Often I feel weighed down by my handbag, which I suppose is also a metaphor for life, all of my possessions weighing me down. On my journey to become minimalist I started thinking about my handbag. I've always been a big handbag person. I love being prepared and having a Mary Poppins style bag that always contains what I need. Thanks to that my bag is always really heavy. I clean it out but within a few weeks it's heavy again.
Full of what? All sorts of "just in case" stuff. But in all honest, how often do I use the "just in case" things? Not very often, maybe once or twice a year and yet I insist on carrying these things around. Want some serviettes? I have them. Want a straw? Got them. Need a lid for your water bottle? Here you go. Antibacterial hand wipes? Check.
That leads me to the question, what do I need in my handbag?
Not much. My purse, keys, mobile phone, lipstick and lip balm, tissues, sunglasses, swiss army knife, pen and baby wipes. Everything else can go.
In an effort to make my handbag more minimalist, I went and bought a new, smaller bag. I tossed up about it for a while because buying a new bag goes against my ideal of not buying new things unless I really need them, and I don't need a new handbag. I thought about it for a few weeks then decided to buy one on sale. In my declutter I've got rid of seven hand bags and I don't have a small bag, so I justified it to myself.
Here's what was in my large bag. Not shown is a whole pile of rubbish that I threw in the bin (receipts, a crystal I bought and forgot about, food wrappers etc).The reason I got a smaller bag is so I'll be forced to keep it minimal, I can't fit anything else.
This is the after photo. I've actually got less in my bag now, I removed the purple coin purse and the calm spray.
Alongside my minimalism efforts I'm also trying to save money, so every few days I empty most of the coins out of my purse which means I don't need a separate coin purse. I'm tossing up whether to keep the tissues, I don't use them very often and I have baby wipes, I'll see how I go over the next few weeks then make a decision.
I've considered getting a smaller purse but hubby bought this one for me and I can't bear to part with it. Plus, it's in perfect condition so there's no need to replace it.
Do you have a large bag or a small bag? What do you carry around with you?
