How to Organize Your Purse and Combat the Chaos For Good

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If you’re like me, you start out with the very best of intentions to keep your purse clean and organized. Cut to a week later and I’m digging through receipts and miscellaneous crap to find my keys. If purse bedlam has you down, read on for some tips on how to organize your purse and bring order to the chaos.

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Start with a Smaller Space

If you want to cut down on the amount of clutter you’re carrying around every day, it makes sense to reduce the amount of space there is to fill up with that clutter. Today’s bags may trend towards big and spacious but if you’re constantly late for work because you can’t find your keys, think about downsizing. Try a cute crossbody bag like this one from Target.

Or if you’re looking for something a little more upscale, this Kate Spade bag from Nordstrom has an interior wall pocket as well as an exterior zip pouch built into the flap.

Dump it all out and take an inventory

I know this doesn’t sound like a fun thing to do, but it’s a necessary step if you want to organize your purse once and for all. If you hope to maintain any kind of order in your purse you need to know what you’re dealing with. You might be surprised to find that you have 8 different tubes of lip balm and/or lip gloss floating around in there (true story). Take this opportunity to pitch anything you don’t need anymore, like old receipts or some of those extra tubes of lip balm. Put them away to be used later.

Group Similar Items Together in Pouches or Containers

Think about the things you carry in your purse or bag:

Wallet
Makeup
Cell phone accessories such as chargers or earbuds
Loose change
First aid supplies
Cell Phone
Car Keys
Building/door access cards for work
Notebook or calendar
Receipts
Hairbrush, hair products
Coupons, loyalty cards, gift cards
Sunglasses
Reading glass case

Identify the items you use the most frequently and set them aside. Phone, keys, sunglasses, access cards, and your wallet would be good candidates. Everything but the wallet could be easily tucked into an interior pocket for easy access. If your bag doesn’t have an interior pocket, they can be placed in the main part of the bag.

Everything else like your makeup, first aid items, and hair accessories and products can be stored in small pouches where they’re still accessible but not freely moving all over your purse. I’m loving these cute vintage bags from Shoptiques.

Store loose change in a cute little change purse.

Put gift and store rewards cards in rectangular tin boxes. You could also use them to keep a few sewing essentials handy. The clear lids on these boxes allow you to easily see what’s inside.

Choose a wallet with plenty of slots for cards or invest in a card organizer that holds even more.

Take a few minutes every evening and get rid of any clutter

If you stay on top of it, it really will only take a minute or two. Get rid of any clutter like receipts and replace any items that wandered out of their pouches or designated areas. And while you’re at it, ditch the receipts altogether. Since more companies are switching to digital receipts you should take advantage and have your receipts emailed or texted to you. If you still have receipts that you need to hold on to, scan them and file them away in Evernote. The awesome scanning feature on the app means you can take care of your receipts wherever you are.

Many of the methods you use to keep your home organized also can be applied to your purse. Staying on top of clutter and storing items in containers are 2 of the easiest ways to help you feel more in control of the things in your life.