Sorry. I couldn’t resist.
That’s it, I’m greasing up…
My wallet, which contains:
*Cash
*Change
*Checks
*All needed ID, credit, and insurance cards
My makeup bag, which contains:
*Cuticle salve
*Lipstick
*Chapstick
*Hand cream
*Blotting tissue
*Hand sanitizer
*Chewing gum
*A silver pill box
*An extra hair elastic and hairpins
*A folding brush
Also,
*Cell phone
*Keys
*A Waterman ballpoint
*Sunglasses
*My JumpDrive
I don’t believe in purses. They’re too small, and awkward. I have a small backpack for ‘going out’ if my pockets won’t carry my phone/wallet, or if I have a book to take. But in my every day, going to work backpack, let’s have a looksee.
Front Pocket:
Assorted pens, in various states of working (ranging from okay to out of ink to I destroyed it in a fit of rage)
Empty Tampon box
Free-floating tampons (still in plastic wrappers)
Scraps of paper
Approx 50c loose change
Spoon
Fork
Access card for work
Old printed roster
Deceased batteries
Main Pocket:
Spoon
Fork
Mug
Tea
Socks
Garbage bag (I ride to work, that’s to help waterproof my bag if it starts to rain)
Half a dozen CDs (in cases)
A few extra CD cases
Magazines
Book
Plastic sleeve folder, crammed with five million pieces of paper including my latest roster, work guidelines, monitored call results and about 3.5 million forms I don’t really need
More dead batteries
Receipts
Notepad
Discman
Phone Headset
That sounds about right. And there’s a hairbrush in the side pocket.
cell phone
one AA battery
lip gloss
cigarettes & lighter
various receipts and other trash
credit and debit cards
my driver license
my eight-year-old son’s picture ID
Skittles gum (my new favorite sugar treat)
Wallet
Checkbook
Deposit slips and envelopes
Roly Poly Sandwiches menu (I’ve not been there in months, but still have the menu)
Post-it notes
Three pens
Bottle of Aleve with some 8-hour Tylenols mixed in
Dentyne Ice gum
Note pad
Pectin throat drops
Cell phone instruction book
White Tea and Ginger hand lotion
Pack of Handy Wipes
tampons
emergency pad
tiny hairbrush
zip-up change purse containing eye drops, oil-absorbing face sheets, lip balm, instructions for digital watch, and condoms
When I carry my purse, I put my cell phone in the cell phone pocket.
My purse is a big black pleather diaper bag.
diapers
small box of wipes
two teether toys
extra empty bottle
small washcloth
three small rose scented bags for diaper disposal
38 dollars…I’m not counting the change but it’s a lot.
check card
driver’s license
library card
pictures of my girls
coupons for diapers and cat litter
a few receipts from Kroger (tossing them now)
ibuprofen
bit of tissue
bottle of afrin
compact mirror
a Walgreens ad :discards:
a half a bar of dynasty chocolate with cashews.
HEY I forgot about that!
I’ve recently eschewed the purse in favor of a more streamlined but large wallet.
Inside the first compartment:
My weekly shopping list (updated as needed)
Invoice from the repair of my husband’s guitar amplifier, used as scratch paper for long division regarding a financial hypothesis
a few packets of Splenda
various credit card receipts
my eyeglass/contact prescription (I’m putting that in my files as we speak)
Coin purse contents: one dollar in quarters
a couple bucks for incidentals at the corner store
a compact, unbreakable mirror that came with the wallet
chapstick
next compartment
credit cards, Red Cross blood donation card, student ID, etc. Sorry, no driver’s license this week
A pen – black Pilot gel pen
calculator that came with the wallet – about as useful as tits on a boar, hence the long division scratch paper
My checkbook
outer compartment
Spare key to the Plymouth.
Keys
Work Pocket PC Phone Ed that serves as my second brain
Travel Republic of Tea tin with Ginger Peach flavor
Checkbook
Packet of soy sauce (How the heck did this get in here?)
Frequent shopper ticket to my local yarn store
Lotion blend in a recycled Clinique sample bottle the size of my thumb
Counter-watch that needs new batteries
Ticket stubs for Batman, Sky Captain, Assault on Pct 13
Vet bill with office phone number
Empty fountain pen (levenger True Writer, blue)
Floss
Gas receipts
$1.00 in change (when did they change the nickels?!)
Metal business card case
Wooden knock box with a lizard on it (my touchstone)
Shout wipes for those clothes catastrophes
Stamps
Boarding pass from my last trip
Wooden widetoothed comb
Old hearing aid that I need to donate (should still work)
Pilot G-2 gel pen
Drug company multi-pen (stylus/pen/pencil)
Michael Payne’s The Blood Jaguar
Copy of recall letter from Honda
iPod
Wizard & Glass (Book 4 of the Dark Tower)
wallet
keys
travel pack of tissues
paystub from last payday
and the payday before that
various and sundry receipts
appointment cards for a couple of doctors
cell phone
blistex
Sensa rollerball pen
Cross ballpoint pen
1 Pilot Precise extra fine pen (black)
1 Pilot Precise extra fine pen (blue)
In the front flap pocket:[ul][li]My PDA (it fits perfectly, which is the reason I bought this purse)[/ul][/li]
In the front cell phone pocket:[ul][li]My cell phone :D[/ul][/li]
In the main section, loose:[ul][li]4 pens[/li][li]1 small screwdriver (the kind that fits computer screws)[/li][li]1 hair clip[/li][li]1 mini bottle of rewetting drops[/li][li]the key to my friends’ Jeep (I’m car sitting while they’re out of town)[/li][li]a pocket pack of tissues[/li][li]Tide To Go stain remover pen[/li][li]mini hairbrush[/li][li]checkbook[/li][li]wallet[/li][li]a piece of paper from tonight’s t’ai chi class that lists the “6 healing sounds” (being removed from the purse and added to my other t’ai chi stuff as I type)[/ul][/li]
In the “hidden” inside zippered section:[ul][li]a bunch of miscellaneous membership cards, first aid certification cards, my FCC license, etc.[/li][li]condoms[/li][li]Summer’s Eve personal wipes (in case I get to use the condoms)[/li][li]Immodium[/ul][/li]In the zippered pocket on the back:[ul][li]a black, fake leather business card holder that I use to hold my license and stuff – and a couple of my business cards – when I go out[/li][li]Certs Powerful Mints (peppermint)[/li][li]pictures of the printer ink and camera battery that I use, for reference when they need to be replaced[/ul][/li]
Wow, this makes my purse sound huge, but it’s really not. Honest! It is the biggest purse I’ve ever carried, though – I used to go around with something the size of a camera bag. I went bigger when I suddenly found myself with cell phone and PDA.
Same here . . . minus the husband. 
I just put my license, cash, whatever credit card(s), and the key to my car (which pops off the rest of the ring) in one pocket, my cell phone in the other, and I’m good to go!
The funny thing is, I hate to carry stuff, and the stuff in my purse is just what I consider the basic necessities!