13 Things You Need to Have in Your Purse (but Probably Don’t)

Are you prepared for anything life might throw your way?  Keeping calm in emergency situations depends greatly on your  preparation to deal with them.  We all know that a woman’s purse is her arsenal of tools that help her take on the world, but there are things you need in your purse that probably aren’t in there.  There are many items that might be in a typical homemaker’s purse right now, from makeup to pacifiers, but it’s probably missing some of the essentials that will make her invincible! 

“Be Prepared. That’s the motto of the Boy Scouts. “Be prepared for what?” someone once asked Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, “Why, for any old thing.” said Baden-Powell.”

                 -Excerpt from the Boy Scout Handbook

The list below of 13 Things You Need to Have in Your Purse contains not only emergency tools, but also items to make you more productive and allow you to use your time more effectively. 

13 Things You Need in Your Purse

1.  Allergy medicine.  Allergic reactions – to foods, animals, materials, or anything else – almost always come on unexpectedly and when you are not at home.  I have used the Benadryl in my purse on multiple occasions, not only for myself, but for my children also.

2.  Swiss army knife (or other multipurpose tool).  There is a pink multipurpose tool in my purse which has been used to extract a broken key from a lock, among other things.  The multitude of tools packed onto this gadget, such as tweezers, knife, bottle opener, and more, come in handy all the time.

3.  Address labels.  Never fill out this repetitive information by hand if you don’t have to!  Save the time and energy by carrying your preprinted address labels (remember the ones that come unsolicited in the mail?) in your purse.  Whenever you need to fill in mailing info (movie store, drawings/giveaways, registrations, etc.) just peel and stick an adhesive address label.

4.  Traveler’s check.  Everyone knows that carrying cash in your purse is not only a security risk, but a spending temptation as well!  Many people don’t want to carry credit cards or cash with them, and traveler’s checks are a great alternative.  If you really need money for an emergency (not a clearance sale – those are NOT emergencies!), you’ll have a traveler’s check that can be spent like cash.  An added security bonus is that traveler’s checks are refundable if lost or stolen.  If you’ve never used them before, you can learn more about traveler’s checks.

5.  Spare car key and house key.  Locking your keys in the house or car is a huge inconvenience, and can be expensive if you have to hire a locksmith.  Do yourself a favor and keep an extra set in your purse that is not attached to your keychain.  Chances are good that even if you lock your keys in the car, you’ll still have your purse on your shoulder.

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6.  Pen and paper.  You never know when you’ll need to write something down (think directions, address, phone number, insurance information).

7.  Cell phone and/or address book.  Accident, flat tire, lost… with a multitude of possible circumstances, it’s not practical to be away from home without either your cell phone or at least a mini address book with important phone numbers.

8.  Lighter or matches.  Anything can happen, and you never know when you’ll need to make fire.  If you don’t carry around flint and tinder (aside: I don’t in real life, but in World of Warcraft I do- and it takes up 2 bag slots!  Hey- you never know when you’re going to need to cook something!) then it will be nice to have matches or a lighter to make a quick fire.  Uses: Burn off a leech, create smoke signal, scare away angry bees, etc.

9.  Emergency snacks.  Stranded?  Hungry?  Having food in your purse will protect your finances and health by keeping you from hitting a drive-thru.  Having food if you are ever stranded away from businesses/people will keep you from going hungry.  Lastly, having snacks in your purse can prevent a serious toddler melt-down in public for a hungry little one!

10.  Tissues.  Nose bleeds, runny noses, crying child, liquid spills, oily skin – tissues come in handy all the time.

11.  Book, magazine, or blog posts.  How often do you spend time waiting- time that is wasted because you just sit or  stand there thinking about the fact that you’re waiting?!  You could be doing something productive with that wait-time.  Bring along a book or magazine that you haven’t had time to read.  I personally print out blog posts from my feed reader in the morning and take them in my purse to read throughout the day when I’m waiting.  The time I spend waiting at school to drop off/ pick up my daughter, in the bank drive-thru, at the doctor’s office, at the pharmacy, and in line at the post office is spent catching up on reading my favorite blogs!

12.  To do list.  You’re constantly thinking, and usually remember things you need to do while you’re away from home.  Sound familiar?  Keep your to do list with you, so you can add items to it when you think of them.

13.  Safety pins.  Buttons fall off, zippers break, seams come apart, hems fall down.  Having a spare safety pin in your purse can save you from a wardrobe malfunction when you need it the most!  

Purses come in all shapes, colors and sizes, but you can never judge a purse by it’s cover – er, outside!  If it’s going to go everywhere with you, it may as well serve you as a storage spot for useful tools.  The above list of 13 useful items that probably aren’t in your purse right now should get you started in your purse contents-makeover.  Print out this list and get your purse up to speed today! 

Originally published February 5th, 2010.  Purse photos by stock.xchng.