Organize Your Purse!

By Carmen Coker

messy_purseYou see the phenomena everywhere you go: women frantically digging in their purses to find a ringing cell phone, a lipstick in hiding, or buried car keys. Chances are that if you are female, then you have been there, done that at some point!

How can you eliminate future purse excavations?

(1) Determine your purse type.

- Just One Jenny? If so, you always use the same bag.

- Multiple Mary? If so, you change bags often.

(2) Analyze the functionality of your purse(s).
- Is your bag too small for your needs? Too big?
- Is it in need of repair or replacement?
- Is it hard for you to see items in your purse because the lining is dark?
- Are there enough compartments to hold small or loose items?

Use your purse type and purse functionality to help you reach a decision about keeping, replacing, or upgrading your current purse(s). If you need to replace or upgrade, here are some options:

> The Butler Bag is a complete purse that incorporates built-in compartments to help you stay organized. This bag was designed by a busy mom on-the-go, who was growing more and more frustrated by her messy bag. To counteract everything in her purse bunching in the bottom, she placed a silverware tray from a dishwasher into her bag. The tray worked so well as an organizer, that she turned the idea into a wonderful product line!

The Butler Bag is made from quality leather and comes in multiple sizes and colors.  It is a great option for Just One Jenny women who like to carry one, high quality purse.

> Purseket and Purse Brite are organizers that quickly add compartments to any size purse.  These are fabulous options for Multiple Mary women because it can be moved quickly from one bag to another.  They are very similar products, but Purse Brite offers a light in case you are looking through your purse in the dark. (See the previous reader hack on purse control for a second opinion.)

Purseket comes in multiple colors and sizes; Purse Brite only comes in one size and one color.

Once you have established if your purse is sufficient to do the job right, then there are 2 more steps to remove further purse excavations from your life:

(3) Overhaul on your purse(s).
- Dump out contents of bag and wallet onto a flat surface.
- Set aside items you need to carry with you at all times, such as wallet, cell phone, etc.
- Toss the trash.
- Weed through receipts and notes, only keeping the critical ones.  File the keepers in appropriate location such as a planner, address book, or folder.
- Refill wallet and bag.  Make use of all zippered pockets and open slots available, allocating a spot for each item.

(4) Perform weekly maintenance on your purse(s), purging any unnecessary items.>

Posted November 29, 2007, filed in Clutter Control Products, Organizeit Projects, Living Simply, Less is More, Clutter Hacks

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6 Comments

From Eva Wallace, November 29 2007

I have one of these in my purse and it's great! It keeps everything in an upright position, even in an unstructured bag, so I can see everything I have in one quick glance! Perfect for a Multiple Mary like me. :)

From Lorna Jean A. Yabut, November 30 2007

These are some great ideas. I currently have a big purse and tend to just throw things in there. The bigger the purse, the more junk is kept in there. I'll try to find something and get so frustrated searching for it. The purse butler looks promising so I'll be looking into that.

From Carmen Coker, December 1 2007

I just heard that Butler Bag is launching their 2008 line today. The new bags come with a lighter, softer interior design that is HALF the weight of the 2007 bags (and they were really light anyways!) and matching in color to the outside of the bag. The Classic style now has a large compartment for wallets and sunglasses etc.

From Samantha, December 7 2007

I was rather floored when I seen this. My dad has used a lunch bug and organized it with cardboard boxes to create a similar style, I then used a purse with the same concept, I saw this and got so excited it looks so nice with the proffessinal comparment interior, but the price tag WOW, I made the same thing and it didn't cost me but some clear tape, double sided tape and some small card board boxes to cut to size. I suppose I could attempt a much more complex version and try to cover my inserts with fabric..something to think about.

From Samantha, December 7 2007

i should mention, my "version" is much less stylish on the inside, but serves the same purpose. Plus I can alter the size of my "pockets"

From Kathy, April 3 2008

I love big bags but I can never find anything in them because it all gets jumbled up in a mess at the bottom until I found this clever purse organizer called "PurseIn".

This ingenious removable purse insert holds all my essentials in place and everything has its own pocket now. It really gives me more space and help me stay organized. No more digging around in my purse and the fact that I can move it from purse to purse is even better!

I highly recommend this clever PurseIn handbag liner to any woman who is tired of going on a treasure hunt every time you want to find something in your bag =)

Check it out at http://www.pursesitter.com/purse-organizer/pursein.htm

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