To take my handbag to bed?

[hellcarryingahandbag]

Hi all,
I have always put everything I will need or want in my handbag, and taken it to bed, or the room I’m going to sit in. I am not in good health, so I like to have everything with me. The thing is that I put things in my bag that I want to put in a different room, or that I want to have handy, I don’t go out with the cordless landline in my handbag or anything . My grandmother has always done the same thing, and my mother thinks it’s lunacy. I am never without my handbag, as I feel better knowing everything I need is easily accessible. Are my grandmother and I right or is my mother?

@hellcarryingahandbag

That's so weird. I have never ever done this, but I just got a flashback from about 4 decades ago of my nan doing this. Always had her handbag in the bedroom with her. Never knew why.

YANBU to do it if you want to.

My handbag (I think what you're calling a handbag is what we'd call a purse in the US) lives in the car. What is in there that you might need overnight?

A handbag in the UK is indeed a purse in the US, and a purse is probably a wallet to you but a wallet here is for notes/cards whereas a purse is also for coins .

If you leave a handbag in the car here where it can be seen it will be gone in no time and the window smashed. Maybe the car will be gone too if it is worthy of taking.

Probably a bit of anxiety/ Ocd a lot of us have it. Just sometimes people who don't have it cannot understand it. X

@Roussette I keep the sewing kit in there at all times, not just for bed

My mum does this. I also do it because I am not leaving my handbag downstairs at night. If we got burglars and they made off with my purse keys cards etc I would be in a right mess. Plus I also keep a set of keys to my mums and if they got lost stolen then WW3 might just happen

*hellcarryingahandbag" I know, I'm being silly!

I have a massive sewing basket perhaps I should take it to bed!
(just joking)

Mine is taken up to bed with me every night. It only has my purse and my house / car keys in it but I figure in event of an emergency that's all I need (phone charges right next to it so I would be able to grab that too).

@Roussette haha, the worst thing is that I hate sewing with a passion! I can crochet 24/7 but no sewing!

I don't own a handbag, but I leave my valuables in sight in the downstairs hallway, purse, car keys. Several years ago I had someone break in to my house so now I leave everything in sight so they can hopefully just smash in and go quickly if it jwppened again.

I only use a bag if I annoyingly need stuff I cant carry in my pockets and I hate it, I love the days when i dont need it. It certainly doesnt follow me around.
I do understand if you carry medication with you which you need constant access to, it would be easier having it all in one bag, but besides that ......

Also what Rewilo said. I know of a burglary where the victim had to lie in bed pretending to be a sleep whilst burglar crawled round her bedroom looking for her stuff, he did find it in her bag under her bed.
Personally that would give me bloody heart failure, if they got in to my house I wouldnt want them that close to me to get what they want.

My handbag stays at the side of the sofa in the daytime, if I am in the house, and at night it stays at the side of the bed. So I always have my phone, notebook and cards handy.

House and car keys are in the hall, out of sight of opportunists, but handy if we need to get out of the house quickly. At the suggestion of the PP, I have just made up a spare handbag with a few bits of make up, tissues, spare purse with a few coppers and some loyalty cards I don't use often, and don't have my name printed on them. I'll leave that with the car keys, good tip.

I thought everyone took their handbag to bed with them

I'd recommend taking your handbag upstairs when you go to bed anyway- we were burgled once when we were asleep upstairs and my handbag was downstairs so they took that and left in my car. I've taken my bag upstairs with me ever since.

The police told me that most burglars avoid confrontation at all costs (and that was my experience- they left when they heard we had woken up) - and advised me to take my bag upstairs in future. Unless you own a sports car, they are unlikely to have broken in specifically for your car keys and purse. In my case, they'd have left with the laptops and phones they found, and not the car keys and wallet.

Police seem to have mixed messages on this. I was told to leave downstairs and more than happy to do so given past experience!
When I got broken into years ago, I woke up with a kitchen knife in my face asking me where my purse was and any other valuables.
I think whether you take up or leave downstairs just don't fight for it, saw earlier mention of using a heavy lamp by the bed to whack them, material stuff can be replace with insurance, just let them take what they take.

I wonder if it depends on what area you live in. if you live in a not very affluent area, thieves may be opportunistic and grab what they can quickly.

If slightly more affluent they may assume there will be more valuables in the house and go looking for them.

I think it depends on the person breaking in, at the time I was in a rough area and they didn't get away with much, but they were a druggie and completely off their face.

Just desperation to get cash.

In affluent areas like you said if theyre breaking in and it's more of a "professional job" for something specific I guess they're not leaving until they've got it.

The only time my bag leaves the floor at the side of the sofa is when I'm actually taking it out with me.
If I use that one at all, I have handbags all over the house.
A burglar would be all night looking through them all for purses and keys, only to find the car keys hung on the hook beside the door 😂

@Rewilo it is highly unlikely I will be broken into in the first place as I live in an area with an extremely low crime rating.

That's good! But if it happened just let what's taken be taken! No lamping

Best anti burglary tip is to have a really really old telly that can be seen through the window.

@Rewilo I’ll try

yanbu
my handbag doubles up as 'oh shit bag' with my phone, a pair of socks and pants, deodorant, (hand) cream, powerbank/phone charger, throat sweets...

About a decade ago, at a local Met Police event we were given a key ring saying Take Me To Bed in fluorescent yellow for our car keys as a reminder to not leave them downstairs.
More recently, at a local fair the police were there and were again advising residents to take all valuables, car keys, wallets etc upstairs at night. So we have done that but it is always at the back of my mind that any intruders could come upstairs.

Are there any police officers here who would dispute that advice now? Would be interested to hear.