, most likely the Casio AE1200WH-1A “Royale”

Wallets

I appreciate fine goods and high-quality craftsmanship, but I’ve reduced my wallet needs to 4 cases with 4 wallets:

• Everyday/casual use: Charlie Cardholder Wallet from Herschel
  • I got this on a trip to Vancouver in May 2023 with two close friends, and I’ve found it has maintained its shape well while holding what I need.
  • The setup: The front two pockets have my Chase Freedom Unlimited and American Express Gold cards, respectively. The back bottom pocket has my drivers license and my gym membership card. The back top pocket has my Fidelity debit card. The middle slot holds cash and receipts.
• Formal events: Minimalist Wallet from Taylor Stitch
  • I really like this wallet because the vertical orientation means I can slide out whatever card I need from my pocket smoothly without looking. This is a nice party trick, at least in my head.
  • The setup: Same as before, but (1) replace the Chase Freedom Unlimited with the Chase Sapphire Reserve (because raised imprints on cards need to die) and (2) ditch the gym membership card.
• Travel: Surfshorts Wallet from Chums
  • This wallet is great for holding extra cash and coins as well as any keys from an Airbnb.
  • The setup: The ID slot holds my driver’s license, and the divider behind that contains all other cards and receipts. The other zippered pocket holds cash and coins.
• Sentimental: An old Dockers trifold wallet
  • My father bought this for me before I was even born to gift to me when I became a teenager. It’s an ordinary trifold, but the leather is thick, supple, and durable. It still feels nearly the same more than 15 years since I started using it.
  • The setup: Spending cards go in the opening flap, driver’s license goes in the inside flap, and a few sentimental photos live in the ID slot in between. Cash sits behind. There’s also a small piece of paper that’s of great importance to me that my parents gave me the night before I left home to go to boarding school.

Watches

• I own several watches, but the Casio AE1200WH-1A “Royale” is what I wear while at the gym, out for errands, in transit for travel, cooking, and just generally when I don’t want to worry about what I’m wearing or babying my wrist. At this point, it probably takes up >50% of my wrist time, and I use it as a true “tool watch”. Read this Hodinkee article for a compelling argument why you should consider it or something like it.
  • I used to own the famous Casio F91-W, which has its own Wikipedia page and Watchfinder video, before gifting it to a close friend, but I think the AE1200 is better in every aspect, including features, water resistance, battery life, and backlight.
• Notably, I don’t own a smartwatch. I used to have an Apple Watch from 2014-2016, but I found it ate up the entirety of my wrist time, and I enjoyed watches too much to get addicted to a tool that required so much maintenance and upkeep (read: charging). I also found I was less present and prone to distraction while wearing it. The screen shattered when I dropped it from 4 feet high after showering at an Equinox, and I never looked back.

Pens and Pencils

• The Pilot Precise was the first series of pens that I was awed by when I was a kid, and it’s still my preferred set of writing instruments. These days, I use the V5 RT.
• When I’m traveling, the Pilot Precise can leak on the plane or otherwise run too much on delicate paper. Instead, I rely on the Uni Jetstream Sport in 0.7mm.
• I briefly fell through the looking glass into the world of fountain pens before realizing it wasn’t the right fit for me. In rare instances or for special documents, I pull out my Kaweco Sport Extra Fine.
• I don’t use pencils much anymore, but when I do, I use the Zebra M-301 in 0.5mm. A good friend from boarding school introduced me and a few others to this pencil, and we all exited using this wonderful tool.

Wardrobe

Tops

• T-shirts
  • Everyday wear: Next Level Apparel 6010 Triblend T-Shirt
  • Lifting: Lululemon Metal Vent Tech Short-Sleeve Shirt
  • Lounging: Outdoor Voices CloudKnit Shortsleeve
  • Travel: Wool&Prince 78/22 Crew Neck
• Jackets
  • Insulated jacket: Arc’teryx Atom Hoody
  • Rain/wind jacket: Uniqlo BLOCKTECH Parka

Bottoms

• Shorts: Vuori Ponto Short
• Joggers: Vuori Sunday Performance Jogger
• 5-pocket pant: Outlier Slim Dungarees (I buy mine secondhand from Poshmark)
• Chinos: Banana Republic Athletic Rapid Movement Chino

Accessories

• I’ve found Goodr Sunglasses to strike the perfect balance of quality, price, aesthetic, and replaceability (like some others, I too have lost my fair share of sunglasses). I alternate between the Back 9 Blackout for the classic Wayfarer look and the Midnight Ramble At Circle Bar for a smaller circle frame with a pop of color.

