My Organized Purse

*Warning, longer than usual post about my purse obsession and how I found the most wonderfully organized purse, so keep reading! :)

I am always on the lookout for the perfect bag. I get this honestly from my Grandmother.  We are bag ladies. I’m not talking high end bags here. We look for a good deal. We look for form and function. We’re not afraid to take it back if it’s not working for us either.

I don’t need a bag for every outfit but I need a bag I can use every day. My order is large right now, because the perfect bag for me still needs to hold a diaper or two and maybe a sippy cup. I really wanted to be able to carry my laptop around with me too, but I quickly realized things were just getting to heavy and I didn’t need to have Mac with me all the time. I know, GASP!

There has been quite a buzz about the Butler Bag among professional organizer’s. Those that could afford so bought one or multiples because they loved them so much. Then there were those of us that were on the frugal side and watching those sample sales.

I’ve had my eye on the Butler Bag for years! Seriously if I saved a dollar a week I could have bought one already. Two things were stopping me, the price and online buying. I  determined the size I needed was the hybrid and it costs $165. For what you are getting, the price is not all that bad but I have never paid that much for a handbag. The real deal breaker for me was paying $165 for a bag I could not touch first! I’m just saying it better feel real good and meet all of my needs for that price.

What’s so special about the Butler Bag, you ask? The compartments. There is a place for everything and everything has a place. Seriously!

Right before Christmas an organizer mentioned seeing the Butler Bag in the Kmart flyer.  What? No way, impossible. For real? Turns out Butler Bag put out an Essentials version of the bag. Essentially replace the top grain leather with vinyl and you get the idea. I really wanted to see if this whole compartmentalized thing would work for me. There is a Kmart near my mom so she was sweet enough to stop by and pick up a black one for me on Christmas Day! The hybrid size was on sale for $20 normally $30. For real!

My mom brought it over and I was soooo excited and then I saw it and I thought wow, it’s shiny! It’s really cool and I’m excited but it’s shiny. Now, if I would have opened a box that had a bag that I paid $165 for and had that response I would have been crushed. But all that was lost was $20. (My mom didn’t make me pay her back since it was Christmas and all, Thank you Mom!) So there my Butler Bag Essentials sat on my dresser for the next month, just because I wasn’t all that keen on the look of the outside. From the Butler Bag’s website I can tell that some of the Butler Bag do have a shine to it, but I’m not sure how it compares to Kmart’s vinyl bag.

Then I saw this post from a fellow organizer and it gave me new hope! She too was concerned about the shine. Since I had a blogging conference to go to I figured I would put the shininess behind me and give it a try. Let’s just say I have not put it down since. I put my other bag away. I’m sold. I love it. Right now I don’t care how shiny it is and yes, if she doesn’t hold up I will pay for the real leather.

This picture shows what I had in the bag the day after conference, and it all fits perfectly. A book, 2 diapers, a stack of business cards, phone, contact solution, makeup, pens, pencil, wallet, tissues, 2 steno pads, camera (not shown in picture because I was using it). And yes I can still fit a sippy cup or bottle of water in there!

Another good thing about this purse is that the bottom is flat so it will not fall over. I can leave it open next to me in the car and find exactly what I am looking for without fumbling through things. I actually do find myself carrying this bag everywhere with me, even in the house. It allows me to keep all of the essentials close by all the time. Now if I can get my hands on one of those mini laptops I saw at the conference I can have a computer close by at all times because it would fit!

Butler Bag most definitely works for me and has my two thumbs up!

Tagged as: organized, organized purse, Organizing