As a woman, you tend have your whole life stored in a little bag that ends up being so heavy it causes back problems. Back problems aren’t the only problem though; has your handbag swallowed your entire arm while you search for your car keys or that pesky little parking ticket at a mall? What about all the little papers or empty sweet wrappers lying around at the bottom of the bag and breed while you aren’t looking?
Not only is it annoying to not be able to find what you’re looking for, but it’s also a safety risk to be standing by your car in a dark, deserted parking lot. Our Pants pockets aren’t made as deep as men’s so carrying only a purse, keys and a phone are not an option BUT we have found a way to simplify our handbags in such a way that it comes close, so that we carry only the essentials. No more lost parking tickets!
In celebration of handbag day we organised our handbags. What was a deep black hole is now a functional wardrobe accessory packed with intention.
We threw away items such as empty sweet wrappers, got rid of excess account cards, bits of paper, used tissues (we’ve all been there) and kept the following:
- A purse, unless the bag has slots for cards or a coin pouch. My purse has only my driver’s license, credit and debit cards – all the other account cards are unnecessary. I try to keep it simple and only carry plastic, and a few coins.
- Lipstick or lipice, and compact powder – these items are small and the only things you need to apply once the rest of your make up is on. There is no need to carry all of your makeup around with you.
- A small bottle of moisturiser – you never know when you might need it.
- A spare tampon – just in case
- A plaster or two – these come in handy if your shoes are hurting you, or in the event of a boo-boo or slight wardrobe malfunction.
- Business Cards and a business card and receipt holder – I use a small zip up bag to keep it neat.
- Tissues – sneezing, a bloody nose, a spill.
- A pen and small note pad – you never know when inspiration strikes, in my line of work I often write down ideas, but this may not be an essential item for everyone, although a pen is handy.
- Powerbank – again, unless you are away from a power source often, this is not an essential item.
- Cellphone
- Keys
- Bonus item: Sunglasses! – mine are usually on my head or hooked into the neck of my shirt, so it doesn’t really count as a handbag item for me, but if you have a nice case for yours, they will be safe and easy to find in your newly repacked bag.
These are the only items you will really need on a daily basis and keeps your handbag free of debris and will make you feel better than when your bag was a warzone.
This is one of the small ways in which we introduced the ideals of minimalism into our lives, to bring peace of mind and simplicity into our daily routine.
Leave a comment to let us know what your handbag essentials are.
xx
