Inspired by Well-Heeled Blog’s contest (of which I cannot enter, as I am Canadian and those gift cards to T.J. Maxx or Marshall’s would be meaningless for me), here is what’s in MY bag!
I just found it to be a fun exercise.
I’ve updated my bag since I last posted about it, and I feel like even though I’ve added more, it’s way more organized and quite light.
Click on the image for a larger view!
So you may be wondering why I carry the things I do, so here are my reasons:
(I’ve highlighted the potentially weird things in blue)
Useful stuff pouch contains:
- Earplugs: You will not believe the number of times I have said: Damn, I wish I had some!!!
- Pills: I have major allergies & the occasional headache. Must have, but I don’t carry a whole bottle.
- Band Aids: I have them in all sizes. People have no idea how much they need one until they get hurt.
- Calculator: Quick and easy. Cost me $1 to buy. I use it to calculate cost per unit/grams/etc.
- Mini Swiss Knife: Have you ever tried to get the wrapping of a DVD, CD or cut a tag off?!
- Contact Stuff: Spare contacts for each eye, and eye solution
- Mints: Sometimes you need ‘em after some Pho.
- Lip Balm: Can’t go without lip balm in this dry winter.
- Tide-To-Go Pen: I rarely use it, but it’s saved my clothes a couple of times. Well worth it!
Eating stuff pouch contains:
- Re-Usable Plastic utensils (set of 2): You would be surprised at the # of times I pull these out!! I bought them for $0.79 each utensil (fork, knife, spoon), and they are made of a VERY sturdy plastic. It also won’t set off any alarms.
- Emergency Jelly Snacks: I should’ve snagged more from my parents’ before I left.
Wallet:
- Pad of Paper & Pen: This way, I always have one with me!
- Hair Ties: I have one or two stashed just in case.
- Hidden Cash: Love me some cash! I carry only about $20 on me most of the time.
- Credit Card: I only have one.
- Bank Cards: I have two.
- Points Cards: I have a bajillion.
- Library Card: Very, very handy.
- Bus Tickets/Tokens: I have them for Montreal & Toronto all in one spot so I never forget them at home.
- Safety Pins: For when your dress flies open unexpectedly.
- Stamps: Unexpected, but handy nonetheless when you get to mail it & realize you forgot one.
- Business Card: Just so they know who I am.
- Driver’s License: Very, very, handy.
- Health Card: Just in case.
The Rest
- Gloves: It’s getting cold, y’all.
- Sunglasses: And sometimes sunny.
- Handkerchiefs: Eco-friendly thing. You might find handkerchiefs gross, but they’re sturdier than tissues when you use them, and they can be washed & re-used over and over again. I only use tissues when I have a REAL cold or flu & I don’t want to keep the germs from multiplying in my purse.
- Camera: To snap pictures of fashion transgressions.
- Hand lotion: Dry winter. I am finishing off my old, old bottle of Olay Quench, and now I am on J.R. Watkins’ Lemon Creme.
- Keys: Kinda useful. I also bought something called “Monkeys”, or little rubber monkey heads for my keys. What’s cool about them, is that it makes the key head softer & easier to twist in tough doors like at my apartment. Plus, they’re cute & I can now distinguish between the major keys I need.
OH SHOOT! I forgot….
I forgot to photograph that I always have one or two re-usable plastic bags tucked away as well.
Sorry. Pretend it’s in the shot, because I do carry them.
And my iPod Shuffle with headphones. It’s a must have.
What I don’t carry in my bag
- Makeup: I don’t wear much of it, and I don’t really touch up during the day.
- Other Toiletries: Like nail files, clippers… All that stuff is extra that I don’t end up using anyway.
- Organizer: I used to, but if I am going out for the day and not meeting anyone, I don’t bother.
- Journal: I have a pad & pen instead.
- USB Key/Harddrive: It’s in my Work Pouch.
- Book to Read: I have my iPod with headphones. A book is too heavy, and I can’t read on the bus.
- Extra Sweater/Scarf: I just dress the way I should dress for the day.
- Umbrella: Ditto. If it’s going to rain, I bring one.
I keep organized with my pouches
I got all my pouches at the dollar store, and they’re awesome.
They’re easy to grab when I need something, and everything fits in there loosely so it’s easy to find what I need.
It also helps to not be fumbling around in your bag with all these things all over the place, only to break open your lip gloss or something and have it smear all over your bag. (True story, happened to THIS bag.)
What’s in YOUR bag, and how do you keep it organized?
- Car Essentials: Things you need to buy for your car
- A Working Girl’s Survival Kit
- Envirosax + FB = Love
- I don’t get it. Just ban plastic bags altogether.
- Appropriate BF/GF Outing Behaviours
frugalscholar
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 7:55 AM:
The emergency snack is touted as “why French women don’t get fat.”
Nice bag.
frugalscholar´s last blog ..Who will speak for me? Banking and Finance Regulation.
me in millions
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:12 AM:
Wow! Doesn’t your bag get heavy? That’s really a lot of “just in case” stuff.
And doesn’t your phone have a calculator? Makes carrying an extra one a little unnecessary.
me in millions´s last blog ..NYC and other updates
Investing Newbie
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:37 AM:
You have so much stuff in there! I’m amazed. I love having big bags. GINORMOUS BAGS actually. But I don’t really have much inside of them. I just like having big bags. LOL.
Investing Newbie´s last blog ..Thinking About It
Frugal Dreamer
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 11:01 AM:
Very organized!
We have the same cell phone
Frugal Dreamer´s last blog ..Your Perfect Day…
Financial Samurai
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 11:56 AM:
Wow, that’s a lot of STUFF! You might need to buy a bag to hold that bag??
