It's In The Bag!

Stop what you are doing, and empty your bag! Yes, everything, even the extra mint in cellophane, that is nestled deep in the corner, that you took from that restaurant! Take an inventory of what you see. What does the contents of our bags tell about us? Are you well organized? Ready for anything? A foodie who can feed anyone who is need of nourishment on plane, train, or anywhere in your company. Do you have that emergency bandaid; or a whole mini first aid kit? Is it a bundle of tissues you took one by one from the box and then folded into a nice neat stack, or do you have one of those dollar store mini packs for your sneezes? Makeup? Comb? Hairbrush? Nail File? Tweezers? Or a mini salon in a cosmetic bag?

Some of you might remember the days of that extra pair of pantyhose, just in case. Or remember packs of gum, the excitement when tic tacs came out with that cute little dispenser? How cool to pull that from your bag and offer a shake of one or two! Of course somewhere in there was a few coupons, in the days before Target Cartwheel and grocery store apps. And who doesn't remember the movie ticket stub, or the host of other things we kept to put in memory boxes or scrapbooks.

Fast forward from those days and now its our smartphones, mini iPads, nooks and kindles, earbuds, power bars, and for those list makers, a notebook and pen. Some bags big enough for a legal pad and file folder for impromptu planning of an event or meeting! You might still find a few who carry those small point and shoot cameras. But I bet you'd be hard-pressed to find somebody sporting a calculator inside their bag.

What does your bag tell others about you? Are you a minimalist, a small bag with only the most necessary of items to get you from here to there? Are you the one everyone runs to when they need something because your bag is big enough to hold everything but that proverbial kitchen sink? Take another look at your bag and contents, what does your bag say about you? Is the one you are carrying today your favorite? Why did you select this one for the day or week or season? Some look others up and down to see what jewelry or latest fashion adorns them, but the bag lover looks at the bag before anything else and the most astute bag lady knows how to scan for specific features, tags, or labels to identify the bag maker, just in case they are out shopping later!

When you peer in your bag today, how different is what you are carrying today compared to what you carried when you were in college or high school? How about the difference of those of us who once toted toddlers and youngsters around or the bag we selected for family vacations? How heavy and different were the contents then compared to now? And for those of you still at that stage, don't worry someday you'll wish you were still toting their items, because sometimes you do get hungry and a few Cheerios or Goldfish are just right to tide you over until lunch!

What is the first handbag you remember having or what style did you drool over when you realized your love for handbags? I know I had many different styles and colors and went with the crowd, even went against the crowd because I loved a bag so much. But the one I remember wanting the most, but on my high school budget couldn't afford; it was a chestnut brown leather hobo sack! One of my older cousins had it and I thought it was a bag to die for; I think that was the moment I realized how important handbags were going to be in my future. Every few years I go through a yearning for that bag and I search sometimes when I'm ready for a new bag; please when are we not ready for a new bag, but yes here and there I will search out that bag. I haven't ever found the one I have imprinted in my memory, but who knows if I search enough I might just find it. Of course it can always be my reason why I have to stop by and browse the handbags every shopping trip!

Do you find you have to run past the handbag section of a store to resist the temptation? Are you a connoisseur of handbag sales or markdowns? Are you the queen of justification, who can't use another black bag and the price, who can resist? I think the most exciting purchase I ever made was at DSW. It was a Michael Kors bag. I saw it on a trip for shoes, but even on sale I wasn't convinced; but you know how a bag can get stuck in your mind and how many times have you passed something up and weeks later say I knew I should have and run back to find it long gone, especially if it was on sale. So I went back and it had that blue 50% off the sale price sticker and on top of it I had gift cards that I had held onto and so to make a long story short and tantalizing enough to make you want to run out to DSW, I walked out of the store with a $400 bag that cost me $25 in cash!! I was so excited that I treated it with TLC...sending this picture

to my best friend, who by the way has a passion for handbags which definitely rivals Imelda Marcos' shoe obsession! I think that day I won a most approving nod from her for my amazing purchase!

By the way this is the bag that's in the bag in the previous picture...

it has since been joined by many other bargains, but none as sweet, and whenever I have it with me I always remember when I see another tempting bag; hey, just get it because it might not be there if you try to find it next week! Well that rationale still works for me so I'm stickin with it!

Happy National Handbag Day! I say there's only one way to celebrate...the new season is only a few weeks old, there has to be some fantastic bargains out there somewhere. You'll find the hunt is as much fun as the purchase; happy shopping!