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How To Organize A Purse (and keep it organized!)

A woman’s purse is a must-have accessory that holds all kinds of important items that we need and use on a daily basis. But how do you organize a purse so you can actually find everything you need when you need it? Keep reading for some of the best purse organization tips to get and stay organized for good!


If you’re like me (or most women out there) you probably don’t go anywhere without your purse. Our handbags are such an essential item and we’d be lost without them. 

We use it to carry and keep important items and necessities that we’ll need throughout the day and would probably be lost without it.

But if your purse is a disorganized mess, it can be hard to find what you need. So I put together some of my best purse organization ideas to help make life a little easier…

This article not only shows you how to organize a purse but the best purse accessories and organizers and what essential items to consider carrying in your handbag.

 

How To Organize A Purse (And Keep It Organized)

My Easy 5 Step Process When I Organize my Bag

1. Empty contents of your purse

The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what is in your purse. You might be surprised at what you find in there and realize how long it’s been since you cleaned and organized your purse (yup, been there).

And if you’re anything like me who throws gum wrappers in my purse when there’s no trash around, you’ll want to get rid of any garage, like old receipts and wrappers, that might have accumulated.

It’ll also give you a chance to wipe down your purse or wash it if it’s washable. If it’s not washable, you should also clean out any debris at the bottom of it so you can start with a clean slate when you organize your purse.

You can easily do this by flipping it inside out and dusting off any debris or using a vacuum with a hand wand or a dust buster.

2. Get rid of anything you don’t use regularly

The next step is to get rid of anything that’s in your purse that you don’t need on a daily or weekly basis.

If you haven’t used or needed anything in your purse in the last month or so, it probably doesn’t need to be in your bag. Plus, it’ll save space and make it easier to find what you need.

If you’re the type of person who likes to be prepared for anything, you could always keep some lesser-used items in the dash of your car so they are still easily accessible if needed. 

 

Purse essentials

Wallet

checkbook

makeup bag

chapstick

hand sanitizer

credit card case 

coin purse

travel size Kleenex pack

gum

small brush

lotion

pens

earbuds 

earbud case

keys

 

If you don’t have much room in your purse, carrying travel-sized products instead of the regular-sized ones will help to maximize space so you can fit everything you need.

 

3. Categorize remaining purse items

Next, categorize the rest of the items that you plan to keep in your purse. You’re going to want to keep these like items grouped together when you organize your purse so they are easier to find what you need when you need it.

For example, all make-up items should be grouped, then group together any important documents that you carry in your purse together, and so on and so forth.

Makeup bag for purse organization

4. Find a dedicated place for everything

After you have all the products you plan to keep in your purse categorized or grouped together, you’ll need to find a dedicated place for everything.

A good place to start would be to utilize any pockets and nooks that your purse already has.

Typically the built-in pockets are great to store small items that could get easily lost at the bottom of your bag but that depends on the style of purse you’re organizing.

 

Need an easy way to organize your home and keep it clean? Zone cleaning is one of the easiest ways to get it all done. Grab these FREE Cleaning Printables to get started.  

 

Purse Organization Essentials

Use a Multi-Functional Wallet To Organize a Purse

This is where having a good multi-functional wallet comes in really handy and is an essential item to keep your purse organized.

You’ll want a wallet that can hold all your important and financial info safe in one place and easily accessible when need.

It should include a place to hold any cash you keep on you, both bills and coins. And it should have enough card slots to fit your debit and credit cards as well as other cards you need such as roadside assistant and insurance cards, loyalty, and membership cards, or whatever you need on a regular basis.

If you still carry a checkbook in your purse, make sure the wallet has a dedicated space for it as well as a pen slot for easy access.

You’ll also want to make sure your wallet has places to hold any other essentials that you typically keep on you. For example, if you keep all your receipts so you can track your spending to stay on budget, then you should have a dedicated space for those.

Cash  Envelope Budget Wallet

Or if you use the cash envelope system, you’ll want to look for a good cash envelope wallet that can keep your money separated while being able to easily access them quickly when needed.

One of my favorite cash envelope wallets is the one in the image below. It comes with a budget system with 12 tabbed Cash Envelopes and monthly budget cards. A Yearly budget planner sheet is a complete money organizer set for cash with RIFD Blocking.

 

Cash Envelope Wallet All in One Budget System with 12x Tabbed Cash Envelopes , 12x Monthly Budget Cards ,1x Yearly budget planner sheet Complete Money Organizer Set for Cash RFID Blocking

Large Capacity Wallet

Another great wallet that can help you organize a purse is this large capacity Travelambo wallet. It has a large zippered pocket with slots to keep your cash and other important items organized and safe as well as a smaller change purse pocket inside.

This wallet can also hold up to 24 cards, has 2 id slots and comes in over 20 colors to match any purse, and is made of genuine leather so it’ll last a long time.

 

Travelambo Womens Large Capacity RFID Blocking Genuine Leather Wallets(Green)

 

Organize Purse With Pouches

Zippered pouches are another great way to organize a purse. They come in an array of colors and sizes to fit whatever you need and are pretty inexpensive.

If you use multiple zippered pouches to organize your purse accessories, I suggest you get different colored pouches or different designs so you know exactly which pouch your stuff is stored in to make it easier to find.

