What’s In My Handbag
I am a handbag addict. It all started 15 years ago when my grandma sent me a vibrant pink Liz Claiborne satchel for my birthday. Before then I had only had one handbag and never thought much about it. It was a black crocheted crossbody bag from Old Navy and it was on its last leg. Using handbags and other accessories to liven up my outfits never occurred to me. But that Liz Claiborne satchel…that started something. Since then I’ve owned probably well over 200 bags, most of them from Shopko or Target. Then 13 years ago I acquired my first, what I would consider, high street bag…a Dooney and Bourke bucket bag. While I do appreciate most high street brands Dooney and Bourke, Michael Kors, Tory Burch…Henri Bendel is my most favorite high street brand, especially their Jetsetter line. Over the years, I have grown to have the mindset that for me handbags and accessories are an investment and I like to not just acquire bags that I love the brand and style, but also ones that I can easily turn around and sell for at least as much as I purchased them for, if not more. Some people invest in cars, some in land, others invest in sports memorabilia, I like handbags and handbag accessories.
My favorite two bags from the Jetsetter line are this large crossbody messenger bag and then their Jetsetter convertible backpacks. This particular style of the messenger bag has been discontinued. It has the short over the shoulder non-detachable strap and then a long detachable strap. Now they only have the long detachable strap. The guitar strap on my bag came separately.
I just love this guitar strap and use it on several of my bags. I usually have some sort of added accessory on my bags…a puffball, guitar strap, luggage tag etc. It’s fun to accessorize my bags and interchange the accessories with other bags.
I ALWAYS have a couple of writing utensils and a notebook in my bags. I am a list maker and I cannot function without lists. If I don’t have a list with me before I go to a store, then I end up wandering the isles and picking up things I don’t need, then I leave and on my way home I realize I never even bought the thing I went to the store for.
I also need a place for everything in my bags. About half of my bags have felt organizers in them because I hate letting my bags turn into bottomless pits where nothing is found. I have a pouch for almost everything, my earbuds, a toiletry type pouch that carries medication, girly products, tweezers, a cardholder for all of my extra store cards and punch cards, a cosmetic pouch that holds all of the various lip products I don’t really need, a change pouch and my wallet. I use to use a huge continental wallet, and while I appreciate the convenience of having all of my things inside one item, I found that it didn’t fit in about half of my handbags and had to change into smaller pouches to use those bags. I like the set up I have now because I can add or take away pouches depending on the bag and where I am going.
I also do not carry a diaper bag. It took me having 4 kids to realize that I am not a diaper bag person. With the twins, I started out with a huge diaper bag and had to carry at least two of everything. I hated how heavy it was and how by 6 months I didn’t even use half of what I usually carried with me. Then with Yo I attempted the diaper bag again for the first few months and hated it again. I’ve found that as long as I have diapers, wipes, a bottle and formula (or nursing cover with Yo), and a burp cloth, anything else I need could be purchased if needs be. I do have a little bag of extra things I keep in the car, but I don’t always carry butt paste or an extra change of clothes. I love being a mom, and I love my boys like crazy, but I also love using my handbags and knowing that while I am a mom, I’m also a woman who goes places without her children.
What do you carry in your handbags? Are you and handbag junkie like I am? What are your must-haves in every bag you carry? Hope y’all have an amazing weekend!
