Handbag Heaven! Anya Hindmarch Shoulder Bag
You reach into your handbag for your lip gloss and instead grab...an old receipt, a crumpled candy wrapper, or, evil of all evils, crumbs. This is my version of handbag hell. Why is it so impossible to keep my handbag clean and organized? I decided to tackle this question as a project and began by envisioning handbag heaven. This is what I saw:
- Contains everything I need and nothing I don't
- Items are easy to access
- It is clean!
Next, I set out to define a path to achieve my goal, and discovered the key is constant editing. To reach your own handbag heaven, follow these simple steps:
- Completely empty your handbag. Dump the entire contents of your handbag onto your bed (or on the floor if you have that pesky crumbs problem too!).
- Carefully edit out what you don't need (be honest with yourself!). My edits included - old receipts and wrappers (essentially garbage), 3 lipglosses (1 will do), and a battery (I know, very random).
- Add what you need. My essentials list includes: cell phone, keys, sunglasses, wallet (also needs to be constantly edited - a female George Costanza is not chic!), small notebook (moleskines are great because they also have a small folder in the back to keep important receipts, business cards, etc), pen, handcream, lipgloss, compact (must have a mirror to check your teeth after a meal!), hair elastic, ibuprofen. Your list might be longer or shorter, but be sure to consider the size of your handbag. Keep big items in the large pocket and small items in the small pocket so you don't have to root around too much looking for what you need.
- Now constantly edit. Don't take receipts from stores when you know you don't need them (eg. when you buy a bunch of bananas). If you do get a receipt, find somewhere to toss it immediately. When you put a new lip product in, take the old one out. Never, ever put a half eaten chocolate bar or cookie in your bag unless it is tightly sealed (maybe this one is just for me). And finally, once a week, rifle through your bag to make sure you aren't inadvertently storing half your lunch in there!
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Kena! Megan and I were just talking about how cluttered purses can get right before you posted this!
This is a very good way to keep things as neat as possible in the black hole of handbags. My bag is relatively small and I still have to root for stuff on a regular basis.
Keys always end up in the bottom, nested in some way that if I tried to do it myself, would be impossible.
Someone really needs to invent a way to prevent this!
I also have to watch out for half eaten goodies!!
I hope this post helps then Anika! I am going to try and stick to this. Disorganized handbag = frustration and irritation!
I know! I have made it a rule. No snacks in my handbag! (unless they are sealed)