Are u an OP girl or an MP girl?

I’m an OP girl–Organized Purse.

I’ve kind of been putting off writing this post for awhile now because my family (particularly my sisters and daughter) will probably laugh knowingly and nod while they are reading this. I am definitely a neat freak when it comes to my handbag. It HAS to be organized–at all times. I know exactly where everything is, even if I’m not looking. I think actually that’s why I became so organized–so I could drive and be able to reach on over and grab important things like my Chanel lipstick or some dental floss without having to rustle around and dig through a bunch of stuff.

The reason I say that I’m sure my sisters are laughing is because if, for example, back in the day, they asked to borrow a lip gloss and I’m all “sure”–they’d be quaking in their boots if they DARED put it back in the wrong place because I would KNOW. Or if they would grab my wallet to put money away for me, well, that would be no joke. Why, you ask? Because all the bills have to face forward and in numerical order, starting with ones in front, then fives, etc. No, unfortunately, I am NOT kidding.

So, how did I arrive at my little system? Well, I obviously I grew up with a mom that had a “purse.” She always kept her bag in the same place, on a chair in the kitchen. Mom mostly carried a satchel-type bag, usually stuffed to the brim with necessities such as Kleenex, Kleenex, and more Kleenex. Her keys were always pretty easy to find, given that they were on a huge keychain, with entirely necessary keys including our house (of course), the teeny tiny keys to the Samsonite luggage my parents bought in 1959 for their honeymoon, and my grandmother’s neighbor’s apartment key (who lives in Florida)–which was fine, except we lived in California. I would say she’s much better now except last time I went to get something out of her bag I was assaulted with mounds of Kleenex. At least they are clean. 🙂

(What IS that? Moms love their Kleenex. I love you Mom, but gah. At least I know who to go to when I have a cold next time. Who loves you baby? If you want to see a funny mother-daughter Kleenex bit, watch Kathy Griffin try to separate her mother Maggie from her Kleenex–hysterical.)

My older sister’s bag was always a disaster–she had big bags, full of junk (a hairbrush, pee-chees, gum, god knows what else), and was forever looking for her keys. “Where are my keys?” I heard her yell at whomever was within yelling distance (usually me), more than once. (With her fabulous Versace and Marc Jacobs bags, she’s definitely an OP girl now. I approve.)

I decided then and there that when I was old enough to have a a grown up lady’s handbag, it would be organized.

Now, I am a Capricorn, and The Ram is known to be an organized queen bee, not a disorganized hot mess. We do not like things out of place. So digging around in a handbag for say, my keys; for a Capricorn, that is comparable to say, scratching nails down a chalkboard. A plan had to be put into place so this would not happen to me, ever. That would be what an MP girl would do (you know the type, a Messy Purse girl–you can just picture her trying to find her keys, she can hear them, but she can’t see them; she’s shaking, shaking , shaking that bag;–clearly, that would NOT be me).

So, from the very dawn of my humble handbag beginnings, I had a plan. Everything must be easily accessed so even a blind person can find it without being able to see it. Yep, that was my BIG plan.

So here it is: all makeup goes in a small bag or a pocket, depending on the handbag. All receipts go in a zippered case. I don’t carry a checkbook–I have a checkcard–why bother? I don’t have a change purse–change is too heavy so I don’t bother with it either–I just toss it in the car (that’s a whole different plan, one I won’t get into here). I keep any meds in those tiny little ziplocs u buy @ the pharmacy just for that purpose. I have one keychain w/ exactly three keys on it–house, gate, car. I love that my Mazda is keyless entry–one less key to carry on my keychain. Glasses–personally I favor small chamois soft cases that double as cleaners and are easy to find by touch while driving or in the dark. My major rule: nothing loose, rolling around. Drives me nuts.

Everyone has their own necessities for their handbag but here are mine (in addition to your basic keys, cell, make-up, sunglasses, wallet, etc.):

-dental floss
-one safety pin (because you JUST NEVER KNOW. Hey, I was a Girl Scout.)
-one (count it!), ONE mini pack of kleenex
-one 2 pack of advil
-2 wet ones wipes packets
-one hand sanitizer spray
-one baby sunblock stick
-one tube sample size aquaphor
-one tampon
-2 quarters (my only change)
-ponytail holders & bobbypins
-Lego truck
-Transformer
-nail clipper
-1 band-aid
-1 small ziploc

& that’s about it! I try really, really hard to keep my bag light, so every few days or so I go through it and lighten the load–receipts, coupons, headbands, extra Legos, etc. You never know what can sneak its way in there when you have a 10-year old daughter and 4-yr old son!

My personal bag of choice is my Louis Vuitton NeverFull Damier tote–it’s lightweight canvas, cute, and the squidge of a 4-yr old boy just wipes right off. Totally worth the price. My honey got it for me as a combo Hanukah/Christmas/Birthday present and it has paid for itself many times over. Go to http://www.louisvuitton.com/web/flash/index.jsp;jsessionid=R1GFNBCA2N5CACRBXUCFAFIKEG4RAUPU?buy=1&langue=en_US&direct1=home_entry_us to see this bag. (Hint: dark colors hide dirt.)

So, that’s me being my OP self. What kind of purse girl are you?