A cluttered handbag makes it frustrating to find what
you need when you need it. Plus, when you have way too many items inside of it, making it super heavy, you risk straining your neck, back, and shoulders.
Take a look at what you can
ditch:
1. Gum wrappers, old tissues, and other trash: Obvious rubbish is easy to spot. Trash it now.
2. Loose coins: Yes, you may need some for machines, parking, etc. but how many? Coins are so heavy. Keep enough for a meter or two and put the rest in a money box at home.
I never keep coins in my handbag. I keep some in a coin purse in my car's glove compartment.
3. Old sweets: These may now be well past their use-by date, have collected fluff, or are just yucky and sticky. You don’t need them. That goes for those old lozenges
too.
4. Receipts: If they're crumpled in the bottom of your handbag, you likely don't need them. Give them a quick glance. If you no longer need them for recording spending or in case of returns, out they go.
5. Credit cards: How many do you need to carry? Just keep the relevant one or two you need in your purse/wallet and store the others.
6. Coupons: Using coupons is sensible, but not if you have so many crowding your handbag that you don’t know which are valid any more. Sift and toss.
7. Paper scraps with notes or phone numbers:
Record them somewhere more permanent (your phone's contacts perhaps?) and then get rid of the scraps.
8. Spare bags. Yes, a small bag for shopping is wise, but only one. If you’re going to do more shopping, you should know ahead of time and be able to take more for that particular
shop.
9. Pens: There may be multiple pens in your bag. Thin out the stock and make sure those you put back work. Two should be more than enough for most people.
By the way, I always keep my pens in a small Ziploc bag. If they leak, the ink won't leak all over my handbag.
10. Sanitizer, lip balm, hand cream: If you have more than one of each, remove the spares and use them up one by one.
11. Cosmetic bag: This could be the heaviest item. Prune it accordingly. Keep just those items you truly use while out and
about.
I only keep one lipstick in a lipstick case. That's it. I don't carry around any other makeup.
12. Frequent buyer cards: You don't need them in most stores. Most retailers will accept your phone number without the need to carry around the card. Find out whether you need the card with you or not. If not, leave it at home.
13. Treasures: That shell, pebble, photo, toy, etc. that was important to keep doesn’t seem too important if it’s languishing in the bottom of your bag. Keep it safely in a pocket of your bag or store it at home where you can see it.
14. Elastic bands, scrunchies, barrettes, bobby pins, safety pins: Tie a few scrunchies and hair bands around the base of your hairbrush...in case you want to tie your hair back while you're out.
Attach a few spare barrettes, bobby pins, and safety pins to an index card so they're not randomly tossed in your handbag.
15. Broken bits: Broken jewelry, watch strap, spare batteries, and all those things
you meant to take to the repairer shop? Time to actually get them repaired or dispose of them.
Do you have more than one handbag? Well, you know what to do!
