Growing up, Chrissy Metz didn't have a lot of money. And when she landed her breakout role on NBC's "This Is Us," she only had 81 cents in her bank account.
Today however, Metz, 38, has achieved amazing success — she has been nominated for both an Emmy and two Golden Globes; she has a bestselling book, "This Is Me" and she's starring in the upcoming movie "Breakthrough."
Still, that doesn't mean she's flush with cash, at least not in her wallet.
"I hardly ever carry cash," Metz tells CNBC Make It.
She uses a $44 wallet she bought nearly four years ago at Nordstrom Rack, which she loves. "It's really good inside, because there's multiple places, also a zipper and also a secret [pocket] – like if you want to put some bills that you don't want anyone to know about," she says.
"That's important. Because I got a very expensive wallet and it's not functional and I'm kind of bitter about it," Metz says. But this wallet: "She's done me well."
Inside, Metz has her California driver's license, her SAG AFTRA card, a Ticketmaster gift card, a debit card and two credit cards.
"I have an American Express, which I never thought I'd ever have," she says. "And it's the hard, thick one. It's the business account, folks."
She also has a Costco card.
"My best friend had been begging me to join Costco. I'm like, we don't need that much toilet paper! Well, we need that much toilet paper. So now I am an executive member at Costco, because we buy a lot of toilet paper."
She also carries some change in her wallet, "because of parking meters in L.A. But I hardly ever have actual cash on me."
Metz has been open about her past financial struggles, and now she is working with Turbo on the #RealMoneyTalk campaign, which encourages people to talk about money.
"It's all about just being honest and talking about money and being open about, how do you do this?" she says.
"Let's get real, because there's such a stigma around our finances, and who am I as a person if I don't have money or the financial freedom that I would like to have? So it's just about talking and being honest, which I think if we do more often, it will become easier."
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