My Purse

So, I haven't posted for a while because I didn't have anything new to say... then Britta tagged me. Let me say that this is a first for me. Hopefully you'll find my purse interesting. I know Jane does.

Rules:
1) Post a picture or two of the purse you are carrying now. Do not cheat and go and grab that cute purse that is stashed away in your closet, post what you are using now.
2) Post how much you spent on your fabulous bag, and if there is a great story to go along with it then include that.
3) Tag some people to see what they're using as their bag and the stories that go behind them.

Here is my current purse:


A little background first. For several years now, I have been dubbed "The Bag Lady" by my family. I would frequently buy bags of differing shapes, sizes, styles, and intended purposes mostly just because I liked to have them. (Several of the bags I've bought are now laying on the floor in the backseat of my car...the idea is to use those instead of grocery bags when I go shopping, but I usually forget to take them into the store...). In the realm of purses, I usually went for the cheaper Wal-mart variety. I could find something cute, but not necessarily the highest quality.

Someone told me once that when you have kids, you no longer need to have a purse. Everywhere you go you'll now have a diaper bag, so you can just combine them all and only have to carry the one bag. With that in mind, when I needed a new purse when I was pregnant with Jane, I went for a cheap last-until-the-baby's-born purse. Well, I tried the diaper bag/purse combo for about a day and a half. That doesn't work at all for me mostly because I happen to be a working mother, so once Jane goes to day care, I have no need to be hauling around a diaper bag. But my purse was still pretty darn cheap and fell apart quickly. By this time, I was tired of having the less-than-stellar quality.

My sister Lisa told me that REI was having a huge sale, so we went there and I bought my current purse for $40. Much more than I've ever spent on any bag, but I have much more faith in the quality of the product, and I hope that the investment will last for years yet.

Lisa actually has the same purse, but in red. I believe she is still satisfied with the purchase. Although, she did just have a baby. Maybe she'll convert to the diaper bag method.

The contents of my purse:


In no particular order:

several old receipts
sunglassses
bandaids
checkbook
WIC envelope
stamps
one dollar bill
a note from Chris that says "Love you much" with a heart and smiley face
two pens, a mechanical pencil, and a purple highlighter
pack of Trident Original Flavor gun (can't go anywhere without it!)
two small notebooks
Logan temple schedule
business card for the Air Force Recruiter
three gift cards that amount to something like $3
my wallet (a whole post all on its own...)
$3.45 in change
miniature screwdriver (thanks Dad)
miniature needle nose pliers (thanks Dad)
foldable scissors (only 69 cents...they still have the price tag)
glasses screwdriver and nail clippers attached on one chain
lotion (cetaphil cream is the only kind I can use)
Benadryl anti-itch cream (can't go anywhere without it!)
some weirdo Mark Kay lip gloss that I really don't like (I forgot it was in there)
a wrist brace with a cotton lining made from the cut-off sleeve of an old t-shirt
a bottle of tylenol
a picture of me with my sisters Lisa and Sarah (don't look too close...I was way pregnant and I just look really fat)

I think that about covers it. I had no idea I had so many things in my purse. The carrying capacity alone must be worth $40.

Back in the day, my mom would always do the "wallet test" on any boy who expressed a more-than-slight interest in one of her five daughters. The contents of a wallet can tell a lot about a person. They always got more points for having things like cash (self-sufficiency), drivers' license (responsibility), temple recommend (worthy), and, of course, a lack of anything potentially questionable. I guess my purse can tell just as much as the wallet test, eh? Like the fact that everything I touch makes me itch.

Rule 3: I tag JeriLynn, Jess, Rebecca, and Kate. And anyone else who may be interested. And Jess, I'm sorry, but we might not be able to be friends until you respond... :)