Organize Your Purse! | Day 8 of Less of a Hot Mess

Welcome to the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! We’re decluttering, reorganizing and taking a breath of fresh air to create a home we love. If this is your first time at the challenge, you may want to start here at the beginning.

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Purse organization is fresh on my mind because I got a new one for Christmas! Whoop.

I’m a carry-one-purse-forever-and-ever-amen kind of girl. I don’t own a bunch of purses and switch them out for various seasons or occasions. I don’t have time for all of that. Also, I’ve found that one nice, versatile purse will carry you through most occasions. I think I have a couple of fancy-ish clutches for the nice event that I go to once every 5 years. I literally live the mom life, so one purse it is! This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.

Case in point. I carried my last purse for … I almost don’t want to tell you. 10 years! I just couldn’t find one I liked better than it and it was leather and worked just fine. Then in the fall the straps started to finally fall apart, so I was forced to make a decision. I went back to the same company and bough the most similar purse I could find. (It’s this one and I’m so happy with it!) LOL I’m not a fashion blogger, OK.

The new purse is quite a bit smaller than my old purse. My new bag is plenty big, but it made me realize that having such a large purse gave me permission to carry way too much with me. I thought I would dislike having a smaller bag, but in reality, I love it!

So, this is how I’ve organized my new purse and decluttered the unneeded stuff…

1. Dump Everything Out of your Purse. All of the crumbs and paper scraps just need to come out. Maybe take everything of value out and then shake the rest out over the trash can. I’ve never done this personally, just heard that it might be helpful. #wink

2. Throw away the Trash & Remove Unwanted Items. I always have old shopping lists, kid papers, discarded mail and such in my purse. I think it procreates in there. 😂

3. Corral Like Things. Anything that makes sense to put together, then put it together! I feel like hair ties and bandaids are just a natural pair. And gift cards should obviously be in your wallet. Cosmetics should go together, of course. And yes, I keep a mini tape measure in my purse. I always need one when shopping for furniture or home decor items.

4. Put Like Things Together in Containers. I have my wallet, naturally, which holds my money, debit cards, insurance cards, gift cards and receipts. I’ll also stash a few business cards in there just in case I need them. I have a separate check book holder because I carry two sets of checks with me (business and personal). And I bought that check book cover 9 (!!) years ago and it’s lasted amazingly well this whole time. I bought it from this etsy shop. She doesn’t sell them anymore, but I bet she would still make one if you asked her. 🙂

I hold my essential oils in this cute apothecary bag from Lindsay Letters. I stick my hair ties and bandaids in the front pocket. And my lip glosses go in a clear little pouch. No fishing around the bottom of the bag for a rogue lip sheer!

5. Put Gift Cards and Loose Change in Your Wallet. This just makes sense.

6. Use the Bag’s Pockets. I keep my hand sanitizer, gum and pens (not pictured) in the inner pockets of my bag. I’ll sometimes throw an essential oil in there if I’m needing it frequently. My purse has a pocket on the outside which is perfect for my phone! I LOVE that!

And that’s all! Super simple and easy to keep things organized and neat, right where you can find them.

I’ve seen quite a few posts about purse organization that have a bajillion things listed to keep in your purse. First of all,  I don’t want my shoulder to fall off. So, I thought I’d share…

Some Things I Don’t Keep in My Purse

• Stain remover – I carried a stain remover pen in my purse for years and never once used it. I found that I just treat clothes when I get back home. If you feel the need to have something nearby that you use infrequently or in rare cases, maybe create a car kit with some on-the-go essentials that don’t need to be in your purse.
• My planner – what?! I know, you’re probably shocked that I don’t tote my planner around in my purse. But I am home most of the time, which means I have my planner on the desk or kitchen counter. And when I am on the go it’s usually a quick errand or to drop off or pick up a kid. If I need to make a note that goes in my planner while I’m out, then I just type it into my notes on my phone and transfer it when I get home. On longer trips I’ll throw my planner in my computer bag.
• A separate receipt organizer – I just stick my receipts in my wallet and take them out when it gets a little crazy. They then go into my inbox in my office. No need for a separate container.
• A separate budget planner or cash wallet system. I do my budgeting on-the-go (post here) and I keep my cash system in my new wallet, so it’s all in one place!

Obviously no two lives are the exact same, so your purse needs will differ from mine. You may have a long commute and need headphones or you may need to take your planner with you to work every day. I just ask that you keep it as simple as possible. No, you do not need 12 lip glosses. (I know I have 3, but they all serve a different purpose. 😉 )

Keep things simple and decluttered and you’ll do fine. Enjoy your newly organized command center on-the-go!

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The Messy Work: Dump your purse out and get to work! 😀

Let’s see your newly organized purse! Tag your social media posts with #lessofahotmess so that everyone can be inspired by YOU!

In the mess with you, Laura