Question about carrying a purse

[Cassandra]

I bought a brand new purse today and want to fill it up with stuff to be lady like. What is all the stuff I need? It's a medium sized purse btw.

[sherri52]

Keys, ID, tissue, extra makeup, etc. Don't forget the all important money and or credit card. Wouldn't hurt to have a can of mace or pepper spray. You'll probably never use it but you'll feel better knowing you have it.

[dilane]

I bought a brand new purse today and want to fill it up with stuff to be lady like. What is all the stuff I need? It's a medium sized purse btw.

Lipstick or gloss, lipliner, powder ... whatever you need for makeup repairs.

Kleenex, Pen, small address book / notepad, eyedrops if you wear contacts, purse perfume spritzer, hairbrush, nailfile, wallet, keys, cellphone, sunglasses.

Safety pins in case of wardrobe malfunction.

Aspirin for the occasional headache.

Emergency road flares. NOT!!!

I also have earplugs for use in noisy clubs. How's that?

[MAJESTYK]

Hmmmmmmmm, lets see....All you need are things that you cant do without. The keys, cash etc... in a nice wallet. Brush,lipstick, perfume,other makeup you may need for touch up. Anything else you think you may need while you're out.
I carry one everyday because I present everyday. and you'd be surprised what it has in it! Mine has hand lotion, makeup, scarf, wallet, tissues, pen,cellphone , lighter, gum, pick,(very curly hair!)small pump hairspray, several things I wont say....and just about anything else I might need or pick up while out!

[NoraTV]

Actually, the mace or pepper spray is not a bad idea.

[Lorileah]

keys to something you don't remember, half a stick of gum, .37 in change, a wadded up tissue, the other half of the gum wrapped in the foil but still sticking out enough to gather fuzz, a flash light that doesn't work anymore, an extra pair of pantyhose,now with gum stuck to them, a mint from a restaurant, two bobby pins, an emery board that is almost worn out, three of the stick on nails you had on last Saturday but they fell off, a napkin with 6 digits of a phone number and a lipstick print...yours, compact with a cracked mirror, the lipstick minus the cap now, subway token (when was I in Boston?), business card from a guy who either wanted a date or to sell you insurance, a credit card and your drivers license, a zip lock bag (in case you can't eat the whole meal) and that can of mace which is at the bottom, where you have to dig for it, so IF you ever are attacked by someone who might be bigger than you are and you are in a neighborhood that you probably should not be in after dark dressed as a woman in 4" stiletto heels that you cannot kick off and run away, which as you pull it out and accidentally press the nozzle will spray you and the two CD's you are with rendering all three of you helpless.
How big is this purse anyway?

[Sally2005]

Tape measure, pliers, toothpicks, makeup wipes, keys, piece of pizza.

[victoriamwilliams1]

all of the above plus a .357. handcuffs and badge, tampons or just what ever you want..

My purse is full with mints, wallet, perfume, cell phone, lipstick, gloss, touch up make up, lip liner and I have a medium purse that is the daily one and I have a small one that I got talked about by the former pay less guy

[Andy66]

Great googly-moogly! At this rate you'll need a moving van! Do yourself a favor and only bring the things you need most. Wallet, keys, phone, comb and lipstick. The purse will gather other excess junk all by itself.

[DianeDeBris]

Ha! At first I thought Lorileah had been peeking in my purse, but finally I realized hers is LOTS tidier than mine!!!

[Hope]

You know - I started carrying a purse when I started to get sick of having to move all of my junk from one pair of pants to the other (or in winter from one coat to another) running out of pockets, and then invariably leaving something in my other pants, or on someone's counter.

So I say you start with all of your guy junk. Keys, wallet, checkbook if you still use one, cell phone, organizer, sunglasses, pen, iPod, business cards. Then add the boy-scout stuff. Flashlight, aspirin, whatever other medications you use, bandaids, kleenex, Swiss army knife, lipgloss, titanium spork (don't laugh this has saved my tookis a number of times), cliff bar, dental floss, wet naps, and a tape measure. Then add your girl equipment. Makeup, nylons, mints / gum, a camera, perhaps a roll of first aid tape if you need it. Plan for whatever can go wrong during the day - and then have the tools you need to fix it. Then toss in 3 more items, a book (whatever you are currently reading) something that will make people think you are a bond girl (in my case that is a mini video recorder) and something that is just there to perplex people who paw through your purse (in my case that is a kite - no kidding). My wife carries a really slick re-useable shopping bag, but doesn't carry the book...

