Stop carrying around so much stuff! Here are seven tips to help lighten your load and take a weight off your shoulders—literally!
Okay, ladies. WHY do we carry around so much? I’m a self-professed light-packing guru and I still drag so much around with me on a daily basis. Here’s my bag. I wish the photo had something for scale — it’s an enormous bag.
Ryan refers to my purse as The Abyss and if I ask him to get something out of it, he gets a look on his face like maybe he’ll lose a few fingers to the gremlins that live in there. Recently I’ve gotten tired of lugging so much around. My shoulder is sore, receipts seem to multiply faster than rabbits, I can never find my keys, and even though it’s the size of a small suitcase, I still manage to, say, leave it at Adalberto’s after stuffing my face with a plate of tacos and Mexican rice (That did not happen the other night. Nope.).
Here’s what was in it (totally unedited — it’s about to get real around here, yo.)
For the record, that’s…
- My regular glasses
- My sunglasses+ case (note my sunglasses weren’t even in the case — bad Cori)
- My phone
- Scissors
- My driver license renewal paperwork (it’s been in there for months)
- Our marriage license (for changing the name on my car’s title)
- A recipe for tzatziki
- A coupon for JoAnn
- Stamps
- Five pens
- Chapstick
- Spare change
- Gift cards
- Kindle
- My wallet with a billion cards (the case with the sunglasses on it)
- Hair tie and bobby pins
- A bag of trail mix
- My health insurance card which somehow escaped the wallet
- A book
- Kleenex
- Old receipts
- Business cards
- Keys to my Mini Cooper, house, studio, and various other places
- Key to the Volvo, with my Snape keychain
Good. Ness. Gra. Cious.
So I’ve decided to drastically cut back. I’ve seen a lot of posts on how to organize the stuff in my purse, but not how to carry less overall. So this is my attempt to cut back and live more simply with my shoulder bag.
I’m not sure how this will work when we have kids someday, but for now my shoulder needs a rest. There’s no reason to carry around so much stuff!
Seven Tips for a Lighter Purse
1. Get rid of the cards
First of all, I could probably live free for a month off the number of gift cards I had floating around in my purse.
That’s not to mention debit and credit cards, loyalty cards, health insurance cards, cards, cards, cards. I went through and figured out what was absolutely essential and only carry those cards now. In most instances, stores can use my phone number to look up my loyalty account — no need to carry around those cards. I know my 16-digit library card number and my medical record number by heart. Gift cards went in a red case in a dish by the front door so Ryan and I could sort through them to find something for date night, instead of having them languish in the back of my wallet.
2. Carry a smaller wallet
My wallet with the camera on the front had six hundred slots for cards, thirteen dividers, a check book, and four places for pens. Now I carry around a hardcase wallet. It holds what I need — and I can’t stuff much else in there and have it still shut. Keeps me from overloading my wallet with, well, anything. I ended up with my driver license, two credit cards (one personal, one business), my ATM card, my IKEA family card (since we’re over there all the time during this remodel), and my Starbucks card (hiding my driver license, so y’all can’t stalk me.) These are some great hardcase wallets.
3. Carry nothing “just in case”
Are you always carrying around an umbrella just in case? A bag of trail mix? Four kinds of pens? A bottle of Advil? A flashlight? One time a friend unearthed a can of Progresso soup from the depths of her purse! One of the tenets of living a more simple life is trusting in having less. You can survive with less. If you haven’t used it in the last three months, it’s gone. Or go cold turkey — only carry the bare essentials for a week. You’ll find a burden lifted from your shoulders. And should it rain? Dance in it instead!
In my purse I ended up with:
- My smaller wallet
- Business cards
- Chapstick
- Phone
- Pen
- Keys I use on a regular basis
- Sunglasses (in their case)
- Regular glasses
That. Is. It.
4. Tame the receipts
I am not a receipt collector. I don’t use them in my budgeting. The only receipts I keep are for things I may want to return. Other receipts in my purse are basically trash. Why am I carrying around a bag of trash? Instead, whenever I get a receipt, I immediately trash it. I have no time for sorting through receipts!
