There are a few things that I can confidently say that I am quite organized with. Although I suppose it’s all subjective. My family is pretty damn organized and I’ve been named “Messy Jessi” most of my life. But, I will say, I’m still organized. Just an organized mess. The one thing in my life though that has stayed perfectly organized and mess-free may I add, is my purse. Which I feel like for any woman is a major feat.
From keeping my receipts, loose change, makeup and more all organized, my purse is never a mess and I can easily find anything and everything I will ever need. Never am I struggling with the bottom of my bag trying to find that one hair tie. I’ll also never understand when I see people at the grocery store shoving their receipts into the abyss of their bags. Or friends who toss their credit cards into their purses after ordering drinks. Everything in my purse has a place. Period.
There’s a secret to the madness of course. And it’s about having the best pouches and holders for everything. Plus, having only the essentials readily available so you’re never searching or without something, you may need. So if you’re someone who is always fighting to find something at the bottom of your purse, this little Indigo Tip is for you to make your life easier.
How to Organize Your Purse
My bag truly only has 3 things in it. Yes, three. A wallet, a makeup bag, and my sunglasses case. I obviously will also have my keys and cell phone in here too. The only other thing that MAY be loose and not in one of these compartments is chapstick and a hair tie in one of the zipper pouches of the bag I’m using. Other than that, everything is contained within and I think that’s what’s key to keeping your purse organized.
The perk to doing things this way too is that it makes swapping bags SO easy and quick. I change my purses up often, sometimes several times a week. So just pulling out my wallet and makeup bag makes it effortless. Plus, I never find myself saying “oh that’s in my other bag’. Here’s how to do it.
Dedicated Spaces
The most important part of keeping your purse organized is to have dedicated spaces. My wallet holds all my cards, cash, coins, receipts and any gift cards or loyalty cards. I also clean out my wallet every so often and remove receipts to file them away for taxes if I need to or toss them.
For makeup, nail files, lip balm, hand sanitizer, tissues and all those little things you find yourself needing while out and about, keep them in their own dedicated makeup bag or small pouches. I use this Burberry one that I got as a gift and have it perfectly filled with the essentials. For my smaller purses, I use a smaller version with the bare minimum. But within this bag I also keep things organized like my pills all go in this plastic organizer so there’s not a bunch of random stuff rolling around. Having dedicated spaces or pouches for your items is key.
Keep Like With Like
When figuring out your dedicated spaces, you’ll want to keep like with like. If you’re the type who likes to carry around a ton of makeup, then get a separate bag to keep that all in. No reason to go through an entire bag of makeup to find your Advil. Personally, I don’t keep a TON of stuff in my small pouches, so mine can all stay in one bag without an issue. I think this is especially important to do if you have kids too. Having a large tote bag with just a big pouch inside kind of defeats the purpose. Create a small bag for kid stuff you need, a bag of your personal essentials, etc. This way you can easily grab what you need.
I find doing this is better than keeping things loose and flying around even if you use a purse organizer insert. Things are still loose and tossing around. Items can open and leak. I think small bags is the way to go. But you can always do an insert like this one (which is great for big tote bags probably) to keep things organized even more.
A Functional Wallet
Having a good functional wallet that keeps you organized can make a big difference in keeping your handbag organized and tidy. Find a wallet that has a spot for cash and receipts as well as enough slots for cards. If you hold onto a lot of coins, make sure your wallet has a coin section or get a separate coin purse. I use this one from Neely & Chloe and love how functional and organized it is.
When I’m going from purse to clutch or super tiny bag, I will transfer my essentials (a card or two, ID and $20) into a card case to save space.
Travel Sized Everything
There’s no need to tote around giant bottles of lotion or full size bottles of Tylenol. Get travel-sized items in your favorite things (I even have a travel-sized eyeliner and brow pencil). If you can’t find travel-sized versions of your favorites, I love these little containers to store lotions and even pills in.
My Purse Essentials
The things that are ALWAYS in my purse are below. These are items I find myself always needing or never want to be without in an emergency. While my list may look like this, yours might be wildly different. Just keep like with like, take out some of those pouches and makeup bags you’ve been collecting over the years, and put them to good use. Your new organized purse will make you feel so much more put together.
- Lotion
- Kleenex
- Deodorant
- Pill Box
- Peppermint Rollerball
- Nail File
- Pen
- Brow Pencil
- Lipsticks
- Concealer
- Chapstick
- Hand sanitizer
- Hair ties/Hairclips
- Tissues
- Screen Wipes (I use these)
