Sunday, April 05, 2026

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.
*Edited to add a link to the bag I bought, which appears to be available online, at least as of today

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!

8 comments:

  1. I'm happy that there's another Picky Purse Person around. I need a certain size or I load it up and it weighs 30 pounds. I hate certain kinds of straps and want specific compartments where I can organize my stuff. (more or less)

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    1. The hard part is when you know _exactly_ what you want, but can't find it!

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  2. Oooh I am here for purse content!

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  3. Having managed to spill a water bottle in my Kate Spade purse that (and this is highly unusual for me) had hot cocoa in it, I had no idea that water bottle socks were a thing and thank you for the heads-up. Note the rainbow tie-dye one.

    Meanwhile, man, it is really hard to find THE purse. I'm so glad you found a good one! (I was looking for a link, it really does look like a great one.)

    My KS Madison has very little actual protected space, only at the center, and spews stuff out the sides that are supposed to snap and don't and it drives me nuts. Spilled cocoa or no, it needs to be retired.

    I bought a Latico Suburban tote. The very biggest one they had, for very good reasons (travel, husband repeatedly leaving his portable cpap in airports, it's gotta fit in there. It does.) It's surprisingly lightweight. The straps don't pull my hair. The leather is heavenly soft--but has a small almost unnoticeable blemish that I wish it didn't. But the organization! They thought of everything. How often does something arrive even better than the pictures?

    The only thing is that it is SO big that I haven't quite made the leap to move everything into it. I'm a one-purse person, I have to wear the thing out to change purses. But I'm pretty much there.

    I've actually debated getting the smaller size of the same thing and keep the one for traveling. It's just that, that's a lot of yarn money.

    And now I have the distraction of, but I like the one you found. A lot.

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  4. Okay, I love the idea of a purse within a purse! Sometimes, I just want a small crossbody and sometimes I need a bigger purse (with snacks!!), and I hate the idea of moving things from one purse to another all the time. What a great hack!

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    1. Thanks! This system is really working for me, glad you like the idea for you.

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  5. I also have an incredibly hard time finding bags I truly like and that fit my actual life—not a fantasy version of me running around with just my keys and a wallet. I need one big enough to hold my stuff (especially my Kindle or iPad) but not too big; able to go over my shoulder or across my body without being really uncomfortable; and not outrageously expensive. I’m glad you found yours—I’m still searching for mine!

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