5. Carry a smaller purse
I used to have the motto that I’d never carry around a purse that wasn’t big enough for a book. But guess what? Even though I often have a book in my purse, I rarely read it these days. I can read on my phone, and my kindle is pretty small if I do want to throw something light in my bag to read. Get a purse that only accommodates the essentials. Carrying around an enormous purse is only asking for unnecessary items. There are a ton of cute small purses.
6. Try the “two bag” philosophy
I finally figured out that I need two bags. I need a small purse with the essentials, but I still have a lot of stuff I need to lug back and forth between my house, running errands, and my studio. So I have a second bag for these things — sometimes I use a big quilted bag I made a while back, and sometimes I use a backpack. Nothing actually lives in this bag, but it’s perfect for toting items back and forth in the short term. Need to bring something to a friend? It goes in the errand bag. Have a file of coupons? Errand bag. Want to bring my laptop to work? Errand bag. Want some knitting while waiting for a doctor’s appointment? Errand bag. It’s so much better than trying to lug all that around in my day-to-day handbag.
A diaper bag totally counts as a separate bag — you shouldn’t have anything in your purse that truly belongs in the diaper bag.
7. Clean out your purse regularly
No matter what you do, there’s a good chance things are going to get messy in your purse. Instead of making it a once-a-year cleaning, dump out your purse once a week or so and get it back down to the essentials!
Have any tips for carrying around less? Moms — what do you do to save your shoulders?
Comments & Reviews
Meg says
Great tips here! I actually did a major purse overhaul a month or so ago — it was truly ridiculous what I’d been carrying around in there. Like you, I was getting shoulder pain . . . and since I spend about nine hours a day working at my desk (where I have every “just in case” item imaginable), there was really no excuse for lugging around so much random stuff! None. Zero.
Carrying a smaller purse has really made a difference, too. Through the winter, the bag I was carting around was really more of a tote — but my current purse, one that had always lived in my closet but was deemed “too small,” is perfect. I have only the essentials and nothing more, and I actually find things so much easier! It’s like a weight has been lifted — literally. It’s nice streamlining. Very nice, indeed! :)
Cori George says
Isn’t it so much better? Running errands is so much easier, and I rarely find myself carrying more than I need to even in my utility bag — why put extra stuff in there?
Jen says
Love your wallet! I have the same one, only green. :D (Excellent philosophy, too.)
Cori George says
Great minds, my friend!
Elizabeth McKinney says
Where did you get your original wallet? I would love to get a couple of them for my photographer friends
Cori George says
Hi Elizabeth — I have NO idea. It was a long time ago. My best guess would be Target, but I’m sure they don’t have them anymore. So sorry!
Susan Baxter says
I love this post – I am traveling these days with virtually the identical sets of items (plus business cards). I have to confess – I am still a little nervous after banishing my “toiletry bag” from my new bag, meaning I’m traveling without hair and tooth brushes! I also laugh out loud that your pen of choice is a Sharpie!
Cori George says
I find my penmanship is the best with a Sharpie, plus it writes on EVERYTHING. Give me a Sharpie over a ballpoint, any day!
April @ illistyle says
Errand bag – freakin’ genius! Why do I throw cross stitch into my purse? Why do I put the reusable grocery bag in there after I have unloaded? They can go into an errand bag (or car bag in my case) and go back and forth to the car with no need to get lost int he purse. So Smart!
Cori George says
And so much less to carry around all the time!
Karen Peterson says
I recently made the switch to a smaller bag and it made a HUGE difference!
I still have a problem with spare change, though. It always ends up in the bottom of my bag and adds extra weight. I forget to clean it out regularly, so it piles up. Reminding myself to clean out my purse weekly will help with that problem.
Cori George says
Yeah, I try not to carry around too much cash in general (was robbed at gunpoint a few years ago and lost a bunch of cash), but I agree — it’s the change that’s really the problem. We have a jar in our closet — I try and remember to dump out the change there!
