What I Actually Keep in My Bag These Days

I have never understood the women who can carry one of those tiny little purses that barely has room for a credit card and lipstick. Where is everything else? Maybe they have figured out something I haven’t, because I leave the house carrying enough stuff to handle several minor emergencies and possibly an unexpected overnight stay.

The contents of my bag have changed quite a bit over the years, though. There were times when I carried things because I thought I might need them someday. I apparently believed I could be stranded somewhere for a week without access to a drugstore.

I’ve gotten better. I still carry more than I probably need, but now most of what’s in my bag has earned its place. If something rides around with me for six months without being touched, eventually I start wondering why I’m hauling it all over Georgia. Of course, I’ll take it out and need it three days later. That’s usually how that works.

My Wallet, Obviously

I know we’re moving toward a world where people pay for everything with their phones, but I’m not ready to give up my wallet. I want my actual cards with me. I also usually have some cash because you never know when you’re going to run into a place that doesn’t take cards or a card reader decides it isn’t cooperating.

I’m not carrying hundreds of dollars around. Just enough that I’m not completely helpless if technology stops working. There are also loyalty cards, receipts I fully intend to deal with later, and probably at least one thing in there that expired months ago. Every so often I clean my wallet out and wonder why I’ve been carrying a receipt from a store I visited six months earlier. Apparently it felt important at the time.

My Phone and a Charger

My phone goes everywhere with me because it does everything now. It’s my camera, calendar, map, notebook, weather report, calculator, entertainment, and the way everyone gets in touch with me. That also means a dead phone is particularly inconvenient.

I try to keep a charging cable in my bag, and if I’m going to be away from home for very long, I like having a portable charger with me too. I’ve learned not to trust that I’ll “charge it in the car.” Sometimes I forget. Sometimes the cable isn’t where I thought it was.

Sometimes somebody else needs the charger. It’s much easier to have my own. There was a time when leaving home meant checking for your keys and wallet. Now there’s an entire technology inspection before you get out the door.

Phone? Charger? Earbuds? We’re apparently all traveling IT departments now.

A Small Notebook and Pen

Yes, I know my phone has a notes app. I use it. I still want paper. There is something about writing something down that works better for my brain. If an idea pops into my head, I like being able to grab a pen and jot it down. This is especially true with blog ideas.

I can be sitting somewhere doing something completely unrelated to work when a title comes to me. If I don’t write it down immediately, there’s a very good chance I’ll remember that I had a wonderful idea later without remembering what the wonderful idea actually was.

That’s incredibly irritating. I also use paper for quick lists, phone numbers, measurements, reminders, and all the random little bits of information you need when you’re away from home. And yes, I carry more than one pen. I know better. The one time you desperately need a pen will be the exact moment the only one in your bag stops working.

Reading Glasses

Well, here we are. There was a time when I could read anything anyone put in front of me without thinking twice about it.Now restaurants apparently print menus for people with microscopic vision and then dim the lights just to make things interesting. I have accepted that reading glasses belong in my bag.

Actually, I should probably keep several pairs everywhere I go because reading glasses have developed the same disappearing ability as hair ties and socks. I can own multiple pairs and somehow still find myself asking, “Has anyone seen my glasses?” There’s usually a pair sitting somewhere I was absolutely certain I’d remember putting them. I didn’t. Having a pair permanently assigned to my bag at least improves my odds.

Lip Balm

Not lipstick. Lip balm. I might have lipstick or gloss with me depending on where I’m going, but lip balm is the one that actually lives in the bag. There is nothing worse than realizing your lips are dry and knowing there’s a perfectly good tube sitting on your bathroom counter at home.

I also don’t need twelve different lip products rolling around in the bottom of my purse anymore. I’ve done that. You clean your bag out and discover enough lip products to stock a small cosmetics counter, even though you’ve spent the last week complaining that you couldn’t find any. One or two is plenty.

At least that’s what I tell myself.

