Organized Purse/What's In My Bag

Organized Purse

What's in My Bag?

"What's in my bag" posts & organizational posts are some of my very favorites to read, so I thought I'd combine them for this post & talk about how I organize what I keep in my purse. Most women carry a handbag and many of them struggle with creating a good system to keep them organized enough to find what they're looking for at a moment's notice. Hopefully this post will help you keep your bag (& therefore, your life on the go!) a bit more organized and manageable. :)

I know if my bag is messy, I waste too much time searching for keys, my wallet, my sunglasses, whatever I'm looking for because everything is swimming around in the interior. To prevent this problem, I'm a big advocate of smaller compartments within a bag. I'm pretty picky about the bags I buy--they need to have at least one smaller pocket on the inside, preferably a zip pocket on one side and two smaller open pockets on the other side. I also strongly prefer to have an outside pocket on my bag as well.

Kate Spade Maise handbag (similar) (I accent mine with this red/pink charm, which Ricky mocks. But it is soft & cute & I love it!)

The bag I'm currently using is this gray Kate Spade Maise that I got last summer. I believe I either got it at TJ Maxx or during their surprise 75% off sale but I can't be sure which one. Kate Spade is one of my favorite brands and I'm always checking for it everywhere I go! I actually didn't realize how much I'd built up my Kate Spade collection until I was writing this post and linking the items, but I'm glad that I've identified a brand that I always appreciate so that I can keep an eye out for sales and know that my items will work well together.

Loft Aviator Sunglasses /Sugar Paper Gold Dot Planner

Inside my bag, I actually prefer to have one large compartment. The ones that are pre-divided can be okay, but they're not as customizable to your needs as I like. My approach is to use smaller bags, usually cosmetic bags & pencil pouches (many from when I was subscribed to Ipsy), to hold any smaller items in my purse grouped into like categories. My current bag is a small-to-medium size, but I can carry anything from a little cross-body to a huge tote and still implement this technique.

Kate Spade Slim Bee  / Kate Spade Cedar Street Lacey

The categories are pretty fluid for me, shifting as my needs do so it's a little different in every season of my life and a little different with every purse. Right now I have a makeup bag (it's Jessie Steele brand, but this particular one is no longer available) that holds feminine items, headphones, a Kleenex pack, and pain & allergy meds (in a little pill organizer so that I don't have to take up room with multiple bottles); my novel-sized planner, my wallet, which is the Kate Spade Cedar Street Lacey in Papaya; sunglasses and case; a book or two (at all times I have to have a book with me) and ID holder (it's the Kate Spade slim bee, which looks like it's only available in black & white stripes right now).

Find Her by Lisa Garnder (It's a hardback so it's a little big to fit all the way down in my bag, but it sits on top nicely for my commute to and from work, and then I take it out the rest of the time. A small paperback works great though!)

I also keep two small (check-sized) expandable files like this one for our cash envelope system (black file) & to organize our gift cards (white file). Those files can sometimes be found in the Target dollar section so keep your eyes peeled for a better deal. Let me know if you'd like more info on the cash envelope system--it really helps us keep our budgeting in check and be able to put more towards debt & savings each month!

Expandable Mini File 

In the zippered compartment on the inside wall, I have a couple of lip products, my keys & my phone (phone case here). In the smaller pouches on the opposite wall, I have my business card holder (side note--makes a great gift, especially along with some cute stationery!), pens, cheap earbuds, blotting paper, mints, travel sized tissues, brow gel, concealer, mini hand cream, and a Philosophy Fresh Cream rollerball perfume.

Kate SpadeLeopard Ikat Phone Case / Kate Spade Let's Do Lunch Business Card Holder

I know to some people that list included a lot of beauty products, and for others it wouldn't be enough. I find that touching up shine, concealer & brows tends to be all I really need on a regular basis and I have a few additional products in my desk at work that I don't need to be carrying around with me all the time. Lip products are the only thing that tend to pile up in my purse beauty-wise because I tend to throw whatever one I'm wearing that day in there for the day. I try to take them all out at the end of the week and then start over. :)

matte lip cream, lip balm, mini hand cream
concealer, tinted lip color
blotting paper, rollerball perfume, brow gel,  

When I stick to a system like this, I can reach into my purse in total darkness if I need to and find exactly what I'm looking for. It's actually pretty funny if I'm driving and Ricky is looking for something, I can direct him to it step by step. He thinks I'm kind of magic--which is fine by me! I call it organizational magic. :)

You can stay up to date by following me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter and subscribe at the top right of this page. Sharing is caring :) 

If you're a brand or company and would like to do a collaborative post, review, or advertisement, please contact me at sponsor@lorimerliving.com.

XOXO, 

Jaclyn