Jen says
My tip is to carry around smaller versions of items whenever possible. I do have a problem with receipts accumulating, but I manage to fit a LOT into a surprisingly small bag (for me, anyway) — I have a Miche classic. I do have a Sharpie in my purse, but it’s a mini; I have the smallest mirror I could find; I have a teeny tiny little sample bottle of hand lotion; I do have a bunch of loyalty cards, but they’re all the keychain versions (which live on a separate keychain from my keys, and stay tucked away in their pocket unless I need them). There are some things I could probably keep in my car instead, but it’s really the receipts and coupons that are what make my purse a mess… So yeah, the weekly cleaning would help a lot with that! :)
Cori George says
Such a good idea! I could be carrying around a tiny sharpie! I love it!
Lynn Dees says
Those tiny Sharpies are “cute” and space-saving… but very hard to open for me, b/c they are so tiny… not much to grip trying to get the other HALF off… each half is a part of the pen… one half is the “top” that has to be removed. Maybe it’s just my problem, but just thought I’d throw that out, FYI. I’m always afraid that the whole thing is going to flying off in pieces when I finally get it open, and you know Sharpie….. it is PERMANENT.
Jess says
A great app to use on your phone for all the Loyalty cards is Key Ring. Scan your cards in and then you can pull them up on your phone in the store! I now only keep the full size cards of the places I shop most frequently and those are kept in a binder at home in the office!
pat says
I found an app on my phone for all my loyalty cards. Now all I have to do is scroll down and find the one I need.. done and done the app is call “KEY RING” check it out.
Christy says
I pulled infant socks out of mine this morning while looking for my classroom keys and I thought to myself, “Self, it’s time to clean out this purse.” Good timing, Cori.
Cori George says
Ha! At least infant socks are small and light? It wasn’t like there was a giant pair of wool hiking socks. Silver lining? ;-)
Stephanie says
I recently started using the keying app on my iPhone for all my loyalty cards etc. I even put my library card on there and that has lightened my load considerably. I always have my phone with me and it even has a scanner where you snap a pic of the card and it stores it etc. And now I don’t have to out a bunch of stuff on my actual key ring either. Last thing I need is a huge bulky key chain, you know! Plus I found a wallet that fits my iPhone in it so a lot of times I just grab that from the diaper bag and I am good to go. It has a removable strap if I want to carry it cross body. I am a super minimalist since I carry so much for my kids so no makeup, etc for me! Only a wallet and phone. Great post!
Cori George says
These are such good ideas! I like the idea of having a wallet with an iPhone slot, so I could grab it if I was feeling really minimalist one day!
Hannah says
Because I carry around a diaper bag most of the time, and use that as my purse (I hate carrying more bags than I need), unless there’s a reason to bring a purse, often time I leave the house (when I’m by myself) with: my phone, keys, driver’s license, and a credit card. All fit into pockets. The end.
Cori George says
Sometimes I can go without the purse, too! I love those days.
Jess @ Chaos & Love says
I use the two bag system most of the time but stuff crosses over a lot. I need to be better about cleaning out regularly.
Cori George says
Me too. I think I could contain the chaos better if I was better about going through my bag regularly!
courtney killpack says
This is something I need to do with my purse! What great tips you have. Thank you so much for linking up to the Be.You.Tiful Link Party. I’m featuring your post for this week’s link party! Yah!
Cori George says
Yay Courtney, thank you! (I don’t know if you remember, but we sat next to each other at the opening ceremony for SNAP!) :)
Alyssa says
I have a calender reminder to clean my purse once a week. I keep a bag in the car with some things to have handy if needed, but don’t need to carry into stores or church with me.
Cori George says
Such a good idea, Alyssa!
Deb Housworth says
I started using the two bag system a couple of years ago. I have a small “wallet” purse with a long strap that I can wear across my torso instead of just on my shoulder. It can carry credit cards, cash, receipts (I keep mine), phone, keys, a pen, sharpie, and a lipstick. This is what I grab when I run in the store for something. If I think I’ll need something from the larger bag, I grab it and stick it in the smaller bag for the quick trip inside. This goes in a much larger bag that usually stays in my car when I’m out doing errands. It serves as a pseudo briefcase as well. It contains my sunglasses, spare reader glasses, business cards, comb, tape measure, nail file, highlighter pen, mini package of disinfecting wipes, small lotion bottle, a scrunchy, and a small toiletry bag (freebie from makeup purchase) containing contact lens needs, toothbrush, and floss sticks. My large bag has capacity for my laptop when I travel. I can usually fit my toiletry bag inside and a small memory foam pillow for my back when traveling by plane. I have several of these large bags with a matching smaller bag for seasonal color change like a black/black, navy/tan, white/tan. I often use a backpack and the small bag when traveling on vacation overseas. I use a very secure backpack that makes it difficult for the unsavory to access. One of my big black bags has a comfort web strap that can be lengthened to go across my torso as well working like a messenger bag. My teenage son has carried it for me when my back was hurting and it doesn’t look feminine at all. He looked quite european. Too cute!
