Even though I am lifting weights 5 times a week (THEY ARE SMALL WEIGHTS, and I DO NOT LIFT THEM VERY LONG. BUT STILL), I could not even carry my work bag up the stairs to my office the other day. Like, instead of putting it on my shoulder, I sort of held the straps with both hands and lugged it in front of me.
The first thing I did when I got to my office was sort out the mess because that was an untenable situation if ever there was one. (Hello, dear. YOUR PRIVILEGE IS SHOWING).
Ok. Seriously though. IT WAS BULGING when I threw it (heaved it, really) onto the table in my office:
Sooooo, I took everything out
It’s a big bag that holds tons of stuff, but I was astounded by the amount of just unnecessary and odd stuff in there. A potato postcard from a supper club? An empty sunglasses case that went with NEITHER of the 2 pairs of sunglasses? Why???
I also took out the bag organizer I bought on Amazon that briefly changed my life before I gave up and let my purse become a trash can again.
And I organized all the junk into rough piles by sort-of type
Do I need to carry enough maxi pads for a junior high health class and 8 lightly used KN-95 masks? No. 5 pairs of glasses? Probably not. I left most of the pads, a pair of sunglasses and a pair of driving glasses, the big thing of wipes, the fork, one of the hand sanitizers, and all but one of the most salvageable masks in my office for later. Then I drank the coffee and water and ate the food, so at least I don’t have to carry that stuff around anymore.
I contemplated moving some lipsticks to my desk, but you just never know when you might need one of 4 that are practically the same freaking color, so I left them just to be safe.
Lancôme Caprice, MAC Ruby Woo, Lancôme French Tea, Maybelline Enjoy the View
(I moved the Clinique classic Black Honey to the cute little wristlet part of my bag, along with my keys, because that’s the part I take with me when I go for a walk, etc)
Also room for gum, AirPods, and my wallet— what else could I need? (Also this is the part of my bag that I grab if I am going out in a non-work context and don’t want to take a larger purse— love it).
SO MUCH RANDOM stuff still. But who’s to say when you will want a Golden Girls pin for your lapel or some allergy eye drops? MUST BE PREPARED.
The final result is still too crowded (the library book is for my hair appointment after work and should have stayed in the car— I resented its weight the whole way up from the garage)
BUT!! I found a $10 swim school snack card that I lost after just one punch, and
that was an excellent surprise.
Better??
Anyone else a hoarder inside your own purse? How do you pare it down to the below-ridiculous level??
I just did a quick look-see through my own purse and found five slightly used KN-95s, two empty glasses cases, an entirely empty spiral-bound notebook, three pens (only one of which worse), a Ziploc bag with three glosses, two lipsticks, and Chapstick, two mini bottles of hand sanitizer, and so much spare change. I guess we are sloppy purse friends.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I rarely have a reliable pen, but I always have a handful of dried ones.
DeleteMine can get a little cluttered, too. I think I have 3 tubes of lipstick - I should probably have 0 in there since I so rarely wear lipstick! I never ever carry a physical book, though. That is the wonder of the ereader. I have a kindle so I have the ap on my phone which syncs to the kindle as long as the kindle is connected to wifi. It is wonderful to always have a book at my fingertips without having to lug a heavy book around!
ReplyDeleteI also use a backpack when I go into the office. Which probably makes me look like a college student but oh well. I also use it when I travel. My back appreciates it! One time I had to travel with my laptop in my purse and that was horrible!! (yes, clearly a 1st world probably but wow my shoulders hurt from carrying that around!).
I have thought about witching to a backpack (especially fjallraven), and that’s what Ben carries, too. I think my back would thank me.
DeleteOoooohhhhh a purse organizer!!! That is such a smart idea. I have three pair of sunglasses and probably nine lipsticks, plus a bottle of Advil, a toothbrush and toothpaste, hand sanitizer, masks, dog waste bags, a phone charger, keys, wallet...so I feel you.
ReplyDeleteOooooh, advil would be a good addition (because clearly carrying MORE is the answer LOL)
DeleteI am exactly the same. Right down to the life-changing purse organizer that now lives in a purse I no longer use. The maxi pads for an entire health class and all the gently used masks made me laugh because I bet you would find those things in my purse as well. A big purse is amazing, because it holds so much... but WOW does it hold a lot.
ReplyDeleteMy kid has been heaving her backpack around lately like it weight 80 pounds, so I'm afraid I have passed this affliction on to her.
I have definitely passed it to Jack. His dive bag is SO FULL at the end of this season that he cannot even hang it on a hook in the laundry room anymore. It just sits on the boot mat like a big lump. I am sort of excited to help him excavate in a couple of weeks. But really most of it is probably just dirty socks, so maybe he’ll have to go it alone.
DeleteOMG- that pile on the table. No wonder your bag was so heavy! Mine gets heavy too, but that's mainly because I'm frequently carrying my laptop and a library book in it. Whenever I do clean it out, I'm finding tons of random slips of paper and old napkins. Maxi pads are (thankfully) a thing of the past for me, as are, usually, masks. But I do remember those days of fishing out old, gross masks from my purse. Like I would be wanting to put those on my face!
ReplyDeleteWow, well, that is a lot of stuff in your purse. I am glad you got to purge a little. I think we often just end up throwing stuff in our purses because we don't have any other place to put it at the time and then we just forget... until the purse fills up. Regular clean outs are definitely necessary! ;)
ReplyDelete