Won't you join me?
Look at my purse. For starters, it's too small for what I need to carry around. (I always have a book with me since I'm a reviewer with too many books to read and too little time. That way I can read while I wait.)
And not only is it too small....it was full of this type of junk.
Okay. I may have broken an unspoken rule when cleaning out my purse. I stinkin changed purses. BUT, in my defense, I have deleted some stress and feel more organized with a purse I can actually zip without risking putting an eye out. The new one has lots of inner (and big enough outer pockets)...and it is green. Not just in color, it was a garage sale find. The tiny purse is out of here, too. It's in the going-to-a-new-home box. I feel better.
Now. Here's how you can feel better, too.
Now. Here's how you can feel better, too.
National Clean Out Your Purse Day is May 15th Read the details on How to Clean Your Purse Below then Go here and comment . “I CLEANED OUT MY PURSE” and for kicks post the weirdest thing you found within. (Mine. Two peppermints that had become one with their wrappers and might have been headed toward becoming synthetic diamonds and three paperclips.) You can be entered for a drawing to win a Vera Bradley tote with an assortment of Kathi's books.
And “like” Kathi’s author page here to receive Kathi’s free download “30 Ways to Save 30 Minutes in the Next 30 Days” to kick start your way to a more organized you!
How to Clean Your Purse Instructions
Here’s my super-speedy way of cleaning out my bag.
I simply take my purse and dump it out into a plastic grocery bag. I
sort the dump into Put Away, Put Back, and (in this case) Throw Away.
Put Away
Anything I want to keep that doesn’t belong in
my purse gets put away. This is also when I go through receipts I’ve
carefully placed in my wallet (or, more likely, the ones I’ve quickly
thrown into my purse…) and random notes or other pieces of paper.
If you’re away from home while you’re sorting, just put these items
into another bag to put away when you get home. And when you get home, put them away in the right spot.
Put Back
If it belongs in your purse, go ahead and put it
back into your purse.
Throw Away
Anything that’s left over in your plastic grocery
bag (food wrappers, cash receipts you don’t care about, and so on,)
is now garbage that gets recycled or thrown away.
The beauty of the grocery-bag organizing system is
that you can do it anywhere, anytime. Just grab a grocery bag and start
sorting while you’re waiting for your kids to get out of band practice
or while you’re on the phone with your mom.
Clean it Up
Give your purse a good shake and get out any stray
bits, crumbs etc. I’ve even used a hand held vacuum to really get
the bag clean.
Label It and Put It Away
Assign a spot for everything that belongs in your
purse, bag, or backpack. I use three zippered pouches. Everything goes
into one of those three pouches or into your wallet (or in rare cases,
onto your key chain). The fewer items you place in your purse, the easier
it is to know what’s in there.
Wallet. I recommend you keep in your wallet only cash, receipts,
checkbook, and credit, debit, and gift cards.
Pouch 1: Makeup bag
- Lipstick and gloss
- Eyeliner
- Powder
- Sunscreen stick
- Blush and brush
- Eyeglass cleaner wipes
- Hand sanitizer
Pouch 2: Emergency kit
- Fashion tape
- $20
- Needle and thread
- Nail glue
- Advil
- Couple of adhesive bandages
Pouch 3: Change
Other Things to Keep in Your Bag
- Sunglasses case
- Cell phone
- Keys
Keep It Up
If I sort through the items in my purse once a week,
it really is easy to stay on top of it. It takes only a couple of minutes
to keep it up.
Back to Kelly: A few thoughts.
Below is a bit about Kathi and her Get Yourself Organized Project. I've not read the whole book. But what I've read is a freeing, helpful series of suggestions. She doesn't push people to conform to an unrealistic and doomed-to-fail scenario for organizing. She helps readers see what works best for them and encourages them to do what it takes to really make that work.
Finally, an organizational book for women who have
given up trying to be Martha Stewart but still desire some semblance
of order in their lives.
Most organizational books are written by and for
people who are naturally structured and orderly. For the woman who is
more ADD than type A, the advice sounds terrific but seldom works. These
women are looking for help that takes into account their free-spirited
outlook while providing tips and tricks they can easily follow to live
a more organized life.
Kathi Lipp, author of The Husband Project and
other “project” books, is just the author to address this need.
In her inimitable style, she offers
- easy and effective ways women can restore peace to their everyday lives
- simple and manageable long-term solutions for organizing any room in one’s home (and keeping it that way)
- a realistic way to de-stress a busy schedule
- strategies for efficient shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, and more
Full of helpful tips and abundant good humor, The Get Yourself Organized Project is for
those who want to spend their time living and enjoying life rather than
organizing their sock drawer.
Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help
women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion.
She speaks to thousands of women across the US and Canada every year.
Kathi and her husband, Roger, are the parents of four young adults
and live in San Jose, California. Find out more about Kathi at www.kathilipp.com
Kathi’s author page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/