What’s all in your handbag?

Is your husband or partner rolling his eyes whenever he sees your handbag? Are you complaining about how heavy it is? Did you know that the average handbag weighs 6.27 pounds? That’s just the handbag. If you’re anything like me, you may also carry a laptop bag, your gym bag and a bag with your lunch. Wow! That’s a massive weight to carry every day! I’d say: It’s time to clear out your handbag!

Start by taking everything out of it. The keys, phone, make up bag, wallet… Is there more? The tissues, old receipts, spare coins… Even more? The old mints from the restaurant, the hair clips that fell out, the shopping list that was nowhere to be found when in the supermarket! Take everything out.

Clean the inside of your handbag. If yours is anything like mine, there’s probably a lot of “confetti” at the bottom. Paper bits, wrappers, little pieces of I’ve no idea how they landed it. Best to put your handbag upside down and shake everything off over your rubbish bin. I’ve seen some folks even revert to a vacuum cleaner.

Put only back what you need on a daily basis. This probably includes your keys, phone, wallet, sunglasses and makeup bag. What about your business cards, a USB stick, some Kleenexes, a hand sanitiser and a bottle of water?

Anything else? How about your notes? Rather than just floating around, consider putting them into a folder. There are beautiful notebooks where you can insert your papers and close it with a band, ensuring nothing falls out. There are other ones which have plastic pocket folders for receipts, souvenirs and other little pieces. Everything is within one place.

Go through your make up bag just like you’ve cleared out your handbag. Is anything empty (e.g. eye shadow) or dried out (e.g. mascara) that can be thrown own? Any colours you no longer like or even apply or that are past their expiry date? It may only be a small item and may not weight that much, but why carry it?

Your shoulders will thank you. We often wear our handbags on one side only – I know I am (on the left). To give your shoulders and back a break and balance the weight more equally. A backpack handbag or satchel-style one with long straps that you can wear like a messenger bag are two options to shift the weight around.

Remove some of the weight will be appreciated your shoulders. When you can rest, put your handbag down, too. Just like sitting for too long, carrying too heavy handbags can damage your back. Check also  your posture and how it’s potentially changing while carrying your handbag.

Are you going to clear out your handbag this week?

Until next time,
Agni