Learn how to organize your purse with these five simple tips!
Quick! Tell me what’s in your purse right now!
If the list is going to take longer than five minutes to say or you don’t even know, it might be time to organize what’s in there.
Tiny purses are cute and great for a night out but they’re not really practical for your day-to-day activities. The problem is handbags seem to be growing in size and we always fill them to the brim. Not only is this a lot of weight on our shoulders but it also makes it hard to find anything in there!
I’ve had friends tell me they lost items only to sheepishly admit a few days later that they found said items in the bottom of their bag. Let’s put a stop to that once and for all. Here’s how to organize your purse in five easy steps.
How To Organize Your Purse
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1. Empty Out The Purse Contents
Thinking about what’s lurking in the deep dark depths of your purse can be a little scary. Have you recently gone hunting for something in the bottom of your handbag and come up with a handful of crumbs? It’s not uncommon.
Your bag is a collection of your everyday experiences. In order to organize it, start by cleaning it. Dump everything out. Get rid of all the trash—old faded receipts, expired coupons, candy with hair stuck to it (You know what I’m talking about!) and all the other junk that has accumulated in there.
Wipe out the inside with a damp cloth and clean any odd sticky messes that you’re not sure what caused them. Repair rips to the lining while you’re at it. No more lost change in between the exterior and lining of the bag.
2. Sort and Group Similar Items
Now, go through the contents of your purse and group similar items together. You’ll probably find the following:
- Wallet, change, cheque book
- Keys
- Cell phone
- Toiletries
- Cosmetics
- Hair products e.g. hair ties, hairspray, comb and brush
- Medicine
- Receipts, coupons, gift cards or store cards
- Pens, pencils, notepads, planner
- Toys and books for kids
- Snacks
This is the perfect opportunity to lighten your load. Do you really need all of those things in your handbag? Less stuff will mean it’s easier to find what you need and your bag will be much lighter!
Pick out just the essentials and set the rest aside. If you’re a mother, consider leaving your kid’s stuff in the car. Whenever you take your child somewhere, you can grab one or two things to keep them entertained and return them afterwards.
Use travel-sized products instead of full-sized ones. Transfer your favorite toiletries to smaller jars/ bottles.
3. Corral and Contain What’s Inside Your Purse
Anything that is going back into your handbag should be easy to find. Corral small items like medication and pens into separate zippered pouches or ones with some other kind of closure. Use containers that are different colors so it’s easy to identify the one you need.
Doing this prevents a jumbled mess of tiny things at the bottom of your bag and when you want something, you can just take out the appropriate container.
Use waterproof containers for anything that may spill e.g. hand sanitizer, lotion and makeup. This is especially important when travelling. The change in cabin pressure inside an airplane makes liquids explode out of their containers. (Speaking from experience here.)
Mini expanding file folders are perfect for organizing receipts and coupons. Label the tabs so you separate and organize paperwork as you’re putting them away.
To eliminate hunting for keys inside your handbag, attach them to the strap of your purse using a key chain with a clip like this one or a carabiner.
4. Use A Purse Organizer Insert
If you love to swap out your purses, use a handbag organizer. It’s the best way to organize each bag without having to transfer all the contents one by one.
Take advantage of the numerous pockets and separate what’s in your purse to make it easy to locate items. When you’re switching over to another bag, simply lift out the purse organizer insert and drop it into the new purse.
5. Stay Organized
Keep your purse organized by making sure to return things to the appropriate spot. At the end of each week, go through your bag and clear out old receipts or anything else you don’t need.
Over time, your handbag will stay organized and it will be much easier to find things. You’ll save time and reduce your stress levels because you won’t be hunting for items you thought you lost that are just hiding inside your purse. Your shoulders and back will be much happier as well!
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