Nosy question this morning: what do you always have in your bag? Are you a minimalist, carrying only wallet and keys, or are you more akin to Mary Poppins? And do you transfer your “essentials” from bag to bag in a pouch or do you usually wear the same bag on repeat daily?
Curious how my forever-sharp, forever-tactical Magpies handle this — no doubt with efficiency and thought.
I do change my bag regularly, but it’s pretty simple; I just have to transfer a pouch with my essentials, a wallet, my sunglasses, and a pouch full of my keys from bag to bag. Plus whatever book I’m reading — a non-negotiable.
Some staple items I carry with me always:
MINNOW POUCH // CADENCE CASE FOR ADVIL // MINI BRUSH // OUTSET LIP OASIS // BIOM WIPES // GLOW RECIPE MIST // PRADA CARD CASE // GOYARD FLAT POUCH FOR CASH, RECEIPTS, AND CARD CASE // CARLEY FORTUNE BOOK // MR. PEN STICKY BOOK TABS // POST-IT NOTES // PENS // NAGHEDI TOTE // TORY BURCH SUNGLASSES // MINI SCISSORS
A detailed breakdown:
+A book (at time of writing, I just finished this an am reading and deeply enjoying this — will you read with me? I want to formalize our “book club” a bit and will share more soon but am hoping anyone interested will commit to reading the same book as I am each month this year!) and/or my Kindle;
+If I have a hard copy book, I just started keeping these little page tabs in the frontispiece! I realized the other day I use the Kindle “bookmark” function all the time as a way to “earmark” pages I want to be able to refer back to and these tabs are the physical equivalent;
+A small Minnow pouch with sanitizer, Advil kept in this little Cadence container, lip balm and lip color, pocket scissors, a few loose bandaids, a posy of pens, post-it notes, a hair tie or two, and tissues;
+Wipes (still — my kids are 5 and 8 and I need these daily with them);
+Sunglasses (currently wearing these);
+A pouch to corral my many sets of keys;
+The Goyard flat pouch — holds cash, receipts, and my card case;
+Now that it’s warmer, I’ve also been carrying SPF and this glow misting spray around!;
+Snacks for my forever-hungry children;
+A pocket brush (have been toying with the idea of upgrading to this mini version of my favorite full-size everyday brush);
+If I’m going anywhere for longer than an hour, I usually bring one of my Appointed notebooks for me — I never know when I’m going to have an idea!
I feel like none of these things are out of the ordinary, with possibly the exception of the pocket scissors (a Magpie reader suggestion a few years ago and SO HANDY) — curious if you have any amazing things you keep on your person that make your daily life easier?
And a last little note — special launch today: Studio McGee x Tuckernuck! You might know Shea McGee from her ultra-chic interior design firm Studio McGee (and retail brand McGee & Co). This is her first foray into fashion design and it is absolutely delightful — it has a West Coast airiness that I love. They generously sent me the Nora dress, seen below, and I couldn’t help but wear it out to a date night this past weekend with Landon. I find all of Tuckernuck’s house styles run a bit big; I took an XXS in this and the fit was perfect. The other pieces I am contemplating snagging myself: the white eyelet Rue blouse and matching Laurel skirt! But all my favorite picks below.
Styled above with my Veronica Beard Dash clutch, Dorsey cocktail ring, and See x Chloe Glyn platforms.
NORA DRESS // STRIPED SWEATER // LAUREL SKIRT AND RUE TOP // GINGHAM DRESS // SUEDE SANDALS
P.S. Related: what has saved you?
P.P.S. What simple reframe has changed everything?
P.P.P.S. Chic sneakers and shorts for spring.
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My purse looks a lot like y’all’s. I also try to carry a tape measure so I can size furniture / art / etc. when thrifting.
V. serious question – what snacks do you pack for your kids that don’t crumble for your kids that you can keep in your bag?! I have tried packing crackers, cookies, chips, etc and eventually all end up becoming dust in the bag due to just being tossed around in my purse!
I keep a clear zipper pouch with snacks in it, which helps a little! I usually stow goldfish bags, some pouches, peanut butter or cheese crackers, and a few larabars.
I usually do the same thing (pouch with snacks to keep them contained and not smushed in the bottom of the bag), but I’m also pretty diligent about only packing a handful of things I need AT THE MOMENT and then clearing out my bag afterward because I’ve had one too many situations where I open a tote and find VERY OLD granola bars in it.
xx
Thank you moms – I was also going to comment with this same question! Always on the hunt for snacks that won’t destroy the purse / car. Fool’s errand maybe….
