So, I found myself dealing with this whole handbag situation recently. Wasn’t planning on it, really. It started when I decided to finally clear out that one closet, the one where things go to disappear forever. You know the type.
Digging In
I started pulling stuff out, boxes, old shoes, the usual junk. And then I hit the motherlode: bags. Just… tons of them. Mostly my wife’s, collected over god knows how long. They were stuffed onto shelves, falling out of bigger bags, a real mess. My first thought was just to get them organized, maybe put them in bins or something.
But as I pulled them all out onto the floor, I realized, man, these aren’t all the same. Not even close. There were so many different types. I mean, I’m no expert, but even I could see the variations.
Trying to Make Sense of It
Okay, so I figured I should try and group them somehow, make it logical. Seemed simple enough at first. I started making piles.
- There were the really big ones, kinda floppy, looked like you could stuff a week’s worth of groceries in them. Put those in one pile. Let’s call ’em the ‘carry-everything’ pile.
- Then the smaller ones, some with long straps. Looked like the kind you’d take just for essentials, phone, wallet, keys. Made a ‘small stuff’ pile.
- Some looked more serious, structured, with handles. Definitely ‘work bag’ vibes. Pile number three.
- And then the tiny ones, some sparkly, no straps at all, just meant to be held. Fancy ‘evening out’ pile, I guess.
- Oh, and those backpack-style ones too. Didn’t forget those.
It wasn’t very scientific, you know? Just sorting by what they looked like they were for. I was literally sitting on the floor, surrounded by this mountain of leather, canvas, and straps, trying to figure out a system. Used some sticky notes for a bit to label the piles, felt kinda silly doing it.
The Result? Well…
Took me longer than I thought. Finally got them sorted into these rough groups and managed to fit them onto two shelves. It’s still a bit chaotic, honestly, but it’s way better than it was. At least now you can actually see what’s there without starting an avalanche.
Made me think, though. Why so many different types? I guess each one really does have its own job. You wouldn’t use a tiny clutch bag for a beach trip, right? And you wouldn’t take a giant tote to a fancy dinner. So yeah, the sheer variety started making a bit more sense after wrestling with them for an hour. Still seems like a lot of bags, though.
