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Born Again Minimalist

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Tiny purses

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by

Caitlin

in

I mentioned before, in No chihuahuas in my purse, that I was going to try out a little bag instead of carrying around a huge messenger bag as a purse.  I absolutely adore my Ameribag Baglett, which is relatively tiny (a checkbook fits in it but that’s about as long an object as it will accommodate) and has a cross-body strap.  I am firmly in the tiny-bag camp and will not look back.

Five reasons that a tiny purse with a cross-body strap is a good idea:

  1. No back pain.  This purse keeps you traveling lightly.  In mine, I have my checkbook, a clip with cards and cash, daily medication, a flash drive, and a couple odds and ends — but only a couple!   It’s very lightweight, even with my phone and keys inside if I don’t have pockets.  There’s no back pain or shoulder strain from hefting a heavy bag around.
  2. No clutter. Receipts, candy wrappers, etc. are all banned from the purse.  It would get full so fast if I let those things in, so I keep them from cluttering it up in the first place, which also cuts down on the weight of the bag.
  3. Restaurants and public restrooms. In a restaurant or public restroom, you don’t have to worry about finding a place to hang your bag (or resting it on the floor, gross!), because the strap keeps it on your person at all times, and it’s so small and unobtrusive it doesn’t get in the way at all.  Best of all, you can’t forget it if you never take it off.
  4. Grocery stores. There’s no worry about leaving your cart to go grab a can of something or put some apples in a bag, because your purse is on you, not in the cart.
  5. No leaving it in the car. It’s easy to drive with a small cross-body bag, and it doesn’t get in the way of the seatbelt.  You’ll never forget the bag in the car because you’re wearing it.  As an added bonus, in the event your car stalls on railroad tracks, you can get out and run away without worrying about grabbing your purse.

With a tiny bag, I can’t do cool things like carry home leftovers from dinner like my friend did recently in her briefcase-sized purse, but I definitely avoid bathroom germs and oncoming trains, so I think it evens out.  What do you think about tiny bags? 

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9 responses to “Tiny purses”

  1. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    We have a chihuahua, but she doesn’t fit in any of my bags 🙂 Actually, she’s a great walker – except in the cold of winter – so I wouldn’t dream of putting her in any bag. I agree with you on the cross-body bag issue and tend to wear a lovely bag I bought on Etsy; it’s small instead of tiny, though. I find tiny bags too inconvenient for me, so I mostly carry a bag that’s not too small and not too big, so I can have everything in it I may need, which isn’t a whole lot. I have a couple of bigger shoulder bags, but am not in the habit of carrying (or gathering) a lot of stuff in them when in use, I’m way too pedantic for that. I also easily get achy shoulders from carrying large amounts of belongings on one side, so a small cross-body bag is good for me. For work clothes I actually use a backpack, because it’s good for my back.

    Reply
    1. Caitlin Avatar
      Caitlin

      Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment 🙂

      Reply
  2. Chrissy Avatar
    Chrissy

    Hi Caitlin, I have been using a tiny bag too lately. I have a 4 year old daughter, I do find myself carrying stuffed animals, drink bottles and scooters sometimes. I think I will have to find a larger small bag that can at least fit stuff in if it is handed to me 🙂
    I have been enjoying your posts from my email, If you have the time, please check out my website, I haven’t fully got into the swing of posting regular, but I will do. I procrastinate and start too many projects.

    XX

    Reply
    1. Caitlin Avatar
      Caitlin

      I will check your site out! Thank you for reading and commenting 🙂

      Reply
  3. realminimalist Avatar
    realminimalist

    Hi Caitlin, I have been using a tiny bag too lately. I have a 4 year old daughter, I do find myself carrying stuffed animals, drink bottles and scooters sometimes. I think I will have to find a larger small bag that can at least fit stuff in if it is handed to me 🙂
    I have been enjoying your posts from my email, If you have the time, please check out my website, I haven’t fully got into the swing of posting regular, but I will do. I procrastinate and start too many projects.

    XX

    Reply
  4. Jemma Avatar
    Jemma

    Hi Caitlin, I use a large bag on the daily home-work commute (to carry all the stuff I need to not get bored on my hour-long train ride and lunch and all “emergency things” I might need, like, er…my miniature bike pump, just in case I get a flat tire) and on the weekends I use a small bag which fits wallet, a bottle of water, cell phone and one or two reusable shooping bags- love the “free” feeling of weekends!

    Reply
    1. Caitlin Avatar
      Caitlin

      I understand the need to take a bigger bag for a workday. I take a canvas bag with my lunch, an umbrella (depending on the weather) maybe a book, any mail I need to send out, etc. to take care of during the workday. Sometimes you need to carry more stuff. But I really feel you on that free feeling when you don’t have to carry so much! Thank you for reading!

      Reply
  5. Drop that Debt Avatar
    Drop that Debt

    I’ve been using a small purse which goes across my body for 2 years. Once I bought my first one, I decided I could never go back. I hate having them hang off my arm, and they are so big and bulky. The only downside is it’s hard to sneak candy into the movie theatre 😛

    Reply
    1. Caitlin Avatar
      Caitlin

      So don’t eat candy, it’s bad for you! 😀 I recently found little serving-size packets of organic gummy bears. They would fit in my tiny purse! 🙂

      Reply

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