How to Have an Organized Purse

Having a more organized life, office or home usually lands at the top of our New Year’s resolution list. But one item that women use every day—the purse—can often go overlooked and turn into an unorganized mess. Purses become the “catch-all” with everything from sunscreen to children’s socks to gum wrappers, desk accessories and miscellaneous garbage. The bigger the purse, the more items get thrown into it. An organized purse will help in your daily organization.

In order to have an organized purse, you have to first assess the size of the bag that you need and what you will need it for. If you have to carry a lot of items, then you need to have a larger bag, which will also require more organizational effort. Smaller bags are easier to organize, as you are limited to the amount of items that you can carry.  Each essential item, such as a wallet, organizer or make-up case, should have a designated home in the handbag.

Six Purse Organization Tips

Depending on the size of your purse and the amount of items inside, a purse organization project could take up to an hour. By following these steps below, you will begin to feel the benefits of an easy-to-maintain, uncluttered handbag!

1. Dump the entire contents of the purse onto a table. Remove everything from both inside and outside pockets.
2. Dump out crumbs and trash.
3. Clean the inside with a damp cloth or paper towel.
4. Group the purse items into two categories: “things you must have” and “things you don’t need”.
5. Put items you need frequently (like a wallet) within easy reach inside the purse.
6. Utilize the pockets in your purse for cell phones and personal items.

Tips for Maintaining an Organized Purse

• The must-have items typically include: a wallet, makeup, personal items, a pen, lip balm, a small notebook, tissues and medicine.

• Unless the weather dictates what you need to carry (umbrella or sunscreen), your purse should not be used to carry your gym locker, gym clothes, or phone chargers. These can be put in the bag when  needed depending on the circumstance or the occasion.
• Utilize purse organizers — these could be little bags for make-up, coupon organizer, a pen holder.
• Empty coins from the wallet into a jar on a weekly basis to lessen the load in your wallet.
• Use travel-size make-up, sunscreen or hand lotion so they will fit into a single pouch or baggie.
• Use a slim keychain wallet for ID, debit card, 2 credit cards, insurance card and work ID. Keep the rest of the cards in a secondary wallet inside you purse.
• Clip the keychain to a hook in the bag for easy access.
• Use mesh zipper pouches for cosmetics and other necessities. This is helpful if there is not zipped pocket in the purse.
• Create a box where you can put purse items that you might not need now, but might need in the future. This could include spare keys, gym lockers or hair ties.
• Manage receipts and coupons by putting them in a designated spot in the purse-envelope or a mini-accordion organizer.
• Use the correct sized wallet for your purse. Downsize for smaller sized bags. If you don’t use checks very often, get a smaller wallet without a checkbook.
• Manage your handbag organization by cleaning it out at least once a month. If you change purses with outfits, then you are one step ahead.

Staying Organized by Renting a Self-Storage Unit

Home and personal organization projects are very popular at the beginning of the year. It is a perfect time to start off the year clutter free. Once your purse is organized, then move on to larger organization projects such as cleaning out your closets! After a room organization has been completed and the room has been de-cluttered, it is important to keep it organized by removing items to a storage unit. Renting a storage unit will allow you additional household storage space for items you still want to keep, but no longer have room for. ezStorage has 46 self-storage locations in the Baltimore, Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. areas to help with personal storage needs.