And that is for a small bag - not a clutch, but a small bag. With a bigger bag, you can always carry more stuff.

[Tranny Tee]

A set of jumper cables, a roll of duct tape, pliers, a roll of wire. . . .OOPS! That is what I carry in the trunk of the car.

[tamarav]

[SIZE=4]What a helpful group! Now you have an idea what all of the rest of us carry in our purses, which turn out to always be too small. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]The next problem will be to clean out that purse and carry only what is necessary. Then you start tagging along with a "go bag" that carries all the items you could possibly need while out and about. My "go bag" must weigh 45 pounds and includes just about evey item the girls listed with the exception of the .357. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]Now I am on the quest to carry as little as possible and still make my way. Credit card, driver's license, cash, minimal makeup and nail glue and spares, mirror, eye drops, mace, spare keys, hemostats for things I can't handle with long nails, .... There I go again.[/SIZE]

[Kate Simmons]

You will learn what the real necessities are after you carry one for awhile.

[Katesback]

How about a small dog?

[Cassandra]

I took a little while last night filling it up with things. So far I have kleenex, ink pens, cigarettes, lighter, brush, cellphone, sunglasses, wallet with my drivers license, credit card, ATM card and other cards in it as well as money of course, lipstick, lip gloss, I think I'm to the point that I'm doing good filling it up and it'll probably become a cluttered mess soon lol. That's what I'm waiting for then I'll be use to carrying a purse.

It's a medium sized purse, not a huge one but it's not a small one either.

[Joanne f]

This time of year a shovel and an axe is handy , the shovel in case you get snowed in and the axe in case a tree falls and blocks your way ( and don't be silly and say a chain saw would be better as the oil would leek out and ruin you purse)

[Billijo49504]

I just checked in my purse, and I got most of the same stuff. Except for the 357. Usually just a airweight snubby or a small 9mm. But most of the time I have a fanny pack that I use on a daily bases....BJ

[Loni]

Actually, the mace or pepper spray is not a bad idea.

just be very careful about the type and size you carry, see your state laws there.
also only carry the stream or foam, never the spray. (can be blown back at you) and with a uv die marker.

buy a number of the little cans...for testing. one must learm how to use something if one has it on them.

.

[HannahF6]

I think it is less important what you have in the purse than to be seen carrying one. Few women are seen without their purses and carrying one, even empty is good for the overall image. It makes me feel almost as femme as when I put lipstick on.

[5150 Girl]

Some makeup in case you need a touchup, and if you go to eat ro dirnk, or clubbing, you will need a touchup.
outside of that, your keys cell, mace, and anything else you would normaly carry on a dayly basis.
Think of your purse as a ceatch -all for someone without pcokets. (womens fashions often have no pockets)

[Cassandra]

I think it is less important what you have in the purse than to be seen carrying one. Few women are seen without their purses and carrying one, even empty is good for the overall image. It makes me feel almost as femme as when I put lipstick on.

I think that way too. I loved filling my purse up with stuff. First time I carryed it out in public yesterday it went great.

[Nicole Erin]

I think Lorileah summed it up best with the list of junk.
the 1/2 sticks of gum seem necessity.

I think TamaraV forgot all the hairstyling impliments that a stylist would have, junk like bobby pins, a few pelican clips, couple perm rods,

Ya know, the bag I carry to school typically has a mannequin head in it.
One of these can be had at Sally's for $65.

Just think of how feminine you would look with this huge bag with a mannequin head in it.

[PamelaRI]

... subway token (when was I in Boston?) ...

Lorileah, if the last time that you were in Boston, you used tokens to ride the T, then it has been a long time.

All - Great suggestions. Now I have an excuse to buy the cute satchel bag that I saw last week, so that I can add all of the suggested essentials that I don't have in my current bag.

[Sarah Doepner]

My wife hates carrying a purse and consequently is always losing things she needs. Well that or she invites me out to eat and as we are being seated tells me she forgot her wallet and I get to pay.

I keep my "repair makeup" in a small makeup bag that can go from purse to purse as needed. That way I can just toss extra q-tips, cotton balls and half sticks of gum in all my purses and have them completely outfitted with just the move of the wallet, keys and makeup bag. I'll have to think about the mace.