to ask what you carry in your handbag and what the most useful things are

[shakeituntilyoumakeit]

Nothing in my life cheers me up as much as when I manage to produce things for the kids to do, a snack, the right change for a car park, a spare hair bobble etc, but I also don’t want to carry too much around.

I was on a busy train recently and couldNt get to my rucksack which had snack, drinks, toys to entertain the kids, and managed to cobble together some plain postcards, rainbow pens, mini chocolate buttons, half a small bottle of water and some raisins.

I felt like I was succeeding at life.

DD (11) tipped everything out of my bag (looking for something, she had my permission).

I had: 3 cheque books; 4 tubes of face cream; 3 pegs; 2 mirrors; make up brushed (don't wear anything but eyeliner, mascara and gloss); invoice for work on my car from month and months ago; some coins; purse; 2 address books and more

I had a good clear out!!

Most useful things in my handbag are a very small tape measure and a penknife which also contains scissors, tweezers, toothpick and nail file

I also always carry a few plasters a safety pin and some paracetamol

My top three
Reusable cup
Reusable water bottle
Reusable shopping carry bags.

Painkillers antihistamines as allergic and small deodorant and a san pad are also useful.

Wet wipes and a couple of mini bags of haribo have saved me on many occasions.

Tiny little penknife (as PP already said); small torch; plasters; safety pins

Sanitary pads, plasters, germolene, wipes, hand sanitizer, Rennie, umbrella and a pack of tissues (plus glasses, keys and purse)

Oh, and when the DSs were small, a few Lego minifigures were an absolute godsend in restaurants, traffic jams etc.

An empty Evian bottle is also a godsend if you are stuck outside the Blackwall Tunnel for hours with a small boy. Just saying

After years of carrying a rucksack when parenting small dcs I now have a tiny cross body bag containing: phone, packet of tissues, foldable tote, keys and a lip balm. I put an emergency ten pound note in the back of my phone and use Apple Pay

I typically have the following:

• phone
• purse
• battery pack + cable to charge my phone
• a small makeup bag
• a packet of tissues
• gum
• water bottle
• reusable bag
• earphones
• pencil case
• kindle
• sweets

Need all these things and use them all. I must say that I also tend to have loads of rubbish like used train tickets and sweet wrappers, so have to clear out every now and then.

Purse
Random receipts to log in quick books
AirPods
Vape cable
Vape oil
Phone cable
Spare stoma bags
Face cream
Lip balm
Hand cream
Some random bits of my dds

Nothing exciting unfortunately!

I always have a tape measure. It's amazing how often it comes in useful. (People laugh at me for this ... then they always end up asking to borrow it.)

About 18 rolls of medical tape (no, I’m not joking lol)
About 12 pens
& spare stoma bits

Wallet, keys, phone.

I never used to carry a bag and it recently occurred to me that i do now only because my clothes don’t have pockets any more. Back in the 80’s/90’s i could always fit everything in a pocket. Although i suppose i didn’t have a phone then ...

Wish i could stop with the bag again though as everytime we go out everyone else puts all their crap in my bag and i get to carry it round. I usually end up with 3 wallets, 2 sets of keys, 2 phones, an phone charger, a pair of sunglasses, plus a few other bits and bobs...

3 things I always have in my bag are dentil floss, lip balm, anti bacterial hand gel

I have purse
Collection of stamp cards from various coffee shops
My tablets and a small bottle of water
A shopping bag
Plasters
Emergency fiver kept separate from purse
Tissues
Spare tablets
Phone
And son's epipens

This is how I know my skills are lacking. Crap handbag curation.

My handbag is too small. It carries a comb, wallet, chapstick, phone and ibuprofen. Can't even get my car keys in the ruddy thing. I really need to make the effort to buy a new one so I can channel Mary Poppins with all sorts of useful paraphernalia I can whip out but I hate shopping and while I can be a very organised and useful person most of the time, handbag buying always but always ends in tears. I just can't get it right. I only have one everyday handbag at a time until it dies and I think this might be my problem.

I don't know any other women with such sparse bag contents as mine. Everyone else seems to have their handbag shit together. I am a handbag disaster zone.

You're all welcome to share my ibuprofen though.

Plasters
Paracetamol
Hair bobbles

I am always giving these out

I don't know how I get through life when I read threads like these!

I don't have a handbag. Apple Pay on my phone or if I need fuel/big shop I just chuck a bank card in my bra

I hate carrying things

Keys wallet phone
Dd's inhaler
Painkillers
Hair bubbles
Pen or 3
Small diary
Pack of tissues
And a random Nintendo ds game.
Probably belongs to dd

@recordbox I must tell my husband! He totally admire you! :)

I also always carry a few plasters a safety pin and some paracetamol

@JaceLancs - I always have a safety pin too. Got told to always have one when I was in the brownies and have carried one around ever since!

Wish i could stop with the bag again though as everytime we go out everyone else puts all their crap in my bag and i get to carry it round.

@bluebluezoo - this ALWAYS happens to me too! Infuriating, isn't it?!

Purse
Makeup bag
Car fob
Small crucifix 🤗
Assortment of hair clips
Miniature of whisky (don't know how that got in)
Paracetamol
Nail varnish
Scrap bits of paper with shopping lists
Dora the explorer doll

I'm now going to have a clear out.

Single most useful thing in my bag is a small pencil case that keeps all the tiny things together and stops them sinking to the bottom of the bag. Typically that’s an inhaler, tampons, hand sanitiser, ibuprofen etc.

Purse
Keys
Lip balm
Tampon
Tissues
Pouch with nappies, wet wipes & hand sanitizer
3 of DS' books
A small toy car
Canvas bag
Snacks & water for DS

Yes, my back does hurt.