Conquering Clutter: Empty your purse!

I'm not very diligent about cleaning out my purse. Usually, when I have to dig for about 2 minutes to just find my keys, I decide to just clean it out right then and there! It's a perfect thing to do when you're waiting in line at the grocery store, or waiting to pick someone up from school.

Usually, most of my clutter comes from old receipts, a few random pieces of papers with addresses or coupons, and the occasional toy, so it is really easy to clean out! I am a little bit of a minimalist when it comes to purses and wallets, but I've found there have been very few times when I've wanted something else that wasn't in my purse. Here is a list of what I keep in my purse:

• Chapstick
• Wallet
• Glasses
• Coin Purse
• Pen (only 1 or 2)
• Small planner
• Rewards/Library/Gift Cards
• Keys
• Phone

Notice I don't carry hardly any cosmetics- that's because I just don't wear them! But if you do, make sure you keep all of them in a small makeup bag so you'll know where to find them, and so they won't spill! I love having lots of little pockets and pouches in my purse: it looks more organized, and it is a lot easier for me to find exactly what I'm looking for!

If you consistently can't find anything in your purse, try using a smaller one for a little while- I tend to fill whatever bag I use, and if I have a smaller purse, it limits me to the things that are truly essentials. Then, if you want to bring extra stuff along, you can just put your smaller purse into a bigger purse! 

Now for those cards...I actually have about 20 different store, library, gift, and other membership cards in my purse. But, I don't keep them in my wallet- otherwise it would be a brick. Instead, I have a separate pocket that I keep the cards in. I split them up by what they are for, and since I seldom use any of them, they stay in order! 

Last week, I went through all of my cards and realized I had about 5 of them that were for places we didn't live anymore! I quickly weeded them out, and it made my stack a lot smaller. If you haven't done this in a while, why not do it today?

As for what cards I keep in my wallet- I just take the 'essentials'. My drivers license, debit/credit cards, and my Costco card. (I have about 5 slots, and the Costco card is the non-essential one I use most often). I love the feeling of a slim wallet and a clean purse!