Ashburn women listen up! There is a way to have an organized purse, finally. There are some great options of purses and inserts that were created specifically for the purpose of keeping all of us women super organized. Some are on the expensive end, some a little more practical.
The first purse is the I Bag found at http://www.theibag.com. There are a variety of styles but on the whole they are very casual. The idea with these bags is that they have lots of internal pockets and some also have a number of external pockets, so there is a place for everything, and everything should be in its place when you need it. No more fumbling around the deep dark abyss of your purse trying to locate your keys or cell phone.
Another more expensive option is the Butler Bag found at http://butlerbag.com. This bag is small and very stylish but with all of the internal dividers you can easily keep everything neat and tidy and very easy to find. A few fellow professional organizers have commented that they would never go back to a regular purse again. It is definitely a splurge for some but maybe worth it if can alleviate the stress of not being able to find things.
The next item to help keep us all organized is the Pouchee found at http://shop.pouchee.com. This is an insert for your own purse that has pockets for cell phones, sunglasses, coins, credit cards and internal dividers to keep other items more neatly organized. The best feature of this item is that it is designed to hold all of the essentials so that when you want to change out a purse all you have to do is pull the Pouchee out and place into your new purse.
My own personal solution to the disorganized purse is a bit of a combination of the above choices. I always buy purses that have several separated sections including little internal or external pockets for cell phone and glasses. My solution for keeping things tidy within each section of my purse is to group like items together into small zipper bags. For example, my lipstick, breath mints and the like are together in one small bag; my pens and small notebook in another. My cell phone and business cards each have a pocket within the purse itself. My wallet has its own section of the purse. The small zipper bags are also a great solution for those women who just can’t give up the large sac like purses in which everything just ends up at the bottom of the bag buried by the rest. If you remember to designate a zipper bag for each category of items you will always know which bag to grab when you need a Band-Aid for that blister or a nail file for the broken nail!
Maria White is a professional organizer with ENUFF WITH THE STUFF in the Ashburn, Virginia area. To contact Maria you can email her at maria@enuffwiththestuff.com
September 8, 2008 at 1:57 pm |
I have a beiqe I Bag with blue trim that I purchased at a craft show here in Fort Myers, Fla. It needs a cleaning. How do I do that? Better yet, when will you be here or near by in a craft show. I love this bag.
September 10, 2008 at 8:36 pm |
Hi Dorothy,
I am not a seller of The I Bag so not an expert as to the best cleaning practices. I did email the company for advice and haven’t received a response yet. Check back in the future to see if I get any information for you.
I was wondering about possibly Scoth Gaurding the bag once cleaned to help keep it clean in the future. Just something to think about.
September 13, 2008 at 12:10 pm |
Dorothy,
Got a response on how to clean that purse:
“The best way to clean a water resistant bag is to pull out the interior liner a litte, put it the washer on a gentle cycle in cold water and then turn it upside down and let it air dry. The instructions used to be on the website so thank you for mentioning it.” Beth
Seems obvious but hope it helps.
December 26, 2008 at 1:58 am |
I was VERY disappointed in The I Bag. I bought two at over $40 each at a fair/show, one for me and one for my boyfriend for our laptops. We went to classes 3 – 5 days per week. Within 3 weeks, both bags were shot – the outter material was shredding at the seams, making them non-repairable. They only carried a compact laptop and a notebook, and probably weighed far less than my mother’s purse! I contacted The I Bag web site as the woman at the fair blabbed on and on about their guarantee and how they stand behind their products, and didn’t get any response. Bottom line, these are inferior quality bags, highly overpriced, they won’t last, and you can’t count on the guarantee. I reverted back to my old laptop bag, a canvas messenger bag from Lands End Inlet which is also made in the USA, and it still looks like new despite being used since 2001 when I got it!
December 31, 2008 at 3:04 am |
Jenni,
I am sorry for your experience and disappointed with the company’s lack of response to you. I am going to try to contact the company and see if I can find out why they didn’t respond to your problem and honor the guarantee.
December 31, 2008 at 3:15 am |
Jenni,
It says right on the I Bag website that there are no exchanges or returns after 30 days so I guess the person who sold the bag at the craft fair was misinformed about the guaruntee. It’s a good lesson for us all, thanks for sharing your experience.