September 06th, 2019

Looks what I found!

I've been looking for a purse.  I mean I have really and truly be looking. For months! And nothin'.  I'm picky, I know, I know.  But a purse is, somehow a very personal item. Like shoes.  Nobody else can choose my shoes for me.  It's not just about the way they look, it's also about how they feel.  Same kind of thing. Sort of.  Only I can choose my purse.

And this one, at long last, was the one.  After months of searching (and searching and searching!) and being frustrated and dismayed by each trip. And worrying every day that one of my previous bags, which was nearly as old as time, and beginning to thin out where the straps met the purse, was going to give up the ghost, finally, I was bringing home my new purse!  I know it sounds silly but really,  I was so happy I smiled for the rest of the day!

Here are my two previous purses which I kind of alternated between:

 
These are the ones I was replacing.  So I knew what I didn't want.  The questions was, what kind of purse did I want this time 'round? How did I know  that the one I ultimately chose was "The One" ? 

Oh let me count the ways:  To begin with, it is the right shape.  Kind of a long triangle.  I have found that is the most comfortable shape for me to carry. I have tried lots of other shapes and I find that I am always fussing with my purse when I carry those.  Moving it around, trying to find a comfortable way to hold it.  The long triangle shape (if you look at it sideways) works for me.

And it's not too  big, not too small.   I tried "down-sizing" with my last purse and while I enjoyed that it was not as heavy,  even though I didn't have much in it, I always had to take nearly everything out to find something.  Ridiculous and inconvenient.  The purse prior to that was so large it was nearly like luggage.  I always alikened it to Mary Poppins carpet bag.  I could fit almost anything in it.  Which is very handy when travelling but not necessary for a trip to the grocery store. For a day-to -day purse, it was like spelunking to find whatever I was looking for.

The new purse has a zippy pocket on the inside. Absolutely essential and to be fair both of my old purses had that too, which is why I knew I needed it.  Small things like a chapstick, a nail file, a pen or a bandaid drift to the bottom of any other purse and then it is a scramble to find it.  Nope, the interior zippy pocket is an absolute must!

The new purse has a pocket on the outside.  Now this pocket only has a flap that snaps shut, so I wouldn't put much in it, but an envelope, a grocery list or, as it turns out, my phone, fit in it beautifully.  My old Mary Poppins purse had so very many pockets and zippy places that in addition to it cavernous interior, when I was looking for something, I also had to go through multiple snap and zippered pockets!   This is so much easier.  Fewer places to put things means fewer places to hunt through.

The strap is the right size and there is only one of them.  It is a shoulder bag. And that is where it sits, perfectly, on my shoulder.  My previous colourful small bag had a very long strap that made it a great cross body bag.  I thought that sounded like a great idea.  Turns out it wasn't.    My giant Mary Poppins bag had two sets of straps, one short so it could be hand held (although it was so huge that it looked silly that way) and a double strap that made it a shoulder bag.  The shoulder bag part worked but the double strap part meant that I was forever losing one of the straps.  I also looked like a woman wearing a ill-fitting bra constantly slipping the strap back up on her shoulder. Annoying.

I love the dark blue colour.  It's not a boring beige or black nor a beautiful white (that let's face it will immediately get dirty).  It's also not a pattern.   I actually found several other purses that I liked a lot but they all were a colourful fabric pattern.  And I found with my small colourful previous bag that it really bugs me when my purse clashes with my clothes. I know, I know, it's ridiculous. But then I am ridiculous soooo there we go.  I saw one that I considered that was a great fuschia pink.  I mean smack you upside the head pink.  And I liked it. But I hesitated.  And 
the hesitation was enough for me to say, nope. Not doin' it.  It was the right choice.

Then there was the price.  We all know what  cheapskate I am.  And that extends to purses too. I probably should replace my purse pretty much every year because I am so hard on them. I use them constantly. I generally have just one and I use it nearly every day.  If I have to replace it yearly, why would I spend a lot of money on it?  This was was on the discount rack. At an Outlet store. On senior day.  You know that makes me happy.  It cost a whopping $11.24.  And I'm not even kidding a little bit about that. 

And the best part...did you notice the giant SH on the front?  That's my initials!  It appears to be literally  made for me!  HAHAHAHAH  Actually it stands for Sag Harbour which is the brand. But I don't' care. As far as I'm concerned it stands for Sam Humphreys!

So there it is.   My new purse.  I am a happy girl.

And you, please, have a happy Weekend!