When was the last time you went into your purse or bag and literally emptied out all the contents? You might have a regular schedule you keep where you go through your purse, or it could be that you don’t remember the last time you went through all the items in your purse. This post will help guide you on storage ideas for your purse, as well as tips for organizing your purse/bag.
Purse organization is something I’ve learned that can be so beneficial. Putting a couple of simple organizational structures in place can really save you a lot of time down the line. This can also help with establishing a routine for when and how you want to organize a purse.
As we move into the summer season, I find this is even more critical as summer typically brings about smaller purses, clutches, wristlets…etc. That means your space potentially has shrunk but not likely what you own in your purse, and this is why handbag organization is key!
Purse Clean Out
The first step to easy purse organization is doing a big cleanout. Take all the contents out of your purse, and I mean everything! Lay it all out on a flat area so you can see it all, a counter, a table, a desk…etc. Once it’s all laid out make three piles.
Keep – items that need to remain in your purse as they’re essential or necessary.
Toss – garbage, rubbish, expired medication whatever doesn’t need to be there anymore.
Save/Organize – Items that need to be saved such as receipts, medical documents, photos…etc.
Once this is done then you want to put all of your items that need to be saved and organized into a paper organization system. It’s best to keep this outside of your organized bag if possible unless you are needing access to them at appts. You can also look into how to keep digital files of documents needed while you’re on the go so you don’t need to keep the paper cluttered in your purse.
Next, you’ll want to put your toss pile into your house garbage or waste disposal. Lastly, all that should remain is your keep pile. Now before you put this pile back in – let’s tackle these items to help with bag organization. What I mean by this is let’s say you have a couple of small containers of medication, clump those together. If you have a couple of lipsticks or clapsticks, clump those together.
Use What you Have
Once you’ve got your things into groups/categories this should help you be able to determine what kind of organization works best for you. When thinking about purse organizer options you should think about how many compartments will help you. A purse organizer insert is helpful, but only when you think about what you want to take with you in your purse.
Having an organizer insert that has more compartments or pockets than you need is likely to cause clutter to build. So, in this section, we want to determine how many compartments you need for your items that can be grouped together.
Now that you’ve done that, you can now evaluate what types of organizers you already have access to or own. So, if you have zipper pouches or lipstick pockets fill those up with the items you’d like to put in there. Once all those items are organized in your purse then you can reflect on what is needed for additional inside purse organization ideas.
Purse Organization Inserts
If you have a larger purse or bag, and it has a lot of open space, purse inserts might work well for you! Purse inserts allow you to add an insert that has pockets, pouches, and accessories to help sort your items. These purse organizers are also easy to switch between different purses and handbags. Let’s say you have 2 -3 bags you use for the summer month such as a beach bag and a purse, you can move the insert between the two bags without having to clean out your entire purse to move the important items.
Purse inserts can be bought at most stores you can buy a purse, so you should be able to find local vendors or shops with a couple of options.
Pouches
Now let’s say you have a purse that’s on the small side and an insert won’t fit, no worries. You can use small pouches and containers to help contain your groupings/items. These are super handy as they let you group items as you’d like, and you can fill these pouches up as much or as little as you’d like. Pouches are great for how to organize a purse without pockets! These pouches I find are great for odd-shaped items such as tampons, lipsticks, extra keys, hand sanitizer, and pens.
The Ziploc ones are super cost-effective and have very pretty designs! You can go with a fabric option as well to match your purse. I would recommend having different styles or colors for pouches, or labeling them if you can’t have different colors.
Utilizing outside purse organization space
So now that we’ve covered some basic inside-purse organization hacks, let’s also consider the outside. Are there handles, or buckles where you can clip hanging items? Utilize these by hanging light items off these areas. It’s quick to assume organizing purses is for the inside only, but utilizing effective storage space outside the purse can also be incredibly helpful!
Masks are likely to still be something we will need access to quickly and easily even as restrictions lift. If you hate searching through your purse for your mask.
DIY Options
Are you more of DIYer? Want to get creative to help create some organization? Well, there are lots of great ways to DIY some creative purse organization. With a little bit of fabric and some cardboard boxes you can make your own purse insert right at home, in whatever color fabric matches your style.
I hope this post gave you a couple of ideas on how to organize a purse without breaking the bank. Once you organize your purse, it’s not likely you’ll need to do it for quite a while, so you’ll be appreciative later when you can find items quickly!
