How to Organize Your Purse or Handbag

When you think about it, trying to organize your purse is kind of a microcosm of our need to organize our life. All of our important things are found in there and it allows us to bring….well…us everywhere we go. Having a purse is all about organization in the first place. The problem?

Few women actually get around to organizing that purse. It becomes the bottomless pit of chaos instead. How can we get this under control? Is there hope for us despite the endless cycle of items that come in and out of our handbags?

More importantly…will you ever find that tube of ChapStick that rolls endlessly around in the bottom of your bag?

Have no fear… here are some tips for how to organize your purse and keep it that way for a long time to come:

Dump it out – Before you can hope to contain the insanity of your handbag, you first have to set it free. Empty the entire thing out in the middle of the floor and start fresh.

Gather and group – Next, you want to go through the huge pile and put all like things together. When you see them in piles they begin be less intimidating. Ironically you will also discover that you have doubles…maybe even triples…of certain items. Eliminate the extras.

File away receipts and papers – The one thing that always ends up in your bag and taking up space is receipts. Rarely do we purge our purse of these little headaches and they can pile up quickly. This clutter makes your purse impossible to organize on the go. File them away and make it a daily thing.

Get a change bag – Rather than letting your change fall all over your purse, have one specific container that you put all your change in. As it fills up, dump it in a change bank at home for other uses or vacation savings.

Get rid of anything outdated – Old credit cards, debit cards, library cards, driver’s licenses and anything else that is not being used any longer is simply eating up space. Just getting rid of these things will help you to organize your purse much quicker.

Evaluate your purse – It might be time to switch it up. Is your purse easily organized and does it provide you with enough space? If you are carrying a purse that is not providing you enough space, perhaps you should move up a larger size. Many women make the mistake of only considering fashion when carrying a purse. That is fine for a night out, but not really a good idea for daily use. Pick a purse that is going to accentuate your look and your life.

Take a solid inventory – Finally, you need to take stock of every last thing that goes back into your purse. Right it down and keep it in a safe place at home. This includes card numbers, account numbers, license numbers and any other important items you might carry around. If your purse is ever lost or stolen, this organization will save you from many headaches.

Group like items in the same area – Find various sections within the purse or handbag and place items in their own sections. For the zipper in the side, for example, you might put your beauty and makeup items. In the other zipper you can keep your papers and receipts. Each item that goes in your purse should have a specific place to stay organized.

All of these tips will get you organized but your purse will not stay that way unless you work at it. Every weekend you should take five minutes and make sure everything is in order. It takes a very short amount of time and can be done while waiting on an appointment even.

Now you know how to organize your purse and keep it that! The rest is up to you!

If you are in need of better organization skills in general, then we have some things here that will be sure yo help you out! Check out our guide to Getting Organized! If you find that you are still having organization problems, then you might want to try this book on organizing inside and out!