A purse is a girl's best friend. It is always by your side, and it helps keep all of the items you need on hand. Unfortunately, it can quickly become disorganized and cluttered, which can make it hard to find what you need quickly. Fortunately, all it takes is a little bit of time and creativity to organize your purse.

Every woman who carries a purse knows that—no matter how hard you try—keeping it immaculate is, well, a feat. Obviously, we never purposely intend to make it a disaster area, but the scrum of old receipts, notes, loose change, lipstick, tags and pretty much anything else you carry always tends to make their way onto the bottom of your bag, making it impossible to actually find what you need. 

It’s obviously pretty irritating to carry around a gigantic bag filled with nonsense but it also can take a toll on your body, too: Lugging around too-heavy purses can cause muscle imbalances and a slew of alignment issues, not to mention some serious neck and shoulder pain. 

Plus, a messy bag can completely stretch out supple leather and suede, but it also can—as crazy as it sounds—create high levels of unnecessary anxiety for you on a regular basis. 

Overstuffed bag hinders you from finding what you need quickly, such as Metrocards (which can cause missed-train stress), key cards to get into your office or your car keys (resulting in being late), or that $5 bill to buy that latte (which holds up lines, inherently creating stress.) The good news: Organizing your bag is way easier than you think. 

FIRST. Separate your non-essential belongings by category. 

Take everything out of your purse. Be sure to go through all of the pockets, both interior and exterior, as well.⁶ Once you have everything out, you can use this chance to clean your purse as well. A quick and easy way to do this is to turn it upside down and shake it over a trashcan to empty out any debris. Separating all the junk you carry around might sound like a waste of time, but it really works. Take non-essential things like makeup and hair ties, chargers, and whatever else you carry into separate small pouches or compartments. The essentials go in your wallet, which we’ll get to later. 1

 

SECOND. Pack the items you use the most first. 

Find the items you use most frequently and don’t pack those away. 
Sunglasses, your cell phone, and your keys are all items you’re obviously taking in and out of your purse frequently. Instead of stressing trying to find your cell phone while it’s ringing or digging for your sunglasses when the sun is blinding you, leave these pieces out. If everything else is separated, these will always be in plain sight. If you have any pockets in your purse, consider putting the smaller items (such as lip balm) into them. This will not only reduce clutter but also make it easier to reach in and grab what you need; you won't have to rustle through your purse for five minutes to find that tiny tube of lip balm.

 

THIRD. Get travel-sized items. 

Instead of carrying a full-sized lint roller or bottle of lotion, opt for travel-sized ones instead. You will need to refill them more often, but they will save space and make your bag significantly lighter. If you can't find any travel-sized versions of your favorite lotion, consider getting an empty, travel-sized shampoo container and filling it up instead. 

FOURTH. Go crazy with compartmentalized wallets. 

Instead of having to weed through your purse to find out where the heck you left your license and debit card, organize them in a wallet with a clear, simple and easy-to-view organizing system. This saves you time and energy because when you’re searching for a specific card, you can just look for the color or logo since the wallet will show you previews of all your cards as soon as you open it. 

Store gift cards, loyalty cards, and credit cards in your wallet or a cardholder. Many wallets even have special slots for these types of cards. If you want to get super-organized, sort them alphabetically.7

See if your loyalty cards are available in app for ⁹ This can save you lots of space because everything will be stored on your phone. Store the cards you use the most in your wallet, and the cards you use less often in a separate pouch. [8]

Put your coupons, receipts and gift cards in a tabbed envelope. The best way to keep all the paper goods (i.e. coupons, rewards cards, receipts, gift cards, etc) in order is to have them organized in a specific place. Whether you choose to organize them in alphabetical order, by category (clothing, grocery, beauty) or by what they are (coupon, receipt, gift card), it’ll be easier to find what exactly you’re looking for when the time comes. This also works well for cards you don’t carry in your bag, but keep at home, too. [4]

 

FIFTH. Put your headphones and chargers in a sunglasses case. 

Nothing is more frustrating than trying to untangle headphones and charging cords in the middle of your already disastrous purse. Keeping them in a sunglasses case will make your life so much easier. [3]

 

SIXTH. The Hardest Part

The hardest part of having an organized purse is keeping it that way. Commit to tossing any stray receipts, trash or wrappers that may have made its way into your bag throughout the day, and remove the loose change. Do this every night, and your bag will always be organized. 

Clear your purse out once a week, or alternate purses weekly. Both of these will help keep clutter at bay. Clearing your purse weekly will also help keep it both clean and clutter-free. Put things away into their designated places as soon as you are done using them.11

All it takes is a few extra seconds, but it will keep your purse looking tidy longer. If you start just throwing everything into your purses instead, it will look like a war-zone in no time. 

 

SEVEN. Consider getting a smaller purse.

 Since you are organizing your purse, you can take this time to switch it out for a new one. This will force you to be more selective about what you put into your purse. It will also prevent you from stuffing unnecessary items into it, which can lead to clutter.^[2]