I use a zippered hard shell toiletry kit I probably got from Delta, that has animal crackers. Something like a Larabar might work for you? We do the Lifefood lemon pie oat bars, I think they’re mostly cashew, so even if they get flattened they’re okay to eat. And applesauce pouches, even older kids eat them here
Always so helpful, Kelly!
In My Bag:
Right now I have a buttery yellow softest crossbody ( aka I sling it over my head and it rests across my chest or side) Freda Salvador bag from Rent the Runway
It’s contents are as follows:
Card holder ( serves as my wallet) dark leather from Holtz leather in Huntsville, AL and has my name embossed
Keys with a embroidered RC key chain (Roanoke College)
VW key fob
A small bag quilted bag inside containing Westerman Atelier lip stick ( color is Petal)
Some Doterra Breathe drops
The Mill Apothecary Lip Balm ( Lavender Rose)
Westerman Atelier Lip Gloss ( Petal)
Two small writing pens one from Hotel 1928 in Waco and another one that’s pink & blue (good for writing things down if needed)
Sunglasses Theirry
Roll of eco friendly bio degradable dog bags the dark green ones
I’m a minimalist when it comes to my bag because if I have too much it all gets lost. Plus I walk a very big dog so it’s good to be hands free
Outside of my bag I’m usually carrying the book I’m reading or one I just got out of the many amazing free libraries in my neighborhood
TRES chic, and now I think I need the Westman Atelier lipstick in the petal color — tysm! I definitely remember the days of needing to be hands free with Tilly! It was a kind of blessing, because sometimes I even left my phone at home. Good reminder to be present. Thanks for sharing!
I find I change my bag fairly frequently between WFH life, and work life. My work bag is set and my metro card/work ID/chargers/lipstick/comb do not leave that bag for ease of getting out the door.
Lately, I’ve been using my small LL Bean totes as my daily bag as they take a beating and I can easily fit my laptop if I want to work from a coffee shop. Phone, wallet, card case, glasses case, hand sanitizer, pen, and a necessities pouch (chapstick, hair clips, painkillers, stain stick, bobby pins, lipsticks, bandaids, etc.) travel from purse to purse. Depending on where I’m heading, I either add in a book or my latest needlepoint project. I’ve been forcing myself to do a weekly bag clean for all the miscellaneous receipts, crumbled napkins, and protein bar wrappers that somehow collect at the bottom of all my bags- honestly horrifying how much nonsense ends up in there.
I just picked up a copy of Wild Dark Shore, and I can’t wait to start! Ready for a Magpie book club!
100% relate to the way our bags can become dark holes, absorbing any and all manner of garbage and trash. I do regular clean outs too! One thing I like about our pouch method, in addition to making it easy to swap out bags — and it sounds like most of us Magpies are on the same page — is that I was finding I was losing things like chapsticks, pens, etc by sprinkling them between bags, and then forgetting which one was where. This is so much easier/central!
YAY for joining me in WDS. More details about the Magpie Book Club coming tomorrow!!!
xx
Even in this digital age, I always make sure to have a pen on me. Has come in handy many times, if only for entertaining a small child with a pen and paper game on the back of a receipt.
100%. I feel naked without a pen!
Phone, wallet, keys, lip balm, lip gloss (just added spf lip balm), sanitizer, wipes, sunglasses, little first aid kit with bandaids and alcohol wipes, hand lotion, pocket pack of Kleenex, notebook, pen. I wish I switched bags more often but I’m too lazy! And I always find myself without something critical that’s in my other purse! Must embrace the #pouchlife. I do carry a small crossbody when I’m out to dinner (or on a field trip with 2nd graders like I was Monday) and I just carry phone/wallet/lip stuff/keys/sunglasses/sanitizer/pen. Also, my main purse is a mess! So I should add crumpled, illegible receipts, random hair bows, crayons, snack wrappers, and old church bulletins to my “what’s always in my bag” list. Someone remind me of this when we’re making our 2026 goals lists next January, haha. Tidy purse goals!
Stephanie, I decided to combat messy purse life by allowing some intentionally unnecessary/sentimental things to live in there! Think, Taylor Swift ticket printout, an 8 of Hearts playing card, a punch card from a coffee roastery from Vietnam, a little handwritten card from my mum…
I kind of like the idea that our bags, like ourselves, contain multitudes, and that in an anthropological sense maybe it’s kind of magical to have these bags that are an extension of who we are?
