By the time Monday rolls around again and the new week has begun, the hustle bustle of daily life tends to take over and our handbags wind up being stuffed with unnecessary items and junk. A woman’s handbag is an extension of her body. Not only does her bag need to be stylish, but also functional. We have compiled an easy to follow, 8 step process to get you well on your way to an organised handbag:
1. Creating a routine
Your first step to staying organised is picking up some healthy habits. Try cleaning your handbag out on a weekly or bi-weekly basis and keep this up until it becomes second nature. This exercise will ensure that the junk that inevitably lands up at the bottom of your handbag, doesn’t stay there for longer than a week or two.
2. Pouches and vanity bags
The most effective way to ensure that everything remains organised and easy to locate, is by categorising your items and storing them into separate vanity bags or pouches, before putting them in your handbag. This system eliminates the irritation of looking for a hair-clip at the bottom of your bag, in between your make-up products, keys, sunglasses and tweezers.
3. Separate loose change from EVERYTHING ELSE
This is absolutely mandatory! Have you ever held up a queue of 15 people, whilst searching the bottom of your handbag for loose coins to pay the parking fee at the mall? This is the height of frustration, but the good news is, that it’s so easily avoided. Store your loose coins in a separate container, so that they are conveniently located in one place.
4. The receipt system
The number one cause of cluttered handbags… receipts! Be sure to allocate a specific compartment of your handbag for receipts. When you clean your bag, weekly or bi-weekly, be sure to clean out this compartment. Keep this up and you will never fall into this trap again.
5. Food Products
Don’t deny it, you currently have sweets, an oatmeal bar or condiments from your favourite fast-food joint, taking up unnecessary space in your handbag. Resist the urge and steer away from storing food items in your handbag. It’s a handbag, not a reusable grocery bag.
6. For the love of kids
Simply put, your handbag and your baby’s bag should always remain two very separate entities. Do not carry toys, treats and diapers in your handbag, because this is a routine that is very easy to fall into and extremely difficult to put a stop to.
7. No need to carry the kitchen sink
We all know at least one woman that has everything but the kitchen sink in her handbag. This is an incredibly unnecessary practice. Firstly, how are you able to carry the weight of your bag on your shoulder, all day, whilst running errands? Secondly, you are not required to be prepared for an apocalypse at all times. If some of these items are semi-necessary, then you should add a little storage bag to your car, in order to ensure that items such as first-aid supplies, scissors and stain remover are always close at hand but not hanging on your shoulder at all times.
8. Downsize
The perfect solution to a cluttered handbag, is downsizing the actual handbag. If you have a smaller bag, you will only be able to carry a limited amount of items, which leads to a lesser chance of creating unnecessary clutter. Try a simple Sling bag or a medium-sized Tote.
A decluttered handbag leads to a decluttered life. We hope that these tips and hacks are helpful. Give us some feedback in the comments section below, and don’t forget to shop for a stylish handbag on www.allbags.co.za.
Happy shopping xx