Carrying a Purse--love It or Hate It?

hate them...I have a bigger wallet.....which is still to much.

IF I could have all my info put on one card...and that can could hang from my key ring I would be happy:)

Hate it hate it hate it. i ONLY use it for work. If I am off for a week, I don't even go into it. I carry a wallet at all times ( a wristlet) and don't think I could stand anything bigger. If a diaper fit in it, I would skip the diaper bag too when the time comes.

Exactly! Thank you.
I tried carrying a purse AND a diaper bag. Laughable.
That lasted a day.
So then I put my wallet and lip gloss in the diaper bag.
My new solution? A cute black leather backpack purse from Macy's
Dug it out of my closet...also, have a cheapy version from TJ Maxx.
I'm in HEAVEN!!! Life is good again. Woo hoo. I'm happy. It's the little things. Solved all of my problems w/putting my son in
the car seat . I keep cash in my pocket so there's no chance of anyone getting my goods if they try to reach in.
Try the backpack purse. You can buy high end or cheap. Go for it girl!

I hate it! I usually out my money, id and credit cards in a cigarette case I found years ago. It fits easily in my pocket and I don't search all over for things. My phone, if I carry it with me, goes in the other pocket. The rest of my purse gets shoved under the car seat.

Well I like having the stuff I need handy but I fin that the bigger the purse, that harder to find anything. I do better with a smaller purse. And I hate the kind with a zillion different pockets and pouches in them. The best puse I have ever had was a small Sak that has worn like steel over the years. And with a smaller purse you can't just shove extra junk in there--to get lost forever at the bottom, right?

I feel the same way your children do about fanny packs; I don't need to add anything else to that area of my anatomy.

But I'm extremely sorry to say that there is no such thing as a purse that won't make you work. Purses have no brains! You have to be the boss of them!

When things start falling out of your purse, you have too much inside it.

Can you pretend it's somebody else's bag, dump everything out, and put back ONLY what you think that Somebody Else REALLY needs for the next trip out and about?

Some of us play "what if" in our imaginations and then load up our purses as if they were emergency supply centers. That's generally not necessary. And it weighs you down, literally.

Play around with carrying the minimum in your bag. That may be more for you than for some gals who say they only need a driver's license and a car key, but see what you can live without, per trip. Your purse will like you a lot better.

I like purses with little pockets inside them. Those pockets are where I stash the phone and the keys, so i don't have to fumble around too much. I also clean out my purse a couple of times a week. When I'm consistent about doing it, it's a two-minute job, max.

i hate to love it and love to hate it.

at times i wish i were free of this sling full of weight, but as soon as i was free of it i would hate to be without my extra diapers, wipes, chapstick, sunglasses, wallet, eyeliner, keys, phone........etc

I know what you mean. Right now I just put my wallet in the diaper bag. One day I will use a purse again!

I carry a camera bag that goes criss cross across my body and hangs out on my hip/ bum. Never gets in the way. In fact, can double as a 'seat' if I'm carrying a toddler. Has everything I need. It's so much a part of me, I don't even notice it / have never lost it (I'm adhd, a purse that can stay UN-lost is a miracle).

Main compartment : (camera - dslr), or a book & soda, but usually my camera
Secondary inside compartment : Makeup & batteries/filmcards & notebook
Outside flap : things I need all the time (keys, gum, pen, inhaler, sanitizer)
Outside 'touches my privates' (aka reeeeally hard to pick pocket) thin zippered compartment : ID & Money
Outside phone pocket : phone

All my walking around stuff, easily found/accessible.
http://www.amazon.com/Tamrac-3536-Express-Camera-Black/dp...

I have a small Dickies purse that will wear easily as a cross-strap, so I don't have to use my hands to hold it. Love it. It's small enough to be comfortable, holds my wallet, a mini-umbrella or rain pullover and a few other items.

I don't LOVE wearing a purse, but dislike the handbag even more.

I LOVE MY PURSE!!!

I have compartments and sections...I have a pouch for personal stuff - even though I don't need tampons or pads anymore - I carry one of each - someone may have an emergency....

I have a small leather notepad that has a pen holder attached so I am never without a pen or paper..

I have a travel case of the diaper wipes - people laugh at me about that since none of my kids are in diapers - but too bad...they don't laugh when they have spilled something on their top and a napkin isn't doing the trick!!

I have a Vera Bradley wrist wallet and love it!!!

First, IX-NAY on what the kids say. They don't understand and they won't until they're parents!

But I fully understand. What I've been using a lot is a real light passport pouch. I used it on my vacation in '05 and it was tons better than lugging around a purse. Hangs around my neck, I can fit my cell in there, take along drivers license and cards, or cash. I actually got an extra set of 3 from Publishers Clearing House, and I saw them advertised there again just recently. I don't know what the actual name for these little things are, but y'know if you're handy with a needle and thread, it wouldn't take much at all to just make one!

