A friend of mine recently asked me what I had in my purse. You see, she was in charge of coming up with games for a friends bridal shower. One of the games involved reviewing a list of common items that women might carry around in their purse. Whoever had the most items from the list in their purse won the game. The items on the list ranged from cell phone, to band aids, and even condoms! This got me to thinking about what we carry around in our purse. When you think about all the different sizes and shapes of purses it’s hard to imagine what every woman deems to be important enough to carry on their shoulders throughout the day. So let’s examine this shall we: let’s do a little investigation of what’s in the depths of our purses…
For me, no matter what purse (how small or how big) I always carry my phone, keys, chap stick, drivers license, debit card, and AAA card. I feel like these are my basic purse necessities for everyday life (and bobby pins!!!). I don’t really have big purses, they’re all medium sized, but I can fit A LOT of crap into them. I usually always carry a plethora of lady products in my purse because my motto is it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and I’m proud to say that I’ve saved a couple of my friends/co-workers butts along the way. Also, I usually always have a snack in my purse. Shopping can be a strenuous activity! It’s always good to have a little pick-me-up in your bag instead of buying a questionably cooked snack at the mall. Some unwanted remnants in my purse consist of crumbs, lot’s of unnecessary receipts, and my boyfriends odds and ends that he asks me to hold onto (like a sunglass case). Some of the more creative (and useful) objects that I have in my purse are: lotion, nail file, band aids, and hair ties. I feel like the nail file should become a necessary because I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’ve broken a nail at work and had to try and avoid it snagging on everything.
I asked some of my family, friends, and coworkers what they carry around in their purses and some of the answers were surprising. A common answer was a cell phone charger. I am stuck in the stone age and do not have a smart phone, so my phone battery can last a couple days without dying. However, everyone else I know has to deal with a dying phone, and carrying around a charger just seems like the logical thing to do. A couple items my Mom is notorious for carrying around is Orbit’s Bubble mint gum, lipstick, and a packet of almonds. My oldest sister always has a pressed powder compact, deodorant, and tea. My middle sister always carries around extra poop bags for her dog. I even met a woman that carried around her passport at all times because she sincerely believed there would be a day where she would have to flee the country at a moment’s notice.
A lot of my co-workers are students and therefore carried around notepads, pens, and even laptops(or tablets). One co-worker even had a giant biology textbooks crammed in her bag. Asking all of my friends about what was in their purse really widened my perspective on what is truly important to a woman on a regular basis. If you were my Grandma you would have black licorice and a small sewing kit in your bag. If you were a young mom you might have a baby bottle and goldfish crackers tucked away inside of your purse. In my opinion, the list can go on and on as to what is important to carry with you every day. For every different woman, there are different necessities.
To sum things up, all this talk has got me thinking into reevaluating what I carry with me in my purse (and also to clean it out). If I am going to carry around a 5 pound bag of crap with me at all times I want it to at least be filled with stuff that I can use on a day to day basis. I am lucky enough to live in a town where pepper spray or such items are not needed to be carried around, however a few friends at school carried it around when they would walk back from night classes.
Hopefully after all this talk about the contents of your purse will get you to take a gander into yours. Think about what is really important, and what is just for fun. If you’re like me, your purse can get really heavy and weigh you down. Take the time to think about what’s in your purse, and how often you use it. Maybe you’ll find yourself taking out more than you’re keeping.
Written by: Kailyn Wolf