Your crumpled receipts et al would very much be a “Tell me more” if we met in real life xx
This is so gorgeous, Aoife. It reminded me of our conversation about signatures, and the notion that everything is diary! We are always sharing ourselves!
xx
I’m also echoing Aoife, though – maybe it’s OK to have a little mess in your handbag! I’ve really loosened the reins on the kitchen counter in 2026, and I feel happier 90% of the time. That other 10% is a little rough – I turn into the Incredible Hulk and throw everything away, ha.
xx
I have a pouch that goes in almost all my bags — excluding if it’s a crossbody, aiming for ease situation.
The pouch has: various meds, spare contacts, dental harp, hairbands and hairpins, wet wipes, sanitary items, tissues, and bandaids.
The wild cards that I always carry because they inevitably come in use are: headtorch and spare batteries (hiking 101), small lighter (a great way to make friends/light candles on the go), Muji passport-sized notebook and Sharpie (because you never know when you’ll need to take a note, play celebrity heads, score a card game, label something, ask for an autograph…), and a cloth face mask (a panini hangover but helpful for public transport tbh).
Otherwise, I carry my passports (foreign country life), coin and card pouch, e-reader, lip products, perfume, YubiKey and Airtag, sunglasses, and a cotton tote. In winter, always gloves and a scarf! xx
OK, the spare contact and Sharpie additions — hello! I can’t believe I don’t have these already! Adding to my pouch too.
xx
Full candour: I think 90% of my stuff is based on past chaos and 10% is intentional adult decisionmaking. The contact addition came about after we got stuck overnight on Mount Fuji on our honeymoon… I also realised that I forgot: carabiner (random essential for keys and drink bottles), some individually-wrapped herbal tea bags, combination padlock, earplugs, headphones, bottle opener (another fun way to make friends/stay picnic ready!) xx
And an eyebrow comb! Because unruly eyebrows stress me out so much!
90% is based on past chaos – amen!
Shout Wipes!!! For when my kids ( or I) spill something on our clothing. A book, always. Extra emergency underwear – JUST IN CASE. Have never needed but you never know…
Shout wipes – brilliant! I carry these sporadically but am always struck by how often I use them when on my person. Will be adding…
Dental floss picks, tweezers, and a small magnifying mirror are purse essentials for me. I’m certain YouTube videos of me sitting at a red light plucking my brows must exist somewhere, ha! Nothing more effective than a close up mirror and some natural light to catch a stray strand.
LOL! Dental floss is brilliant…how many times have I been caught with something in my tooth while away from the house? Will be adding to my little pouch. TYSM!
Always carrying necessities-phone, wallet, readers, lip balm (aquaphor). I will start Wild Dark Shore today!! Yes, please and would love the monthly book club. I’m in :))
Yay!! Consider yourself the inaugural member, Maria!! xx
Can I please also join?! xx
OF COURSE. Wouldn’t have it any other way
I have a small zipped pouch I transfer between my purses that holds cash, coins, a key, and a pair of loop earplugs. I usually add a pair of sunglasses, a small sunscreen, a lip balm or lipstick, and maybe a hot wheels car or pop fidget for my kids. But I’m still in my stroller era so the stroller has most stuff for the kids!
Co-sign on the pouch you transfer between bags. Makes life so much easier!!
So I very rarely even carry a purse!! I use my iPhone for everything, If and when I do (going out, events, etc) I am very minimalist, just the basics and necessities, and of course if I know I am going somewhere like a cafe/restaurant/bar, i will throw my kindle in :). I just hate the feeling of being tied down and uncomfortable. As far as books and book club! YES PLEASE. I read and LOVED Wild Dark Shore and would love to discuss. Currently reading (And highly recommend, this book feels very YOU) THe Bright Years by Sarah Damoff. So emotional and beautifully written!!
“I hate the feeling of being tied down and uncomfortable” — I totally know what you mean! Nothing kills a cocktail party vibe like having a bulky bag on your wrist or shoulder. Good way of putting it.
I’m so glad, Diana, that you are IN for our book club!!! We will discuss WDS! I’m trying to think of clever possible ways for us to communicate about the book…stay tuned!
xx
Jen, I’m in a writer’s group that’s using Discord and it’s pretty wonderful! The group call function is so great and so simple ☺️
Oh cool – looking into this immediately.
xx
My writers group also uses discord. We only use the voice stuff for when the small critique groups (3-5 people) are meeting