What do you think about people who have bags that are worth way more than all the stuff it carries?
BTW, as today is Veterans Day, I wanted to highlight that there are 131,000 homeless vets in the US. We need to raise awareness!
Financial Samurai´s last blog ..Why Are There Homeless Veterans In America?
Alexandra
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:26 PM:
wow! It wouldn't have occurred to me to carry my own utensils in a million years. I guess that may come in handy…
You're really organized. Kudos!
Jennifer
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:39 PM:
Geez girl you keep your life in your bag! I'm very impressed.
In fact, I should probably get a few of these things myself, such as the Tide pen and the bandaids…my purse is a mess. I have wallet, camera, phone, and like ten dollars worth of change mixed around in there. Sigh.
fabulouslybroke
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:43 PM:
I like it, but I find it a bit flat. Hard to hold :
fabulouslybroke
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:43 PM:
I'm a bit of a weirdo about it, but ultimately, I love that I can eat anything anywhere
fabulouslybroke
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:44 PM:
You're kidding right? That's the bare minimum!!!
Er.. as for people who carry stuff in $1000 bags… hey if they wanna pass one over to me to use I wouldn't say no
Frugal Trenches
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 7:02 PM:
Oh my….you are soooooo organized!!!
WellHeeled
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:13 PM:
I LOVE that you have something for "emergency hunger"
Millie
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:54 PM:
I will not leave the house without my Tide pen
I'm the nosy type, so this post was fun!
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:54 PM:
Oh really?
I just get hungry all the time.
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:55 PM:
They actually aren't that heavy. I just have a lot of stuff, but it's light things that make sense
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:56 PM:
It drives me crazy if I can't find anything
Michelle
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 8:59 PM:
You're not the only one who carries them; a friend of mine does too!
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:06 PM:
I'm definitely a nosy type too. I love seeing what people have in their bags.
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:09 PM:
I haven't gotten towards the nail polish or deodorant, but that's like.. light, basic stuff I need!
Then I have a work pouch that I leave at work as well
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:09 PM:
I know, I'm crazy right?
FABULOUSLYBROKE.COM
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:18 PM:
Not at all. My phone has a calculator but I hate using it. The buttons are small, I don't like having to press 2 buttons to get to + or multiply..
FABULOUSLYBROKE.COM
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:19 PM:
It drives me insane to dig around a bag!
Michelle
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 5:47 PM:
Darn! I should have entered! I go to Grand Forks, ND all the the time and they have a TJ Maxx. I've been meaning to go there. Shoot.
Red
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 11:58 PM:
Oh, wow! You've given me quite a few good ideas for my own purse! In my purse, I have my glasses case, glasses cleaner with rag; sunglasses; checkbook; notebook used as a to-do list; packs of multi-vitamins that I eat at lunch; Tide pen (It's so true that I couldn't live without it. It gets stains out like no other, and you never know when you'll need it); keys; cell phone; lotion (Tis the season for dry, cracked skin.); hand sanitizer (Tis also the season for swine flu and nasty colds.); chap stick; pens; gum; a flash drive; and a handheld mirror. Phew! I carry a lot of stuff! I really like you're miniature bag idea. That would be perfect for things like my lotion, chap stick and hand sanitizer, which I usually spend minutes digging for before finding it. Thanks for the idea!
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 11th, 2009
@ 9:06 PM:
I ought to stock up with more gummies. I ate through my last 2 packs
SeeJaneGetRich.com
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 2:38 AM:
Whoa, that is a lot of stuff! You will find in my bag my wallet, cell phone, keys, and some random papers. That's it. Its very easy to stay organized when you only for 3 or 4 things.
paranoidasteroid
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 3:24 AM:
You put so much thought into the stuff you carry with you! My bags are always full of year-old receipts and candy wrappers.
The utensils are actually a really good idea. I never have a fork when I need one!
uberVU - social comments
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 2:17 AM:
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by brokeinthecity: Blogged: What’s in my bag .. Inspired by @WellHeeledBlog
http://bit.ly/1z7bbw #fb…
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 12:06 PM:
it drives me batty if I don't clean out my bags… I hate being frustrated and not finding anything
FABULOUSLYBROKE
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 12:08 PM:
It's the only way I could organize everything, because I had so many LITTLE things it was driving me mad.
birdie
on Nov 12th, 2009
@ 10:54 PM:
I read somewhere (an Optometrists site – eschewing the dangers of eye makeup to contact users) that you shouldn't keep things like mascara, etc in your bag or in your car or wherever. I guess there's some heat reaction that happens with the preservatives that causes bacteria to grow – which, in the case of eye makeup – can cause things like eye infections and other nasty stuff.
Andrea
on Nov 15th, 2009
@ 5:00 PM:
Usually I don't carry a purse…just my wallet and keys. But those times when I do I have: wallet, keys, tissues, lip balm, and hand sanitizer. Then somehow I always end up holding things for the boys!
I love how organized you are and the use of different pouches is a wonderful idea. You can add or remove a pouch depending on where you are going very quickly.
FY! WIYB?
on Nov 18th, 2009
@ 6:24 PM:
Posted your submission
Thanks!
girlmakescents
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 6:44 PM:
Awesome stuff! Utensils are an awesome idea
FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com
on Nov 25th, 2009
@ 5:12 PM:
Why thank you
It helps when you are trying to attack a tub of ice cream
Fabulous Financials » What’s In My Purse
on Dec 7th, 2009
@ 8:36 AM:
[...] by Well-Heeled via a contest that I missed and further inspired by Fabulously Broke, I’ve decided to share the contents of my suitcase…I mean…my [...]