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Does your significant other refuse to let you put anything of his in your beach bag (I mean purse!) because he will probably never see it again?  Are you always rooting around in your purse, holding up the line at the store while you dig deep for your rewards card, or worse, your debit card?  If so, you may want to consider tackling a purse reorganization project.  Using the tips and tricks below, it might not be as hard as you think:

Woman looking through purse

  • Start by cleaning out the trash, old receipts for non-returnable purchases, expired medicine, broken crayons and squashed emergency granola bars.
  • Replace those bulky pill bottles!  Invest in a pretty pill case and keep just a few doses of ibuprofen and other ‘as needed medicines’.
  • Check out the travel section of your local discount or drugstore for smaller versions of your favorite lotions, stain removers and on-the-go first aid kits.  Make sure you put all these ‘emergency’ items in a zippered water-proof pouch so they aren’t rolling around loose and in case they spill, they are contained.
  • Leave behind your entire makeup regimen.  Chances are you probably only need lipstick, chapstick, and pressed powder when you are on the go.  You can either give your makeup a pouch of its own, or add it to your ‘emergency’ pouch.
  • Store reward cards are great for discounts but can take up space.  The good news is most stores now enable you to key in your phone number, so there’s no need to carry those bulky cards anymore.  Shred them!
  • Coupons won’t do you much good if they are lying crumpled at the bottom of our purse, or if they are long expired.  Pick out a coupon holder that works best for your needs, keeping them organized and easily accessible.  We love all the options by Swankadot on Etsy.
  • Whether you spent good money on RayBans or just happen to love your $20 cheapies, you don’t want to scratch your sunglasses.  Invest in a good case that fits well in your purse.  Thanks to her fun colors, Vera Bradley is a personal favorite of ours.
  • Along the same lines, make sure your electronics aren’t banging around in the recesses of a messy purse.   The options for iPod and phone cases are endless and varied, so make sure you take advantage of them.
  • What about the most important item in your purse?  It goes without saying (but we’ll say it anyway!); you should have a sturdy wallet.  But make sure it’s loaded with just the essentials. That means your identification, the debit/credit cards that you use on a regular basis, cash, and the other cards you use on a daily basis (think subway, work access, etc).   What’s non-essential?  $10 in change, random business cards, your Social Security card, your last paystub, and old deposit slips.

Now that you have the contents under control, what about the actual purse?  Whether you are a one-purse-at-a-time kind of gal or a purse for every day type, weigh your choices carefully.   Sometimes the best purses are small but have lots of pockets with zippers.  Perhaps your ideal purse is one that is deep and open with no fussy buttons or snaps.

But for every shape and size of purse, there are organizational options on the market. Pursekeet is a simple concept – a set of pockets that can be transferred between purses without having to remove the contents.   Kangaroo Keeper is another purse insert option that we love.  Both serve the same purpose – all your necessities in one organized purse.

Now that your purse is organized and there is a place for everything, making sure it stays that way is critical.  A weekly clean out, or more often depending on how frequently you switch purses, should keep you from holding up the line.  Warning though – your significant other may decide your well organized purse is just the place for his stuff too.

About Alejandra

About Alejandra

Since 2008, organizing expert & certified life coach, Alejandra Costello has taught thousands of students in 132 countries how to get organized through her video-based training programs. Her YouTube videos have been viewed 100+ million times. Named 1 of the 5 most organized people in America by HGTV and “The Decluttering Queen” by Good Morning America, Alejandra’s expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Oprah.com, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Parents Magazine, and CBS. 

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