Credit cards are a great way to spend money without thinking. Well, instead of spending money, use this clever little do-it-yourself trick to help you credit card save you some coin. Like the contact lens earbud case we showed you in the past, this will also help you keep your earbuds a little more organized and detangled.
This solution is great because it neatly coils everything up to fit right you your pocket or bag. With its compact and affordable design, this seems like a great alternative to $15+ cases. If these is something that interests you, check out the quick and easy steps below:
What you'll need:
- An expired plastic credit card or membership card.
- Utility or X-acto Knife (heavy duty)
- Electric drill with drill bit
- Cutting board
- Level smooth surface
Instructions:
- Find an old, expired (or new if you want but we wouldn't recommend this) credit card.
- Use a utility knife to cut a trapezoid into the two long sides of the credit card. These cuts should ideally start after the corner's radius as to avoid sharp corners.
- Use a drill and a drill bit to make two holes in the credit card at one of the short ends. This is where the earbuds will go. The size of the hole will depend on the particular set of earbuds. Generally 3/8" to 1/2" will work well.
- With the utility knife, cut a line from each hole to the outside edge. This will be used for sliding the earbuds and their cord into the hole.
- Use a slightly smaller bit (again this depends on the individual earbuds, but 1/4" generally works) to make a hole in the opposite end of the card. This will be where the earbud plug will go.
- Cut a thin (about the thickness of the wire) channel from the bottom edge of the card to hole for the plug.
That is it. After this simple 6 step process, you will have found a great way to recycle your old credit cards!
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This worked great and the directions were easy. It took a total of 5 minutes and that included trying to find a card of some sort that I did not want.
An old anthropologie card was what I found. They are perfect to store my earbuds for my Windows 7 phone. Will make it much easier to find them in my purse.
@teawithsteph
I am glad that this worked out well for you. I agree the hardest part certainly is finding an old card that works, but as you mentioned, other types of cards - including gift cards - also work great.
Credit card plastic is very hard and unforgiving. Ask anyone who washed and dried one. I see that the hole for the plug has a widened slit. Shouldn't the holes for the ear buds have one, too? I imagine the friction would wear out the wire covering or even decapitate the headphone. Otherwise, I'll give it a go and just make a slit that is a little bigger.
Might be a good idea to use an expired credit card only if your replacement has a different account number on it... I'd hate to lose one of these and have my credit card number floating around...
If you use an old hotel key card you'll be reminded of a favorite place or vacation every time you use your earbuds.
Yet another reason I need to invest in a drill!
@faberglas: using an old hotel key card is a great idea! Also reduces the security risk of having an old credit card number floating around where it could be stolen...
The only thing you should do with an old or expired credit card is to cut it into very small pieces and throw it away.
Using a gift card or hotel key is much better.
Kaz...was thinking the same thing. Typically the number is the same on new credit cards. Even if you closed that account, it could still be used for fraud, especially with your name on it. Shredding is the only acceptable thing to do with it. I think the hotel room or using an old membership/frequent user type of card is better.
Thanks for this post. Just made one out of hotel key cards. I kind of changed the tools, used a puncher to make the two holes for the earbuds and one for the plug. I did make a slit on the upper part portion for the earbuds to make it easier to use. Very useful ideas.
@Hermusingherworld
A puncher is a great idea for the holes. Not sure why I never thought of that, but thanks for sharing the awesome tip.
GOOD IDEA!
I made these but a little different. I put a single hole in each end and used it for my iPod charging cord to keep them organized in the charging drawer. I also used a hole punch.
You can also use all those fake credit cards that come in the mail. I usually give them to my daughter to play with, she loves having a wallet full of credit cards(may not be a good thing haha) but this would work too. Although gift cards, hotel keycards, etc would be much nicer looking.