Stylish Light Weight Zipper Pouches to Organize a Purse

One option is to use lightweight zipper pouches for smaller items like these MAGEFY portable travel pouches which come in a six-pack so you’ll have enough pouches to keep everything organized. 

These zipper pouches for purses are also sold individually in an assortment of styles if you don’t need 6 of them or would prefer different colors or designs. 

MAGEFY Makeup Bag 6 Styles Portable Travel Cosmetic Bag for Women Flower Patterns Zipper Pouch Sloth Gifts Makeup Pouch for Girls with Black Zipper (6 packs)

Heavy Duty Canvas Pouches To Organize a Purse

If you’d rather have larger more durable purse storage, these ANPHSIN canvas zipper bags might be a better option to keep your purse organized.

These particular pouches come in a pack of six which is probably more than you need to organize your purse but they are useful for all kinds of home organization.

 

Organize a Purse with these ANPHSIN 6 Pack Canvas Tool Bags Heavy Duty 16 oz. Canvas Tool Multipurpose Pouch Tote Bag with Dependable Metal Zippers

 

Use Makeup Bags for Easy Purse Organization 

Makeup bags are another must-have purse organizer that comes in really handy. Of course, they’re perfect for organizing makeup, but also great for organizing other purse essentials since many makeup bags have multiple storage compartments.

Multi-Compartment  Makeup Bag

This Hekyip makeup bag is a great option since it has multiple compartments to keep everything organized and in its place. 

Its half-moon shape is made with a heavy-duty nylon material so it’s durable but might be a bit bulky if you’re organizing a small purse.

Organize makeup in your purse the this Hekyip Half Moon Cosmetic Bag, Travel Makeup Pouch, Portable Waterproof Cosmetic Pouch for Girls Women, Small (INNER RED)

Large Capacity Fabric Makeup Bag

If you carry a lot of makeup in your purse, this large-capacity travel cosmetic makeup bag might work better for you.

It has compartments on each side to keep things where they belong and is made of fabric so it won’t take up as much space in your handbag.

Large Makeup Bag Zipper Pouch Travel Cosmetic Organizer for Women and Girls (Large, Leopard)

Tech & Electronics Purse Organizer 

If you’re anything like me, then you probably have charging cables and earbud cords either hanging out of your purse or a tangled mess at the bottom of it.

One easy way to get all your tech and electronics organized is with electronics and tech carrying cases.

Electronic Accessories Carry Case

This electronic accessories carrying case is not only perfect to organize a purse, but also to carry all your tech stuff in one convenient place.

This All-in-One Storage Bag has compartments for cords, charger cables, phones, earbuds, USB adaptors and so much more. Plus it’s made out of waterproof oxford to keep your electronics safe from damage.

I

FYY Electronic Organizer, Travel Cable Organizer Bag Pouch Electronic Accessories Carry Case Portable Waterproof Double Layers All-in-One Storage Bag for Cable, Cord, Charger, Phone, Earphone Grey

Travel Gadgets Carrying Case

Another option to organize electronics and tech accessories is this ProCase Accessories Bag. It holds just about any electronic accessory that most women carry in their purses.

What’s nice about this gadget carrying case is it rolls up into a small package so it doesn’t take up much room in your handbag.

ProCase Accessories Bag Organizer, Universal Electronics Travel Gadgets Carrying Case Pouch for Charger USB Cables SD Memory Cards Earphone Flash Hard Drive –Black

All In One Purse Organizer Insert

If you’ve ever wondered how to organize a purse without pockets, you’re going to love the purse organization inserts. They are one of the best ways to keep things organized in your purse and are a must if you are the type of person who likes to switch out bags often.

These have just about everything you would need to organize a purse and it takes just a few seconds to swap out purses.

13 Pocket Nylon Purse Organizer Insert

This Vercord handbag insert is one of the best purse organizer products that I’ve used. It’s made of lightweight nylon so it’s not bulky and doesn’t take up too much extra space.

It has 13 purse divider pockets so there is plenty of storage space to keep everything in your bag organized and in its place.

Vercord Purse Organizer Insert for Handbags Bag Organizers Inside Tote Pocketbook Women Nurse Nylon 13 Pockets Black Small

Multi Use Purse Organizer Insert

Another bag divider insert is this Matein purse organizer. It has just 7 pockets and comes with a separate zippered wallet that matches the insert for added storage space.

This organizer is a bit sturdier than the one above and works better in fabric pursed and totes.

 

MATEIN Purse Organizer Insert, Felt Tote Insert with Handle & Detachable Zipper Wallet for Ladies Women, Medium Handbag Shaper Hand Bags Organizer Fit for Speedy Neverfull and More, Bag in Bag, Grey

5. Always put things back where it belongs

Lastly, once your purse is organized, every time you take something out, you’ll want to put it back where it belongs to keep it organized and functional.

This way, you’ll never have to organize your purse again!

And if you’re needing help organizing bags because you have a few too many, this purse rack is my top pick!

Bag-Organizer Rack-Purse Handbag-Hanger Holder-Storage Over The Door Closet

Organize All Your Important Documents and Information In An Easy To Access Format With The Family Emergency Binder.

Organize all your important documents with the family emergency binder

 

 

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organize a purse

How To Organize A Purse (and keep it organized!)