Do you consider your purse a black hole? Do you spend far too long digging through your handbag to find your keys? Have you ever ruined your makeup because it “got loose” and spilled?

 

It’s time to organize your purse! 

 

When it comes to purses (or handbags, if you will), I stick to only storing 4 categories of things:

 

1.) Wallet

2.) Keys

3.) Cosmetics bag

4.) Phone

[5.) Sometimes a water bottle]

 

My wallet includes a zipped compartment where I store my keys; so really, I only carry 3 separate items in my purse at all times. And if I am going out for a few hours without access to water, I carry my water bottle in my purse as well. Most of the time, however, I only carry three items with me and I never waste time searching for anything. Plus, it takes only seconds to transfer these items to another purse.

 

How do I organize my purse? 

First of all, you need to dump everything out of your purse. Any receipts or pieces of paper should be thrown out unless you will be using them at a later date.

 

Then, you need to separate your purse into those 4 categories. All of your financial cards, insurance cards, gift cards, and money should be organized in one place, so it’s time to find yourself a compartmentalized wallet.

 

Next, you need to keep all of your keys together! Maybe you carry around keys that you don’t use every day, but might need sometimes. Separate them from your key chain and keep them in a drawer or a file folder where they won’t be misplaced and you have access to them when you need to use them.

 

If you can, find a way to store your keys either in your wallet, or in the inner pocket of your purse.

 

Finally, and maybe the most difficult to organize and keep clean, your cosmetics bag. I only carry miniature things in my cosmetics bag, and my bag is very small, yet every day I am able to store and carry around the following:

1. toothbrush, toothpaste
2. floss
3. deodorant
4. lotion
5. tweezers
6. nail clipper
7. mascara
8. eyelash curler
9. eyeliner
10. lip liner
11. 2 lipsticks
12. nail file
13. hair ties
14. hair clips
15. bobby pins

 

Clearly, my youth as a Girl Scout has taught me to always be prepared!

 

How do all of those items fit in a small cosmetics bag?

Well, as I stated above, I only store miniature items in my purse cosmetics bag, and I only keep what I am using that season. During winter, I carry around darker shades of lipstick, switching them out to lighter, brighter shades in the summer. There’s no reason I should carry around hot pink lipstick in the winter if it doesn’t complement my skin tone. If I am going to wear hot pink on a random winter day, I will carry that with me and switch out a lipstick that I know I won’t be wearing that day.

 

So, what’s the key to organizing your purse and keeping it clutter-free and organized?

We tend to think of our purse as an extension of our home office, kitchen, bathroom, maybe even our closets (maybe you store a sweater in your purse at all times? I used to!). But most of the time, we don’t need everything we carry around every day. We can still dwindle down our purse necessities into four categories. The trick is to only carry what you need most days, and if you can find miniatures! Use pockets to store loose items, and throw out garbage—that includes receipts!

 

Remember, less is more. You don’t want to spend time digging through your purse to search for your keys; you also don’t want to strain your back by lugging around a handbag as heavy as a brick!