25 UHeart Organizing: Practical Purse Organization

What we look for in a handbag or a purse is completely personal.  Some people love shoulder bags, others love clutches.  Some carry diaper bags and others carry cross bodies.  Although I love different types of bags for different reasons, one thing I do appreciate is when my bag has a good system and it is not cluttered with receipts, coupons, gum wrappers, pens, hair supplies, etc... And while those things do tend to make their way into my purse along with random Hotwheels cars, Lego heads and crayon shavings, I prefer to keep things as simple and "dig free" as possible.  Because ain't nobody got time to dig for keys or a pen... or a pack of Kleenex during an emergency nose run or leg scratch.

Just like purse type is personal, so are the items we opt to store within our purses.  I am always curious how much or how little people can get away with toting around, and how they make their systems work best for them, although, I know much of it has to do with their daily lifestyle.  IHeart contributor, Chelsea of Two Twenty One, is here today to let us take a peek into her handbag.  Not only do we get to be nosy, she is letting us in on a few of her tips and tricks that keep her bag from turning into that dreaded endless purse pit.

Today I thought I'd share some purse organization tips.  I don't know about you, but my purse used to be like a black hole.  I could never find anything.  It'd take me minutes to fish out my keys or phone because of all the random things floating around inside the purse.  Well, those days are thankfully over because of some little changes I've made.

 

I found the best way to contain purse clutter is to compartmentalize things.  Put the small things into bigger things -- like my cosmetic bag.

I picked up this little bag in the Target clearance section one day.   I love how it has large and small compartments.  I put all the things I don't use often and bigger items (bandages, hairspray, emery board, hair ties, extra contact lens, floss, eye drops, pen, medicine, bobby pins and safety pins, and lotion) in the large section and things I use often (lip gloss and hand sanitizer) in the small section.

I'm big on reusing containers.  Seriously, why buy new containers when you already have some laying around the house?

One of my favorite containers to repurpose are old prescription bottles.   I remove the prescription label (sometimes I have to use this technique to get the pesky labels off) so there's no confusion about what's actually in the bottle.  I also like to use old prescription bottles to store things when I travel.

I use the larger bottle to store different medicines in my purse.  I'm 28 weeks pregnant, so right now that's antacids, Pepcid, and Tylenol.   I use the smaller bottle to store bobby pins and safety pins.   And as you can see, I added a little flair to the medicine bottle with some washi tape.

I also love this cosmetic bag because if I'm driving and need something, I can just ask my husband to grab the bag and get me whatever I need out of it.

One of my biggest problems used to be paper in my purse.  I would throw coupons, receipts, appointment cards, etc. into my purse.  This was the biggest black hole problem.

So I invested in a coupon sorter.  I put receipts in the front and coupons in their designated sections.  Once a week, typically on Sundays, I go through the sorter.   I throw out expired coupons, put in new coupons, throw away or file the receipts, and enter appointment dates and times in my phone.  The whole process typically takes about 10 minutes, which isn't bad at all.

I make sure to always put my phone and keys in the small side pockets since those are the things I grab most often when I'm out and about.

Now it's so much easier to find things inside my purse.  I don't have to fumble around because everything has a designated spot.

"Hey friends! I'm Chelsea from Two Twenty One! I'm a twenty-something living in Indiana with my husband, Brad, and our crazy mutt, Jack. My loves are photography, travel, DIY projects, baking, wine, sarcasm and my iPhone. The husband and I are attempting to make our home a little less cookie cutter and a lot more awesome. My little slice of the internet, Two Twenty One, is where I share my latest home improvement projects, furniture makeovers, crafts, recipes and home & seasonal decor ideas. I am beyond excited to join Jen and the rest of the IHeart Organizing team!"