I can't stand my purse! It's always in the way and over the years it's given me a shoulder issue. I've been known to drop it in disgust! But what are you gonna do? We have to carry around all our stuff, right? lol!

I gave up on a purse and keep my keys, wallet and phone in my jeans pockets. Not always a great look but practical. I also have a tiny purse size backpack if I need a little extra room. Everything that is not valuable is in the diaper bag, even stuff for me like tampons. I had a friend have her wallet stolen when it was in her purse on the stroller (she was chasing her toddler around in a bookstore).

The trick is to find one that's simple enough and just big enough to fit what you need. I have a couple of small Kate Spade totes that wear like iron, are well-structured (so nothing flops over or gets lost), have one zippered section for things like tampons, one or two small pockets for my phone and then just enough room for my day planner and wallet. I have a beautiful Coach bag that was a hand-me-down from my sister that's just too big for me so things get lost.

Recently I changed my laptop bag to something roomier that holds a lot of what I used my purse for, so I have been using the LT bag for my work gear and a wristlet for my ID, ATM card and cash (keys can clip to the outside) and even my BB fits in there. So unless I need my paper planner or full wallet (checkbook, etc.) I can use just the wristlet.

Please burn the fanny pack LOL. You really shouldn't admit to owning one! I don't care how functional they are, they should just never, ever be worn by anyone for anything.

I carry a purse and a diaper bag in the car. But when I exit the car, I carry a wrist-let ---- with a separate credit card/license carrier inside --- which is big enough to hold a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer, my main credit cards, and my keys only. I cannot be bothered with anything else!!!! I have done this for years. People have teased me for carrying a "pencil case" but it works for me!!! And if I really need anything, my car is never far away! (And, I have to clean out my wrist-let every 2 weeks or so of old receipts etc. or it gets a mess!) . Hey, fanny pack would be ok too :)

I found a few Bagalini's that work well for me.
I use a smaller purse than I use to and I try to clean it out regularly so I'm not carrying around 5 lbs of change which always collects in the bottom.

I've started carrying a clutch purse with a wristlet attached. It's small, but fits my phone, lip moisturizer, sunglasses and keys, and in the inside zipped pocket, I carry my credit card, license, and cash. It's all I ever use when going out in public anyway, so why carry an enormous black hole, I mean, bag where everything gets lost. I USED to carry around a large purse and I still LOVE the way it looks, but it's just a total pain in the a$$, so I switched and now I'm very happy.

I love having a purse! It's a little bigger and lots of pockets. But, I don't like pockets. I have like 3 make-up cases in there. one actually carries make-up, the other carries kid items (like baby wipes/spare diaper)... and the other is an organizer that holds all my cards/checkbook/money/coins. So anything 'loose' in my purse is in a pocket, but basically everything that is small has a place.

Instead of a fanny pack, you could get a totally cute utility belt;
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?ref=auto&q=fanny+...

love these ones;
http://www.etsy.com/listing/71120289/ochre-belt-bag-in-co...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/52150873/traveler-in-army-gre...

I was just relieved once I could slim down from a diaper bag AND a purse to just one big purse. I have one I adore right now, it is big and roomy like a hobo purse would be but it is divided into 3 large sections / it also has a pocket for my cell phone and a small area inside with a zipper and it has the perfect sized pockets on each side that fit my sons sippy cup perfectly. I always carry pullups and wet wipes and a back up of shorts at the minimum in case my son has an accident. I have had to resort to carrying the small sized back pack around as well when we go on all day trips that has crayons and coloring books and snacks for my son...but I could not live without a purse. My SO teases me that I carry everything but the kitchen sink...but I am always prepared, and I am not one who has a lot of extra money to trhow around to buy something on the fly if we need it. Also I suffer from a lot of anxiety and being prepared helps ease some of my anxiety.

I personally don't care for purses. I use my pocket, sometimes my fanny pack. Occasionally the diaper bag serves more than one purpose.

But I have never carried a purse, doubt I ever will.

i never carried a purse until i started working at a "grown up" job. i hated carrying one. i still do. if i could carry what i needed in my pockets, i definitely would. it's such a pain.

A backpack style purse might work for you for everyday or one that has organizational pockets. Also the kind that hug your body that are odd-shaped but rather flat might be good.

I carry the smallest purse possible, so I don't collect stuff. I had a wonderfully designed one that I carried for a long time. It had an outer pocket that was exactly the size of my flip phone. So I could easily grab my phone without opening the purse. It also had an easily opened section that held all my cards. It had a long enough strap that I could cross it over so it didn't get in the way. Loved it. Oh, and it is a name brand that I found brand new at a consignment shop for $30.

But my new phone won't fit in the pocket, and the straps were getting worn. sigh. The one I have now is a pain!! It's surprising I haven't lost something important out of it.