This is the third installment of the Practical Packing Series, to catch up you can read the previous posts here.

Today we are going to talk about your purse. Just to clarify, your everyday, going to work, really big purse. I think the key to carrying around “everything you own” is to compartmentalize with smaller bags within your big purse. Here is a look into mine. There is enough room for my laptop, but you can see there are several smaller bags inside, too.

Here are all the contents emptied out. Taking these pictures felt a little bit like US Weekly magazine’s celebrity What’s in Your Bag? articles, except my lipgloss is $5 not $95. Besides my laptop, I always have a notebook, my wallet, my second wallet (more on that later,) my charger / accessories bag, and a reusable shopping bag. The two side pockets hold deodorant and my work ID and key card that let me into the building.

The lemon case is my primary wallet.  I keep my essential credit cards, license, and cash in it.  It also has room for my phone. The side not shown of the lemon wallet case is a see through window for when you do put your phone inside. I also keep my mother’s St. Francis’ mass card here. When I need to stop somewhere to shop, the big purse with the computer goes in the trunk and I just grab this smaller wallet. I can carry it right on my wrist. There is a matching reusable bag folded in a pouch I can grab too if I am just picking up a few things.

My wallet used to be so weighed down with store specific rewards cards. I used to carry the smaller versions on my keychain, but it made my keys very bulky and it started driving me crazy. Now I use this secondary wallet that contains non-everyday wallet items. This includes store rewards cards, pool ID badge, and my daughter’s ABC club card at our food coop, Weaver’s Way.  If she shows her card she gets one free apple, banana, or carrot. She loves it and so do I!

The charger / accessories bag contains iPhone and iPad chargers, earphones, Tide-to-Go pen, glasses, lip gloss, my favorite pen, and Altoids or gum.

Wondering where I keep my keys? I can’t stand when keys fall to the bottom of a bag and you have to stand around digging through all of your belongings to find them. I have a crown hook I attached to my keys.

The hook attaches to the side of your purse and you will never have to hunt for your keys again. 

Disclaimer: I used to always throw my makeup bag into my purse everyday. Then I realized…I don’t touch up my makeup EVER during the work day. Besides the lip gloss I keep in the charger / accessory bag – what you see is what you get throughout the work day! Only exception is if I know I’m going out after work, I will toss my makeup bag into my big bag. Here is my Orla Kiely makeup bag. I LOVE her designs, so much in fact, that my family got my sister the entire Orla Kiely yoga line from Target for her upcoming big 5-0 birthday this week. Shout out to my sister Diane!

Practical Packing Part 4 will be all about kids’ backpacks.

Leave a comment and let me know how you pack your purse. Is there something you always feel you have to carry around all day, but then never use? What are the three things you will not leave the house without? Thanks for stopping by and reading.