Hand Sanitizer and Tissues

These are two things that don’t seem important until the exact moment they’re very important. Hand sanitizer doesn’t require much explanation. We’re touching shopping carts, doors, counters, gas pumps, and who knows what else while we’re out.

I want some in my bag. Tissues have approximately a thousand uses beyond blowing your nose. Something spills. Someone sneezes. Your eye starts watering. You get something on your shirt five minutes after leaving the house. Someone will need a tissue eventually. And if you’re the person who has one, suddenly you’re the most prepared person in the group. Enjoy the moment.

A Few Things for Those Little Emergencies

I used to carry enough “just in case” items to fill a pharmacy. I’ve cut that down considerably. I still like having a few basics with me, though. A couple of bandages take up almost no room. So does a small packet of wipes. I keep a few hair ties too because even if I don’t need one, somebody eventually will.

I also usually have mints or gum. None of this requires a giant emergency kit. I keep the little things together in a small zippered pouch so they aren’t floating around loose in the bottom of my bag. That little pouch is also much easier to move if I decide to change purses. That’s something I should have started doing years ago.

Sunglasses

This is Georgia. The sunglasses are coming with me. Even if it’s cloudy when I leave. I’ve been fooled before.There is a particular kind of misery involved in being in a car on a bright afternoon without sunglasses and spending the entire ride squinting.

Mine stay in a case because I have also learned what happens when I throw them into my bag without one. Everything in there apparently joins forces to scratch the lenses. Keys are especially enthusiastic participants.

Something to Read

This one depends on where I’m going. I don’t always carry a physical book because books get heavy quickly, and I have enough other things in the bag already. My Kindle is another story.

If there’s any chance I’m going to be sitting somewhere waiting, I want something to read. Doctor’s offices. Long appointments. Waiting for someone else to finish what they’re doing. Those little pockets of time are perfect for reading.

Of course, there is a slight danger involved in opening a good book when you’re waiting for somebody. They’ll be ready precisely when you’ve reached the part where you absolutely do not want to stop. Then I’m the one saying, “Just give me one second.” It is never one second.

Snacks Have Become More Important Than They Used to Be

I have learned that being hungry while you’re out can make an otherwise perfectly reasonable day considerably less enjoyable. So yes, there is often a snack in my bag. Usually it’s something simple that isn’t going to melt, crumble into a thousand pieces, or leave a mystery substance all over everything else.

A granola bar works. A small package of crackers works. Anything chocolate sounds like a wonderful idea until you leave your bag in a warm car. Ask me how I know. I also try to carry a bottle of water when I know I’ll be out for a while, although that usually gets carried separately because water bottles have an amazing ability to make a bag weigh approximately forty pounds.

The Random Things That Somehow Move In

No matter how organized I try to keep my bag, random things eventually appear. A receipt. A business card. A loose peppermint from a restaurant. A piece of paper someone handed me. A coupon I was absolutely going to use. A tiny item I picked up for someone and then forgot to give them.

Sometimes I reach into my bag and pull out something I have no memory of putting there. That’s when I know it’s time to clean it out. I dump everything onto the table, throw away the trash, put things back where they belong, and reorganize the little pouches. For approximately three days, my bag is beautiful again. I know exactly where everything is. Then real life starts putting things back into it.

I Still Want Room for Something Unexpected

The biggest change I’ve made is that I don’t fill my bag completely before I leave the house anymore. I want a little extra room. I will buy something small while I’m out. Maybe someone hands me something to carry. Maybe I decide the cardigan I’m wearing was a terrible decision because September in Georgia has once again reminded me that fall exists only on the calendar.

I don’t want to play a game of purse Tetris every time something needs to go inside. So these days my bag is somewhere between prepared and ridiculous. I have the things I know I’ll use, a few things I might need, and enough emergency supplies to handle a paper cut, dry lips, a dead phone, bright sunshine, sudden hunger, and a restaurant menu printed in six-point font. Anything more serious than that and we’re going home.