Let’s talk Purse Organization. Two things always prove true: women love purses and women change out their purses often. How should you organize your purse? What are good practices to keep your purse organized? There are two issues to address and discuss. The first is the mess left behind when you don’t empty your purse entirely while rotating or switching between purses. Soon your collection of purses is littered with leftover mints, coins, business cards and lip gloss from when you last used it. The second is keeping your purse tidy throughout the week. No one longs for embarrassment as they dig through a scattered purse of old Kleenex, receipts, and stray dollar bills.
So let’s start with the first topic: Keeping up Organization as you Rotate between Different purses
- The simple answer is slow down and be thorough. Take time to switch over a purse properly and clean out the purse you are no longer using for the season.
- If you tend to switch your purse weekly or frequently, use organizing pouches within your purse for different categories.
- Then all you must do is move pouches of items from purse to purse which is way easier.
Cocktail parties or special events require special fancy purses. Those parties don’t happen every night of the week so after the party, return the items back to your regular purse. This ensures your cocktail purse is put away in an empty state. - Don’t treat your purse as a backpack. It’s not meant to hold everything you own. Set boundaries and be selective in what you decide to toss in there keeping it to just the basics. There’s no pat list for everyone. You know yourself best as to what you need while you’re out and about. If you don’t grab for it daily or at least every other day, it doesn’t get space in your purse.
- Always clean out the contents of a purse completely, emptying every pocket and compartment before switching to the new purse. This is the most important step that is overlooked.
I’ll never forget a customer I helped with her purses. We decided to go through all the bags and purses during this organizing project and the client and I were dumping the contents of all the purses we came across. After digging into every pocket of an old diaper bag my hand came across something important. I pulled out a car key probably worth six hundred dollars. The client screamed and said that her husband will love me for finding this and texted him right away the good news. We had found something so expensive and something so difficult to replace. No one had gone through every pocket of every last bag.
A similar experience happened while organizing with a teenager. While going through her massive room, she casually mentioned that her mom would love it if we found her passport. Sure, enough after five hours of organizing we found the passport in one of the last bags we searched. This teen must have had thirty-five bags and purses. Thank God we searched every pocket and zippered case and yes, the mom was grateful.
And now for the second topic: Keeping up Purse Organization Week to Week
Here is the only tried and true secret to maintaining an organized purse. As you’re waiting in a line, as you’re sitting in a waiting room, or as you’re on the train or bus, don’t turn to Facebook or Instagram to eat up your time; instead, take a gander inside your purse and go at it. Ditch receipts, old Kleenex, and any other random stuff that doesn’t belong. I did this once sitting across the desk from my small business banker and he laughed at me asking me what I was doing. I quickly replied that if I’m going to sit here waiting on him to help me, I might as well use my time wisely and clean out my purse. I understand sometimes it’s more convenient to do this purge at home. It’s easier to return a sippy cup or a pair of earrings to their rightful place at home. Regardless of where you do it, pick what’s best for you. If done consistently, this should take no longer than five minutes.
Also, take note of the type of purse that suits you. Practically and ease of use wins out for me every time. I like structure, pockets, comfort and medium-sized purses. I have wristlets to hold three things if I don’t want to carry a purse while at a concert or festival. If you’re currently carrying a large, baggy, stylish purse try switching up for something more orderly, unbendable offering more structure. It might make a huge difference.
Finally, consider what apps might replace cards you carry or other items that take up space. All of us carry little computers around with us (phones) that are more powerful and useful than we know. Digital business cards are creative and a great idea to try first.