Dara says
I’ve been using the Second Bag idea for awhile now (I call it The Bookbag) and it helps so much!
Alex says
Great post! I love your first purse! Where did you find it?
Lori Van Dyke says
I like your small purse. Where is it from?
Michelle @ Hey Love Designs says
These are great tips! Lately I’ve been super lazy and just carrying what I need in my wallet. It’s still kind of large though and I’m always paranoid that things are going to fall out!
I agree that any cards that you can get by with just a phone number can stay home.
Kyla says
You know starbucks has an app you can enter that starbucks gift card onto and be able to scan your phone to pay. They give loyalty and bonus drinks frequently as well. Win-win
Gina P says
I am a mom with 3 little kids. I never carry a diaper bag. It just became too much carting around kids, my purse, and then everything else we own in the diaper bag. Now I use the car as my diaper bag. There are diapers and wipes in the pockets behind the seets, change of clothes for everyone in the door compartments, and a small 1st aid kit, pens, Chapstick, plastic bags, etc. in the center console. I usually bring a bag with snacks and water bottles to keep in the car as well. In my purse I only keep my essentials plus 1 tiny toy car for each of the kids if we get stuck waiting somewhere and usually one diaper and a small pack of wipes. In the off chance we need more than what’s in my purse, we will be close enough to the car to take care of it. I also have a tiny purse that can only hold my phone, drivers license, and debit card so that I don’t even need my purse if I’m just running into the store or running errands by myself. It’s so freeing to not have to take a purse every where I go.
Cori George says
Oooh! It’s good to know that I don’t have to be weighted down with a huge diaper bag once these kiddos get here! I am planning on having a minimalist list like yours. Thanks!
The Mommy says
That errand bag? Genius! I have a tote that I keep a lot of unnecessary stuff in in my Space Shuttle (minivan) – that included most things that were in my diaper bag that I couldn’t justify carrying around once the youngest was (FINALLY) out of diapers. However, I have to keep receipts (how can you possibly know the charges are valid if you don’t know what you charged? Plus, my husband would start to twitch uncontrollably if I mentioned NOT keeping them, so…)
Cori George says
The errand bag has SAVED me (and my shoulder/neck!). I should probably pay more attention to my receipts, but I never got in the habit and I’m not sure how to start now!
Rose who's busy being creative at FineCraftGuild.com says
Hi Cori, you made me laugh. I so recognize me in here!!! My favorite bags are all mid-sized, so I don’t downsize but I just move the essentials from bag to bag. That works too. Then, from time to time, I clean out the excess mess from ‘last week’s bag’. It works (somewhat)…
Hey, I haven’t seen you at the party yet; Are you coming? Did you get the message that I featured you last week? I hope you did. I LOVE your Ikea hack!
Rose
rosalinda says
Hi.just discover you, and I´m glad I did, I like very much everything you post, I like makeing mug rugs and your blocks are just what I was looking for, I also read your blog, I think you are a very nice lady, and presume you are a happy lady, happy people make happy world, and with twins, like we say in my country, “the strawberry topping of the cake, (and by the way, excuse my spelling mistakes) I write better in spanish.
Wish you a nice day
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laila says
I loved your article that was a great idea about you can survive with less, I have always struggled with heavy bags always known as the girl that carries everthing just in case specially embrella. It’s true I avoided sometimes some embarassing situations but it was rare compared with the days I forgot to bring that exacte item and needed it just that day.
So I guess I ll stop carring stuff just in case.
Thank you !
