It’s about that time again… Time… for a new purse.

My current 20-pound purse  ”yes, I carry my life in my bag”  Tano bag,  though great quality and having lasted a few years, is just feeling a little too… well,  cumbersome lately. Why? Because the bigger the bag, the more crap I will undoubtedly stuff into it.

       Wallet and keys? Will never find either, but – yes, I carry those, and they ARE SOMEWHERE in there, so cross ‘em off the list. Tissues and hair accessories (scrunchy, elastic, bobby pins) that are never found at the right moment – check. Chapstick, make-up, makeup brushes, lip gloss, mascara, and the accidentally-opened-now-empty-makeup bag floating around – check. Loose change, crumpled receipts,empty Metrocards, a bent credit card – check. Flyers and brochures handed to me by people on the street that I just felt bad turning down – check.  Last week’s unopened mail, a book where I haven’t turned a page in 3 months,  a magazine from April…. 2011 – check.  Shoes for work, lunch for work, snacks for work – check.  Bottle of water to prevent dying of dehydration during commute to work  - check. Headphones – yes – complete with tangled wires,  iPhone – somewhere in the vicinity of the wallet and keys – just follow the beeping sound of the alarm that I forgot to turn off at 6 AM and you should be able to find it.

Do you see what I mean ? Are any of you out there like me? Or am I doomed to eventually get a shoulder bag with its own zip code and GPS system ?  I understand that organization is not always my forte, though in my defense I do dump out and filter through all items mostly every Friday night. I always wanted to be one of those women with the PERFECT purse, and ALWAYS organized to a T. You know who I’m talking about. They have ANYTHING you may ever ask for, however if you manage to peek inside their compartmentalized purse..it’s clean, nice, almost feng-shui-ish in a sense…  That’s what I want!

The first purse I remember having (most likely in the 3rd grade) was my white Jordache purse. Oh, how I LOVED that purse … even though all it contained was a pencil and notepad, it was cherished.. and probably better than my best friend Christine’s purple unicorn purse – which she would fill with rocks during recess (you know, in order to chase and hit the boys with ..sorta like a modern-day sling.)  Ha!  (note* I don’t think she actually ever hit anyone – to my recollection, but it was pretty funny at the time to see the boys run away..ah, grade school..)   Let’s see, next I remember around sixth grade was my tie-dye jean purse. To match my bedazzled jean jacket. So cool.  Back then.

Later came the years of realizing that one advantage of living in NYC is that Chinatown is just a subway ride away and I could go shopping and then would gleefully return with a Prada bag… for ONLY $20 !!!!! Actually, upon closer inspection, it may have said Prado or Pradada.. Sigh, oh well, you get what you pay for.

So now, the investigation begins. What to get? How much to spend? Hey, I’ll kick in some loose change if it self-organizes!

What kind of purse do you own? Is there one that you’ve had for years or could never ever live without? Is there one that you wish you had never purchased? Share your stories ! Have a great week everyone!

Here are some fun links found during my Great Purse Exploration 2012, enjoy!

http://www.purseblog.com/birkin-giveaway/

http://www.oprah.com/style/How-to-Buy-a-Purse-Best-Purses/

http://brainz.org/5-best-places-buy-purses-online-without-emptying-your-wallet/