I had an unfortunate accident recently involving a box of Junior Mints and my purse. Actually, it’s the second accident of this nature I’ve had in the last three months. Note to self: Box of melting chocolate you couldn’t finish at the movies shouldn’t be stored in your purse and forgotten about.

After going through the arduous task of carefully pulling each item out of my bag and checking for melty minty chocolate, I ended up with a large pile of stuff on my coffee table that needed to be put into one of my many other handbags.

Before I get comments and e-mails saying I need to purge myself of all the excess, excuse the term, crap in my bag, my purse isn’t just a place to store money, an I.D. and my cell phone. It’s not a catch all either. Everything I carry is vital to my daily life.

On any given day, it contains my wallet, coin purse, cell phone, two digital cameras, battery charger, iPod, notepads with pens, a makeup case, sunglasses, keys, an umbrella, business cards, a book and a bunch of random receipts that float around. Necessities one and all.

Other people may not think so, including a few people who have had the pleasure of picking up my purse and have groaned in agony as a response. But you know what? These are my essentials. I know there could be medical issues later in life if I don’t watch out. I usually can’t go a day without these items or at least having some of them available just in case.

I know there are plenty of other people who feel the same way, whether it’s a woman stuffing her handbag or a man and his man bag (or pockets).

I get kind of nosy when I’m walking down the street. If I see an interesting bag, whether brightly colored and large or just too tiny to be an everyday bag, I wonder: “What’s in your bag?”

Thankfully, I’ve found another way to satisfy my curiosity without walking up to a stranger and asking to paw through their personal belongings.

InStyle Magazine has a blog, “In your bag,” featuring reader bags and celebrity bags. It’s nice to see some of these high end purses (Armani or Michael Kors anyone?) and what’s stored inside, but mine are usually from Old Navy or Target, Coach on the nice days.

I found the Flickr group What’s in your bag? a few months back. These are photos taken by the bags’ owners with the interior contents laid out for all to see. There are over 7,000 photos of bags and stuff from around the world, enough to satisfy anyone’s curiosity.

I know I’m not the only woman with a bag just about ripping at the seams because it is full of anything and everything needed to get through the day. So… what’s in your bag?

Feel like sharing what you consider your essentials? Or want to talk about the need to cut down what people carry around with them? Write your own blog.

By: Heather Leszczewicz | Staff Writer At 07/09/2008 - 4:34pm |  |  |