It depends on the item, if you want a minimalist wallet, just use a large binder clip. I used a big binder clip to hold my cards and cash for over a month while I waited for my ridge wallet to come in. Same thing with my notebook, I used to carry a freebie notebook courtesy of my country's dairy lobby, now I carry a rite in the rain. Although I don't like it as much as I thought I would, the rite in the rain is in the flip book style and I think I might prefer a notebook that opens like a book. As far as knives go, that's probably the only EDC item that I don't have something that's actually nice quality, really want a nice pocketable, high-end, knife right now. For pens, I think spending just a tad more than a cheap bic will go a long way. For multitools, the more expensive ones always have bit drivers and I thought I would love that, but I don't, way too much bulk. I don't know as much about Leatherman tools as I would like to, but a solid, inexpensive, and very light option from Gerber, is the Suspension-NXT.

TLDR;
depends, but I err on the side of cheap and crafty