Quick Tip Tuesday: Organizing your purse

How often do you find yourself digging though your purse trying to find that one thing that you need. Maybe it is a nail file, a bottle of head ache pills, or your planner.

When I switched my purse over to the one that matches my little one's diaper bag, I majorly downsized. I have always been a big purse kinda person. I like having everything I need on hand. But I knew I needed to get more organized if I wanted to still have all those things in a smaller bag.

So, I did just that and it has saved me many a minute searching for something lost in the bottom of my bag. This is how I do it...

Zip top bags are a wonderful way to keep your things grouped together in a certain category. In my purse I have three quart size zip top baggies.

Baggie #1: Medical

• pill bottle with various types of meds (make sure you know what they all are!)
• a little thing of band aids
• baby powder
• a little container of antacids
• travel sized tube of tooth paste
• hand sanitizer
• tissues

Baggie #2: Non-medical/cosmetic

• lotion
• lip gloss/ chap stick
• mirror
• mini stapler ( yes, I carry a stapler and yes, I have used it before!) :o)
• nail clippers and file

Baggie #3: Personals (sorry guys)

• feminine hygiene products
• nursing pads

I also carry a sandwich sized bag containing a disposable diaper, a few wet wipes and a trial packet of diaper rash cream so I know that if I happen to accidentally leave the diaper bag at home or in the car, I can still do a diaper change if I need to. Each of the above bags also contains wet wipes as you never know when you may need one.

Try to use the freezer type baggies as they are sturdier and won't fall apart at the seams like the regular ones can do sometimes in your purse. Please understand that my purse is never perfect! What you see in the picture is not always what you get! I try to go through my purse on a fairly regular basis to pull out things like crumpled receipts, use tissues, old grocery lists and just random things that I throw in there throughout the day. The other day I cleaned it out while waiting at the dealership for our vehicle to get fixed. I have done it in the doctors waiting room, while on the 2 hour ride home from visiting family and while the baby was taking a nap.

You can also apply this method to your diaper bag. Things like a change of clothes, blanket, and an extra hat can go in a gallon sized bag together. That way they are dry, clean and folded nicely the next time someone has a blow-out. :o) Yeah, I've had to use this bag before!