No wonder it feels like you have a brick in there (What's In Your Bag?)

Member Name: Coxy1974

Product:	What's In Your Bag?
Date:	03/04/07 (130 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: All of it will come in handy one day

Disadvantages: Weighs a tonne

Having read a couple of these reviews and really enjoyed them I thought I'd have a bash at my own. So what's in there? I don’t think I dare look.

My handbag is a lovely bag I purchased several years ago. I got it in Debenhams sale with 30% off and it still cost £70. It’s black and designed by Jasper Conran. The way I justify the purchase to myself is that I’ve used it every day for the last 3 years and the money I saved on the bag paid for the matching purse. So £95 divided by 1005 days means that this bag has been an absolute bargain at 9 pence per use and the cost per use goes down every day. Before any guy who is reading wonders what the hell I am on about then this is the way some women justify purchases to their partners in the hope of confusing them into not finding out how much it cost in the first place. But anyway onto what is inside.

Delving inside (and this will literally be like a tombola) the first thing I find is my purse. This contains my drivers licence (dodgy picture), 2 credit cards, switch card, Tesco Clubcard, QVC membership card, MVC membership card, Nectar card, Game card, Toys R Us loyalty card, Boots advantage card, Norwich union emergency card (what the hell is that doing in there – that’s for a job I left in 2005!), Matalan Card, Tradex card (they closed in Nottingham 3 years ago!) Gala Bingo card, 2 more dodgy photos (why I don’t know), an empty Boots giftcard I had for my birthday last year, Library card which expired in 2004, Bronzing Rooms membership card (for sunbeds) National Insurance card and phew finally my Implanon card which reminds when I need a contraceptive top up – thank god I’ve found this otherwise I’d be looking forever. There’s also £12.30 in cash, an empty chewing gum wrapper and a huge amount of receipts, one of which is dated 28th June 2004.

Seems like I don’t just need to clean out the bag but the purse too! Just astounded that I actually have some cash in there! My bag has one main compartment with a small pocket in the front on the inside that actually contains nothing at the moment and another zip compartment at the back.

Next item out is my phone – I have a Motorola V3i which is the worst phone in my history of owning a phone. Next out is my security pass for work – cue another dodgy photo that seems to have been stretched out of all proportion. I keep it in there as I don’t want to lose it.

So what else is in there?

Cheque book
Filofax which still has a 2003 diary inside
10 payslips (hmmmm in need of a clear out more than I thought!)
Virgin credit card statement I paid online a month ago
Banana Boat lip balm
Sunglasses
McDonalds vouchers that expired in January
Harry Ramsden’s voucher for a BOGOF meal
Max Factor lipgloss in shade Luscious Lavender
Numerous receipts
Free coffee collector card for Café Nero – in fact there are 3 of these all half full
A paperclip
Savings account paying in book (never used)
A potato peeler (a what? Don’t ask!)
3 blue ball point pens
A tram ticket
Hotel receipt
Expenses envelope
Boots No 7 Mascara in Black
Mirror
Handbag sized hairbrush
A small fluffy chick – don’t know where that came from
A Black whiteboard marker pen (I’m a trainer so what do you expect?)
A manicure set
Directions to Glasgow – these are from a trip in October last year!
Letter from the Mortgage company – I must actually ring them so glad I found it and reminded myself
Miniature bottle of Very Valentino perfume
Box of drawing pins
An old cigarette lighter
House keys
Car Keys
My partners house keys
Miscellaneous key – not sure what this is for. Aha, fits my desk drawer.
2 Earl Grey teabags
Apple from yesterdays lunch – as usual I worked through and forgot about it
Work Diary – better update from Outlook calendar so I know where I am going to be for the next few weeks

This is a bit like Aladdin’s cave. My mother always refers to my handbag as Mary Poppins’ carpet bag and now I know what she means.

Now onto the little pocket zip compartment right at the back.

Ah my TOPS card for Total service stations – I wondered where that was.
More Café Nero saver cards – jesus – I could be kept in free coffee for a month with this little lot.
Aha – my Glasgow receipts for Frankie & Benny’s – must claim that on this months expenses
Competition entry form to win a Mini – must post it – actually no the entry date was 31st January 2006. Missed that one then.
Lottery ticket from last week – must check to see if I’ve won.

And that is the lot. How on earth I manage to get it all in I have no idea. Have binned all old receipts but the rest has gone back in as I just can’t do without it.

Summary: I really need to be more organised and clear it out more often!