Wetshaving/Skincare

• The Double Open Comb razor from Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements was the first piece of hardware that really blew me away. Traditional double-edge shaving was always a huge step up from cartridge razors, but even then, I always shaved with alarm because of my sensitive skin. The DOC is one of the few razors that is both gently mild and supremely efficient with any razor blade, which makes it a perfect travel companion. If you’re new to double-edge shaving, I recommend you start with this razor.
  • I almost always shave in 3 passes: with the grain (WTG, “down”), across the grain (XTG, “across”), and against the grain (ATG, “up”). I usually shave twice a week. If I need to shave more frequently or I’m in a rush, I will lower the impact to 2 passes.
• After doing way too much research, I bought myself the RazoRock Game Changer .68-P as a birthday present in 2022, and let me tell you: my game was changed. The GC gives me a smoother, closer shave than the DOC. However, it is a slightly “riskier” shave, and fewer blades work well for me. This makes it the perfect razor to use at home in my ideal shaving environment. I highly recommend it as a second razor for someone who’s developed a solid DE shaving technique with their first razor.
• If I had to pick one brand of razor blades, it would be Gillette Silver Blue. It sits at the right balance of sharpness and smoothness for me, and I have a very good feel for how it dulls over time.
  • However, I’ve had consistent success and wonderful shaves with other brands. Gillette Perma-Sharp, Astra Superior Platinum (aka Astra Green), and Rapira Platinum Lux come to mind.
  • If you’re new to double-edge shaving, I recommend ordering a blade sample pack so you can find what kind of blades work best for you. Everyone’s skin is different!
• I only use synthetic shaving brushes (to reduce both animal impact and maintenance), and Maggard’s line is fantastic. I prefer the stiffer feeling of the black and white knots compared to the softer “Plissoft” knots that splay out more. I use the 22mm brush at home and the 18mm brush while traveling.
• Every shave opens and closes with Proraso Green pre and post cream. This stuff is magical, and the rare times when I forget to use it, I pay the price in burning and post-shave feel.
• Proraso Green is also a standby as far as the rest of the “software” (i.e., shaving soap, aftershave splash, aftershave balm) goes. This is my go-to when I’m traveling, sick, or in need of some bracing menthol.
• However, at home, I’ve settled into the tried and true king of artisan wet shaving, Barrister and Mann. I use Seville in the warmer months and Leviathan in the cooler months (you can only buy it in fall/winter). However, after finishing my current stock, I plan to experiment with some of their other lines.
• Other cornerstones of my post-shave routine include Thayer’s with Rose Petal (any variation is probably as good) and an alum stick (I prefer the stick form factor over a block).
• I found NIVEA Soft Cream from a recommendation in this Youtube video by Shave the Man, and while I don’t think it’s sufficient as a post-shave balm, it is an excellent everyday moisturizer for me on all but the hottest days. Plus, the blue NIVEA creme tin is a fixture of South Asian households, so it was a nice callback/full circle moment.
• I tried Trader Joe’s Daily Facial Sunscreen SPF 40 on a friend’s recommendation after I sweated off my previous tinted sunscreen straight onto my favorite white dress shirt. Though this is a chemical sunscreen, it goes on clear and doesn’t feel too heavy. It’s also supposedly a dupe of Supergoop, so you know you’re getting good value.

To summarize, my “skincare routine” is heavily centered around shaving, namely:

• Shower
• Proraso Green pre/post cream (as pre-shave)
• Load, lather, and shave for 2-3 passes
• Proraso Green pre/post cream (as post-shave) + rinse
• Thayer’s witch hazel
• Alum + rinse
• Aftershave splash + air out
• Aftershave balm + air out
• NIVEA Soft + air out
• Trader Joe’s sunscreen + air out (I sweat easily, so airing out is essential)

Personal Finance

Disclaimer: This section does not constitute financial advice. The following are products I like and use in my personal life.

Cash accounts

Fidelity’s Cash Management Account is the best spending account for me because I keep most of my investments at Fidelity. I followed much of the guidance in this article when setting this up. It has almost all the features I need:

• No account minimums or maintenance fees
• FDIC insurance
• Free paper checks
• Support for most P2P apps (except Zelle)
• Support for mobile check deposit
• Debit card that has no foreign transaction fees and reimburses ATM fees worldwide, which means you can withdraw local currency at the local rate anywhere
• Ability to store cash in a money market fund that sweeps out to cash for debits (I use SPAXX, which is generally compeitive with most savings accounts)

However, this account does have some drawbacks. Though cash is FDIC insured, Fidelity itself is not a bank. They work with a processing bank called UMB. As a result, it doesn’t support Zelle or cash deposits. For this, I keep a separate checking account with my local big bank (Citibank) with minimal funds.

Credit cards

I used to have almost 20 cards, but I’ve simplified it down to 3 main cards and 2 backup/niche cards because I’m no longer interested in the time overhead that comes from managing more cards.

1. Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR): Flights, hotels, and international dining. I will also use this card for rental cars because it has primary coverage.
2. Chase Freedom Unlimited (CFU): My US domestic catch-all card earning 3% back on dining and drugstores and 1.5% on everything else. However, this card has foreign transaction fees, so I don’t use it internationally.

More than 95% of my spending goes to these two cards. I mainly use the accumulated Chase points to transfer to partners (usually United, Southwest, or Hyatt) to book at outsized value (>=1.5 cents/point).

3. Fidelity Rewards: My international catch-all card earning 2% cash back everywhere with no foreign transaction fees.
4. Citi Costco: Now used for non-flight/hotel travel after the CSR revamp in 2025 as well as gas and EV charging.
5. Amex Gold: I always keep an American Express charge card in my wallet as a backup¹.

If I exit the points and miles game, my travel, dining, and fuel spend will go on the Citi Costco, and all other spend will go on the Fidelity Rewards.