Talk soon!
I love this post! I just found a new purse and wallet at a local thrift store! Changing over feom old to new was a cinch because of the organization I already had in place! I used zippered pouches! Thanks for sharing!
I so need a purse organization insert and a mask pouch! My purse was bad enough before, but having to carry around my stuff and all my 4 year olds stuff, it is a mess. I find toys, rocks and pinecones at the bottom all the time. An organizer would make life so much easier. Thanks for sharing Alex!!
This is a really helpful post! I definitely need to organise my purse more as I always keep so many things I don’t need xx
I love purse organization and anything that helps that, especially if the stuff looks cute! Thanks for sharing!
These are great organization ideas and it helps to be able to find things more easily.
Laila
http://www.lailanblog.blogspot.co.uk
Wow, these bag organisers look amazing! With so many medical devices, organising my bag is key so thank you for sharing this. Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
I usually carry a small purse because my large ones get so cluttered! I do love using pouches, there are so many cute ones
I need to reorganise my handbag when Malaysia is free from COVID-19. During this pandemic I’ve been carrying my same old jumbo handbag every time I go out. And I look so unstylish. What to do? I have to carry almost all things that I need, i.e a pouch of face masks, senitizers, bacteria wipes, etc. Thank you for sharing this tips.
I need to have a bag clear out soon, I think! I tend to carry quite a lot with me so organization is important. I take everything but the kitchen sink with me some places haha!
This must be a sign for me to clean my purse lol. My favorite at the moment is a big backpack purse. So I’ll definitely need to use your tips to get it organized.
Same! You can never be too prepared.
I need all of these things! My purse is a mess and it needs all the help it can get. There’s just so much stuff in there for “just in case” moments. I have my favorite pen in there which doesn’t leave my side (I get attached easily to office supplies, I’m weird), my journal, wallet, keys, phone, a small notebook (for whatever reason), and a bunch of other things I need to wittle down. Yup, I think it’s time for inserts.
I use a bag organiser for my bigger bags or it would take years for me to find something inside of it! But I really need to give it a good clean, so thank you for the reminder Alex x
This is such a great post! I recently bought a new backpack that has a ton of pockets so I feel like I can keep everything organized that way (hand sanitizer and hand cream in one side pocket, tissues in the other, headphones in the front pocket, keys in an inside pocket & a lip balm in the other & then my wallet, phone & mask in the main area)
Sounds like a great find – amazing to hear your organization has helped with switching so easy! That’s the dream for sure 🙂
Great to hear you found this post helpful! I hear ya, I really try to limit my purse clutter but it can sneak up easily with keeping an extra thing here or there!
The inserts and mask pouches are a real game changer! Yes, lots of extras with a 4 year old so inserts would work great for all those items you collect on your outings! 🙂
Thanks – it’s so great to be able to help go through your purse and find what you’re looking for quickly! 🙂
Yes, definitely for medical supplies and medications organizational inserts can be very helpful! Glad this post was informative for you 🙂
Pouches are fantastic, they’re so versatile with taking them in and out of bags as needed! 🙂
Yes! I hear ya, so much extra to carry around now – I’m glad these tips will help once you’re able to get a new handbag with organizing it!
Clearing it out feels amazing, highly recommend a good clean! I definitely have had some bags that are similar with bringing literally everything!
IT IS! Give it a good clean out girl 🙂 Glad to hear you enjoyed these tips for organizing your bag 🙂
I’ve definitely been there with just adding a couple things each time and it really adds up! Inserts are a great idea for your list of your items. Best of luck with organizing. Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
Fantastic to hear this reminder came at a good time Simona! Inserts and organization for big bags is so crucial and I’m glad to hear you’ve got that built in to your routines!
Wonderful, enjoy your new backpack! I love pockets, they’re fantastic for organization and it sounds like you’re already setting up great organization routines with the bag! Thanks for reading and commenting 🙂
My purse is literally always a hot mess so thanks for these tips.
I hear ya – I have to put it in my planner to do a declutter every so often as it’s one of those areas that builds up so quickly!
I am big into pouches and organizers for the right items, even though I do not carry around that much in my bag. The DIY insert looks like such a fun project though! 🙂
Amazing, pouches can be so helpful especially when you don’t need as much with you! They really can be a great weekend project, and are great for when you have scraps of fabric left from previous projects!