The Purse

My husband surprised me with a fabulous little purse the other day.  It is the cutest little casual traveling/weekend purse.   I saw it in Gander Mountain the other night and told him “I want this!!!” like I do with a lot of things, but I never anticipated him buying it.  I never buy things like that on impulse and hate spending money on myself.  If it doesn’t come from Goodwill or TJ Maxx, I have a difficult time justifying its purchase.  Okay, even purchases from TJ Maxx require serious consideration.  There is a reason why I blare "Thrift Shop" when it comes on the radio; that song is my jam!  After we arrived home, I saw the purse laying on the couch and was absolutely shocked.  My very sweet (and sneaky!) husband managed to purchase it without me even knowing. 

This simple little purse is causing me to rethink some things.  When I tried to transfer my belongings from my giant “work” purse the next morning, I discovered I had to leave several things out and was forced to pack only the “essentials.”  The frustration of deciding what made the cut caused me to throw everything back into the larger purse before heading off to work.   All day, as I reached into my purse for various items, I kept asking myself “What is truly important?  Why do I need all this stuff?” and came to this conclusion: I weigh myself down.  I carry all this unnecessary “stuff” around because it makes me feel secure but in reality, it just weighs me down.  Those bills that have been in my purse for days should be taken care of at home and payments sent ahead of time so I don’t find myself rushing to pay my water bill at the last minute because I forgot.  Again.  Do I really need that many lipsticks?  I rarely wear lipstick, so wouldn’t it just make more sense to keep them at home and pick ONE to carry with me when I get ready in the morning?  That would require me to think things out, which is something I don’t take the time to do in the morning.  Do I NEED to carry such a large wallet?  If I bothered to inventory and file my receipts on a regular basis, then no. 

All these questions point to an underlying issue – my lack of organization and preparation.  Now that I am aware of just how crazy things have become and how my lack of consideration and preparation affects my life, it is time to take action!