Sometimes I feel like my handbag is one hot mess and I can never find anything! At the moment it’s filled with a big fat wallet stuffed with till slips and loyalty cards for Africa, hair pins and 4 tubes of lip gloss… The list can go on, but it’s scary and I’d rather stop *blush*.

Honestly I would just love to find my keys and phone when I’m looking for them…That’s why this weeks blog post is dedicated to organising your handbag and keeping it that way! Let’s get going, do you have your handbag ready?!

Essentials

If we really look at what we actually use everyday, it’s probably very little compared to what we lug around.

The first step is to empty out your bag and put aside items you use everyday. For me, I use my cell phone, drivers license, bank card, car and house keys the most. The second step is to find a holder/pouch to keep these items together and at arms reach, like a slim key chain wallet.

Slim key chain wallets are awesome for essentials, you can slot in your cards, drivers and attach your keys to them. Make a habit of hooking it onto your bag so you’ll always know where to find it.

There will be other items, like loyalty cards and your shopping list that you may need, keep these in a compartmentalised wallet that you can reach for as and when needed.

The finer details

Till slips! Its a pain to sort out the different bits of paper that come out of your purse. I recommend you get your hands on a mini accordion organiser or a tabbed envelope to keep in your handbag. This will help you organise your slips as you receive it.

Coins…Perhaps keep a small pouch for coins and empty it out into a jar at the end of each week or day, just to keep your handbag lighter.

Make-up. Limit it to only those items you use for touch-up’s, like face powder and lipstick and carry it in a small mesh bag. It won’t take up too much space and makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. You can do the same for small medical supplies (plasters) and hair accessories.

Compartmentalise

Once you’ve established what you need, find a bag that has enough compartments without being too big. Often smaller bags have more compartments than larger ones which makes it more suitable for everyday use. It’s a sign…

Apart from your slim key chain wallet for your cards and keys, dedicate a pouch to your cellphone and feminine items. If you carry your sunglasses in your bag, dedicate a pouch to that as well.

The key is to give each item a place and make the items you use everyday easily accessible. If your bag doesn’t have enough compartments, consider getting a bag organiser. It’s quite nifty and it makes changing bags a dream.

Weekly stock take

Decide on a day that you’ll have a guaranteed 5 minutes to go through your handbag. With the help of your mini accordion organiser your till slips would already be organised, so all you need to do is get rid of what you don’t need and file what you do. Too lazy to file it? Take a photo of it and email it to yourself so that you can sort it out later when you go through your emails.

Depending on your lifestyle, you should aim to do this every week or every two weeks. Put a reminder on your phone (on repeat) to help you stick to it and it will become a habit in no time!

Downsize

Get a smaller bag. The bigger the bag, the more crap you’ll find to store. Keep the larger totes for the beach, a day trip or a mall day. During the week all you need are the essentials.

Now that you have everything organised, its time to keep it that way. Yes it will take 5 minutes of your time every week, but when you stick your hand into your handbag and find your keys on the first try, it’s well worth it!

I would love to hear what’s helped you keep your handbag in check, so please leave a comment below!

Until next week, stay stylish!

oxo

Zeenat

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