I carry a men’s LeSportsac laptop case, which is not only made better than the women’s version, it also has many pockets and loops, so I never lose my keys and can grab my work badge and metro card without looking inside. I clean out my bag every Friday after work to get rid of or file receipts, notes to self, etc. I have a compact umbrella, folding brush with mirror, small taxi wallet with just the essentials, and constantly shifting paperbacks (I would love, love, love a Kindle); I am always amazed that all this stuff fits in there and it isn’t heavy—I like a bag that I can carry across my shoulders. Another thing I find extremely handy is separate clear Ziploc bags for cosmetics and medications. I can see at a glance what is there and if my mineral face powder spills, it spills in the plastic bag. The bags are inexpensive and unlike other makeup bags, I can put it in the recycling when it gets worn and just use another. The freezer bags are the most durable. After years of heavy leather handbags where I had to dump the whole thing out to find a hairbrush, this anal organization is just fine with me. Oh, and the new, incredibly slim ipod nano (16 gig!) just slides in there, under my cellphone. I am a total gadget geek. Yeah, I know, I lived without gadgets years ago, but I can fit ALL my cds on a device that I can literally hide in my closed hand. How cool is that.

Oh, I forgot, my pepper spray is on a purple elastic wristlet next to my keys. It brings new meaning to “don’t leave home without it!”

This is such a great topic. What fun to see all the contents of the purses. Because I live in New York and walk most places, I clean out my bag nightly. I recently gave up my cell phone and now rely entirely on my BlackBerry. I don’t wear makeup and my hair is short, so the only beauty supplies I need are cuticle cream and an emery board. But, still, my bag weighs a ton! Julia, I carry my grandmother’s handkerchiefs, too. They don’t weigh anything. And I love them so much.

Liz, you never fail to surprise and delight me! No purse! (Imagine going through life with two parallel shoulders instead of a left one that droops an inch because of the purses it has supported for decades.) And everything in one JEANS pocket! You are definitely the untimate cool woman!

I put all my essentials in a backpack so my shoulders are still parallel. I don’t carry a book in my pack. I, however, have an ebook reader in my PDA. Extra shirt, baby powder, lip balm, and trail mix so I don’t get hungry, and bottled water.

Over the years, I’ve down-sized to the bare essentials in my purse (phone, wallet, lipstick, pen & note pad, perfume and aspirin). However, on Friday, I also needed to carry my tote file. So in an effort to remain light on my feet, I placed my wallet in the tote and eliminated the purse. The problem was that when I left for the store later that night with my purse, yep, you guessed it (no wallet - no money) ……….. the funny thing was that I DIDN’T leave the house without my Blackberry! Yes, I’m one of “those” people ……… a “Crack-berry”!

Recently, I was at the Realtor office sitting in our resource room at a computer. There were only two other people in the room, both men. My phone started ringing, and I couldn’t find the damned thing in my Aigner handbag. And, then it occurred to me, and I asked the guys, “You have the same job I have. You have to have your license, money and credit cards. One of you even smokes. How can you all live with 4 pockets while I haul this purse around, and yet, we do the same basic things. And, I don’t carry around makeup, brushes(just a lift comb), I don’t smoke. I don’t see how they can do it, and I can’t. Well, Liz knows, I guess. But, if I put everything in a pocket, they would stick out or I would lose my money. It’s no fair…

Mary Wells, I’d like to know more about your guardian angel that growls? I carry most of what other women carry in their purse that makes them seem more like suitcases than purses, except I didn’t see a bottle of water which I find essential and it seems my “purse” weighs a ton even when it’s made out of light weight parachute material. I have tried smaller bags which can’t accomodate everything I think I need and yet the larger ones seem so bulky and cumbersome.

I’ve always carried a purse. I like the Hobo type with shoulder strap. When I go out for the evening (dress up) I carry a small bag for lipstick, credit card, $20 cash, tissue, small pill bottle, and my tiny nitroglycerin pills. and my cell phone. But I also take my other bag with all the junk in it in the trunk of my car, just in case I need something. I have it availible close by.

I have way too much crap in mine! I managed to BRAKE a strap on my favorite summer Aigner bag. So, in my black leather medium-size Aigner (have you noticed a trend here for Aigner?) favorite winter bag, I have rosary beads and my pill box (with tylenol, xanax, and inderal) in the little zipper part, in the main part I have my wallet, box of altoids, lip balm, lipstick, business cards, checkbook, work ID, tums, work keys, home & car keys, spray hand sanitizer, and about seven pens and pencils; my cell phone goes in a side pocket. When I go out, I switch to a tiny bag just big enough to put cash, license, credit card, and pill box. Instead of American Express, I just can’t leave home without my Xanax … just in case!

Mary, for a second there, I thought you carried a voodoo doll in your bag! Come to think of it, no bag should be without one.