Keep your purse organized and life uncluttered

Handbags are a near perfect invention, a means to carry around everything you need in a stylish accessory rather than bulging from pockets. But the curse of the messy purse does not discriminate. It strikes busy moms, harried young professionals and vacationing gals alike.

One of the many ways to keep your purse organized is to avoid overstuffing. Who isn?t guilty of hoarding sugar packets, napkins, receipts? It?s human tendency to fill a given space to capacity. The happy fact is you don?t need nearly as much stuff on your person as you think you do.

Maintain a tidy handbag with these quick tips:

Blacklist the junk.

The fashionable purse is a functional accessory, not a trash bag or holding bin for your kids, spouse or anyone else with the phrase ?Can you hold this?? on the tip of their tongue because the ghost word in that question is ?forever?. They want you to hold their crayons and receipts and pretty rocks forever. 

Accept responsibility.

It?s easy to blame the handbag for the sad mess inside, but it?s your fault alone. No matter how many pockets and sections it has, structure is irrelevant if you can?t trim the amount of items inside and store essentials like keys and wallet in the same place every time.

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Strike a balance.

Once all the unnecessary stuff is gone, the best way to keep it from building up again is to commit to one simple rule. In order for something to go into your handbag, something must first come out. Going grocery shopping? Take the old list out before the new one goes in.

Make a home for receipts.

Paper receipts are among the top usual suspects in purse clutter. Solve this problem by using an old coupon organizer for the respective year?s receipts. This way you have what you need for tax purposes or returns in a drawer. No need to haul them around for the rest of your life.

Use makeup bags or pencil cases

If your bag lacks compartments there is a solution. These pouches are perfect for hygiene products, makeup, hair brush and other must-haves. Use different colored or patterned cases so in a glance you can find the one holding what you need.

Go small.

Handbags are getting bigger and bigger each year because women keep buying and filling them up. Small purses force you to stay organized. Plus they?re more versatile. From chic and professional, to flirty and hip, you can?t go wrong.

Invest in a purse organizing insert.

These are inserts with zipper pockets and easy-access pouches designed to fight snug in the bottom of your bag so the pen, notepad and phone all have a specific spot.

Affix your keys to a key chain clip so they stay just inside the bag, hanging from the strap rather than sinking to the bottom.

Keep your purse organized and your days of fishing for keys or lip gloss are over. Also, your back will thank you. According to the American Chiropractic Association, bags that weigh over 3 pounds are bad for posture.

As with any aspect of life that you make the time to organize, peace of mind may be the greatest benefit. Daily stress plummets when you remove all the little things that eat up energy. Having to dive deep every time you need to dig out the debit card hinders the sense of control you need to have to stay calm.

Take these tips to heart and keep your purse organized so your mind is clear, your time is yours and the essentials are only a quick grab away. Slouch no more.