Tips for Organizing Your Purse for a Life on the Go

I am probably showing my age a little bit, but do you remember the T.V. series “Mad About You” that aired for a time in the 90’s? It was about a newlywed couple named Paul and Jamie Buchman played by Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt, adjusting to life together in Manhattan.

Paul is a documentary filmmaker and Jamie is a public-relations executive with a sister named Lisa (played by Anne Ramsay).

Of the two sisters, Jamie was considered the intelligent, confident, organized, proactive, and more together one. Whereas, Lisa, her exact opposite, was considered to be: dizzy, insecure, disorganized, reactive, and unkempt, most of the time.

In this particular episode called Purseona, written by Eileen Conn, and Andrew Gordon; Paul is shooting a film in Canada, Jamie has a pitch she has to give to a client, and Lisa needs a job.

In the hectic morning rush, Jamie and Lisa exchange places for a day when Lisa accidentally walks out of her sister’s apartment with her sister’s purse—which looked like her own.

Jamie, as you can imagine had all logical stuff in her purse; Lisa on the other hand, did not. When Lisa needed money to catch the train, Voila!—she finds it in her purse; when she was hungry there was a snack; when it rained, she had an umbrella; when she snagged her stockings she had an extra pair of hosiery; when she needed a comb for her hair, she found one. Still oblivious to the fact that she had the wrong purse; suddenly, a different person begins to arise. She becomes confident and self assured and ready to take life by storm. As a result, she was able to land a sales job at a department store, on the spur of the moment.

Jamie’s day wasn’t as smooth as Lisa’s. When she needed money for the train, it wasn’t in her purse; when she was hungry and didn’t have money to stop for a snack, she did without. When it rained she got wet; there were no replacement stockings for the rip in the one she had on; nor a comb to comb out her matted hair. What she did find in her sister’s purse was a rabbit foot, a stale half eaten sandwich, moist pistachio shells, and other meaningless junk.

Eventually, Jamie begins to look more like her sister did just a few hours ago: unkempt and disheveled; and you can imagine what that did to her self-esteem—just before an important meeting.

Most of us will probably not have to worry about that happening, but taking time regularly to evaluate and clean out our purses will help keep us feeling grounded and ready for what most of the day holds—especially if you are a commuter. Our purse on a very small scale symbolizes our ability to organize our lives, and for many of us it represents the Bermuda Triangle from which things enter and never return.

Your Call to Order

Organizing Your Handbag

Next to a cluttered home, having a cluttered purse can also be exasperating. So, how do we get from chaos to order; have the ability to quickly and effortlessly find the things we need; and be able to swap out purses with ease? If you are ready to get started, grab your handbags, shoulder bags, or totes and let’s begin.

• Step 1—clean out your bag or bags over or in close proximity to a trash can, and preferably a shredder.



• Step 2—toss makeup that is dry, flaky, or more than a year old.



• Step 3—determine what things you will need to keep in your purse daily. This might include: money, keys, wallet, eyeglasses, cell (smart) phone, planner, PDA, pens, notepad, business cards, basic makeup, and or a small Bible. Carry only the identification and credit cards needed on a daily basis. It maybe helpful to photo copy the front and back of your credit cards or make a list of all your credit cards just in case your purse gets lost or stolen. The list should include the name of the credit card, the account number, expiration date, and the toll-free number to report a lost or stolen card. Plan to keep your photo copies or list at home with your other important papers.



• Step 4—become versatile by packing your essential items into zippered mini pouches that can be easily transferred from one bag to another. Use the pouches to compartmentalize related items within your purse. One can be used to hold makeup, another can be used to hold coins, another for receipts or medication.



• Step 5—organize your purse into zones, for example, put money in one zippered pocket, communication tools such as a cell (smart) phone, PDA and or planner in an easily accessible space. Place reading material in another section, and your mini pouches in the main living room section of your purse.



• Step 6-be resourceful, if you have additional items you want to carry but do not have space, keep those basic items in the trunk of your car or in your office desk drawer.
  
  When my son was an infant, instead of lugging a big diaper bag around everywhere I went, I discovered the ease of leaving my big diaper bag—with everything I could possibly need—in the car; and towing around a smaller diaper bag with only the bare essentials.

If you would like to share a link or tips for organization your purse please leave a comment below. God Bless…

A Suggested Link:
Know-What-to-Carry-in-Your-Purse