Cori George says
Yes! Just give it up — there’s no reason to carry around all that extra stuff!
Karina Bourne says
The one thing I cannot seem to give up out of my handbag haul is a measuring tape. Strange I know, but it is constantly coming in handy! I found a good way to carry less cards is to take photos of them, I keep then in my Evernote app. They can still be scanned and you have the membership numbers. Thanks for the advice/post.
Cori George says
If you use it, then I say carry it! I actually throw one in my extra bag often. It’s so handy!
Carrie says
First, this is fantastic! and I have always had huge bags, and sore shoulders, definitely need to trim it down! One thing I did was load all my cards (including gift cards) into Google Wallet – it will let you scan loyalty cards, etc. and keep them all in your phone – I was so ecstatic to be able to throw the cards in a drawer and only need my phone, it’s AMAZING!
Connie Randall says
The last time I was with my sister-in-law, we got to the outlets and she transferred a FEW things from her regular purse into a small purse. I hate carrying my heavy purse. So! I decided to downsize (again – I’ve tried it before but, silly me, I was just putting everything in my big purse into my new small purse and of course it didn’t work.) I have purged out my purse and think carrying a small one in my car will be a good idea. The real reason I wanted to post a comment is that my sister-in-law is needing neck surgery. Her doctor told her that heavy purses are the biggest cause of neck/shoulder/back issues for women. I believe him.
Danie M. says
I recently went to the “smaller bag” with just the essentials and have not looked back since. I absolutely LOVE this reminder on my decision to live with less. I used to think I might need this item or that item, but honestly I have not needed them. Out with the what-ifs!
Thanks for the great tips!
Lynn Marie says
I used to have a separate folder for all my loyalty cards. Now I use the Stocard app on my iPhone: library card, Starbucks, Scene, Airmiles, all digital. Love it!
Cherie Jacobs says
I have a husband and four daughters and it is critical that I carry nail clippers! Also, tums since husband is always asking for them!
I read once that a dollar bill is almost exactly 6 inches. So that can be used as a measuring tape when in desperation!
Thank you for the inspiration!
Cori George says
Nail clippers are one item that I now carry! And a tiny pair of scissors. #momnow
Autumn says
Receipts are a problem with me. I have to turn in the receipt every time I use my company card, so I got into the unfortunate habit of keeping every receipt someone hands me. Total mess. (Not to mention now they are saying the slippery receipt paper could cause cancer??) Now we use an online expense report program (we use Expensify, but there are others as well) to track receipts. Take a picture with my phone, and throw the hard copy away. It’s awesome! It not only eliminates receipt clutter, but makes expense reports so much easier!
Maithly Garcia says
Wow…….great tips! But the side bags are really awesome. :-)
Cori George says
Thanks! It’s been several years since I wrote this post and side bags are still something I use!
Darci says
I love this!! I have an almost 3 year old and a work from home office job. So sometimes while running work and person errands, I have to bring my giant purse to hold my tablet, notebook, planner, pens, huge wallet that has more cards than I need and who knows what other random things. It is so hard when we are walking out of a store and my daughter asks me to carry her and I have to hold my 35lb kid, giant purse, and purchases we may have made. I’m 100lbs and 5’3″…..let’s just say I’m surprised I haven’t fallen yet. If I can, I try to just carry my wallet on places or my small crossbody bag and it makes a huge difference! I’ve learned that a long ass the assn fit my phone, small hard case wallet, and chapstick, we can survive!!
Cori George says
Exactly! Even with twins now I still carry a small bag. I do have a diaper bag but it’s fairly light as well – JUST the necessities!
kady babs says
It’s really nice amazing post about bag thanks your sharing a good idea
Shayla Cademis says
Thanks for the suggestion to get a purse size that only accommodates the essentials. As you mentioned, I’ve always tried to carry a book in my purse so I have something to do if there’s every any downtime, but I hardly ever find myself reading it. I hope I can find a great purse that will help me minimize the weight and clutter in my purse.
Denise Thornton says
Fabulous tips on how to have a lighter purse. I think we all need to be reminded of this regularly. Thanks for the info and your blog.
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Elbistan says
Way cool! Some very valid points!