Goldilocks and the Handbags, Again

It's only as far back as November that I wrote about finding what I hoped was going to be the right handbag for me, the incredibly picky person. It proved not to be, but I am already feeling better about the new one I found a few weeks ago.

First off, why was the November bag not good in the end? Well, I wrote about the excess space at the top not being a problem, and in fact I was good about not overloading that space, but it meant that to get anything out of the bag, I was reaching down-down-down, and since everything shifted around, as things tend to do, I was always fishing for what I was looking for and having trouble finding it. Also, the top/strap parts stood up so well that it could be a fight to get past them and reach in.

I decided that what I needed was a bag of a similar size at the base, but only about half as tall, and after a great deal of searching, I found one.

In this photo, you can see the one thing that I don't like about the bag: the straps don't want to go down but also don't quite stay up. So far, this is not deal-breaker levels of annoying me, given how well the bag works otherwise.

Inside, I have the same things lined up in the same order, so that I can see what's where but also tell by the feel, and there isn't enough room in the bag that they can shift around. There is actually a divider in the bag, but I have it pushed over to the side so that I can put things in the whole space.

At one end is the bag I use as a wallet, that I may grab for a quick trip into a store when I don't need all the everything else that I carry. It has a long strap*, holds my car key and wallet things (like ID and credit cards and cash), and has room for my phone. Also a lip balm since I can't be without that.
*It turns out that I can stand wearing it crossbody, since it's small and light, while with the main purse, I really dislike a crossbody bag.

Next to the wallet is the bag with headache pills and other toiletries; then the bag with a shawl in it, for wearing in the air conditioning; then the bag with the sock knitting project. At the far end is an insulated cup holder (because I am a princess, and having condensation dripping off a glass bugs me enough that I carry this with me). Each of these things fits in without having to squeeze, but doesn't have room to move.

 So far, and I know it's early days, it really is hitting all the "just right" button on my list of extreme pickiness. Can't promise it will stay that way, but so far, so good!