Monday, January 4, 2010

Can't Find Anything in Your Purse? 10 Purse Organizers to the Rescue!

purse organizer

How do you keep the interior of your purse organized? You can use my approach (with simple mesh bags) or use one of the purse organizers I mentioned back in May 2009. Or you could use something like the Butler Bag.

But let's look at some other choices, too. Most of these come in a range of sizes and colors/fabrics, and they are all designed to make it easy to switch purses.

First, I'd like to give some attention to the products that got mentioned in the comments to my last post. Over on Etsy, Christie of Sweetbriar Studio has some lovely purse organizers, like the one shown at the top of this post.


transfer bag, for transferring between purses

Another commenter said her mom loved the transfer bags from Joann Huth.


purse organizer

And the Purse Pleaser seemed to be just what another commenter was looking for.


handbag organizer

Another product I've just found is the Cherry Handbag Organiser.


purse organizer

purse organizer

Joey Junior has two styles of purse organizer.


purse organizer

Emi Designs is another Etsy seller with purse organizers.


purse organizer

And Jpatpurses also sells purse organizers on Etsy. Update on July 4, 2011: This vendor doesn't seem to sell purse organizers any more - just pouches.


purse transfer liner

There's also the Purse To Go transfer liner.


purse organizer

And another option is Switch It by Nan. [image from Amazon.com]

Want even more options? See Chameleon Inserts and the Tote All Bag. Update on July 4, 2011: I'm no longer finding the Tote All Bag.

16 comments:

MarySees said...

I know a lot of people that would love to have a purse organizer. I get really frustrated with purses that have a lot of sections, so I doubt I would like a purse organizer with a lot of sections. Sections are what makes it hard for me to find anything! I like one open area with very little in it. My favorite bag is a denim purse with one big section and maybe one small zipper pocket

I probably should have been a monk, because sections and things and stuff are driving me crazy!

Mary/Claycat

Meredith from PenelopeLovesLists said...

Great resources once again!

Do you not like the Pursekets? I wondered if you'd used them and thought they weren't as effective. Or maybe just too obvious?

kbfenner said...

Yes, MarySees--me, too! I hate a lot of pockets, especially the equally sized ones--a zippered pocket down the middle that makes two other pockets on either side. I have a 50-50 shot at picking the correct one.

I want a zippered pocket large enough for my very small wallet and the Prius key that I never have to actually get out (gotta love Smart Keys), a small open pocket for my phone, and nothing else. I'm with Jeri on the mesh bags for other items (makeup in one, another for pens, business cards, etc.), plus one opaque one for things I don't necessarily want in plain sight when my purse spills....

Jeri Dansky said...

PenelopeLovesLists: The Purseket was listed in my earlier post back in May 2009, which I linked to. This post was for products I didn't include in that earlier list.

MarySees and kbfenner: I don't personally want a bunch of small sections, either - but it seems many people do. That's part of what makes organizing so interesting - different things work for different people.

And kbfenner, I love the Prius key, too!

Heather said...

@kbfenner: I recently bought a small sling bag (National Geographic brand - available on Amazon). It has a pocket for your cell phone, a pocket for your mp3 player (which I use to hold my shopping lists), and two larger compartments. Of the larger ones, one is the perfect size for a small wallet. There's also a large open pocket in the back that's perfect for larger flat paper items, like maps, lists, envelopes, etc.

This bag has been the perfect solution for me - it has all the organized space I need, and it's comfortable to carry.

Freecia said...

I'm a compartment person, but smart compartments! Picked up a few of these while overseas and note the bright interior for visibility.

http://www.momastore.org/museum/moma/ProductDisplay_Pouch%20Organizer_10451_10001_61283

The large pocket on the exterior of one side is a zip for secure/private items. The other side has 3 slots where wallet, pen, and cell phone fit. Interior is open with 4 mesh dividers to corral things like gum and headphones which used to get tangled in EVERYTHING. There's even tiny little pull handles so you can easily transfer bags. So much easier to find stuff. I agree that a bag split down the middle lined in black is a terrible idea. I much prefer using my own wallet than leaving my credit card in the purse slots that some "organizing purses" feature.

Jeri Dansky said...

Freecia, I didn't realize that MUJI makes a purse organizer; thanks for sharing that!

Keri Jackson said...

I have a friend who has a pouchee and it is great! I would like one myself :)
http://pouchee.com/

Susanne W said...

I have a bagmate which I like a lot. http://www.bagmate.com/

It is a bit stiff, so it stands up in my floppier bags. I like the handles, makes it easy to transfer.

I think I may want a bigger one for my larger bags. Sometimes I use two (a chameleon) I have open with diaper bag stuff, one with personal stuff.

I am a stickler for LIGHT colored interiors now. I will not buy a bag if it has a black lining. I am sick and tired of the black hole effect, and I don't understand why some manufacturers still do this. I also MUCh prefer the purse organizer to pockets on the bag, since I swap bags a few times a month and will accidentally leave stuff behind if they are in a pocket in the purse itself.

Jeri Dansky said...

Susanne, the bagmate is one of the organizers I mentioned in my first post of purse organizers back in May 2009 - I'm glad to hear you like yours!

My purses tend to have those dark linings, so I just try to ensure the things I put in my purse are NOT dark. For example, my iPhone case is a fluorescent green.

Karli said...

The Cherry Handbag Organiser is great because it has the handles which would make it easy to move from one bag to another bag.

Unknown said...

I love inserts that have a lot of compartments, that's why I love my chameleon insert :) http://www.chameleoninserts.com/

Although it doesn't have pretty fabrics, but it comes in 3 different sizes. It also has insert for diaper bag.

Jeri Dansky said...

Moonflower, I mentioned Chameleon inserts at the end of this post, without a picture - so it would have been easy to overlook. (I had a problem finding good photos on the Chameleon web site.) I'm glad to know you like yours.

Karli, I never thought about the handles! A few other inserts have handles, too - like the BagMate I mentioned in my earlier post on this topic.

Unknown said...

Ooops, my bad! I didn't see it :))

Sarah said...

Hi Jeri

A friend of mine bought an eco-friendly purse organizer recently. I like the plaid pattern and the design :) It has the handles everyone likes and the pockets are decent-sized.

http://www.plaiddoctrine.com/shop/details/000000005/purse_organizer

Jeri Dansky said...

Sarah, I really like that one - thanks for sharing!