12 Things You Should Never Keep in Your Purse – You’ll Thank Yourself Later
A purse is a daily essential, but it can also be a time bomb of trouble waiting to happen. We’re all guilty of carrying too much “just in case” stuff.
The deal is this, however – not everything fits into that trusty tote. Other things are better kept in a safe drawer or stored at home. Why? You don’t want a purse to be unsafe or disorganized.
Do you think that you have mastered purse packing? Time to double-check. By scrolling through, find out which of these 12 items shouldn’t be a part of your daily commute.
Multiple Credit Cards
Is it necessary to have five credit cards on you all the time? Probably not. Having too many invites risks getting lost, and you’ll have to cancel them individually.
Financial planners suggest you own only one primary card and one backup. Having fewer cards at hand reduces your risk and simplifies things should something happen to them.
Receipts with Personal Information
Receipts are innocent little slips of paper until they bulk in your purse. Some purchases, especially from pharmacies or banks, may contain parts of your account details.
They can give scammers the first piece of your financial puzzle. Throw away (shred) receipts containing sensitive information as quickly as possible. Even better, choose email receipts instead of paper.
Spare Keys
The concept seems easy until it’s not. Your purse is easy to snatch. When gotten, it may also give the thief access to your house if the address is easy to trace.
Don’t hide spare keys in your purse—put them in a secure lockbox or with someone you trust. Lugging that weight around in your bag isn’t worth your home’s safety.
Your Social Security Card
Despite feeling so safe, carrying your Social Security card is like an identity thief’s dream. If someone gets hold of your Social Security number, it’s an open invitation to fraud (or worse).
For 2022 alone, the US received more than 1.1 million identity theft cases, as the Federal Trade Commission reports. Store your Social Security card at home and keep it safe. But if you do need access to the number, memorize it or, better yet, store it in a password-protected phone app.
Large Amounts of Cash
Finance experts say it is inappropriate to carry a lot of money. According to the FDIC, card payments are safer and easier to trace if you get mugged. Keep only small amounts of cash for your daily necessities.
All Your Makeup
Do you carry your whole makeup drawer around for touch-ups? Not only is this a waste of weight, but you also risk ruining your prized cosmetic products.
Rather than carrying all the stuff, have a small essentials-only kit. Have a compact mirror, pressed powder, mascara, and lipstick.
Loose Change
While loose coins don’t seem like much, quietly, they can chew away at your purse’s lifespan. Over time, heavy change at the bottom of your bag can cause wear and tear.
If you carry change, it’s also worth keeping it in a separate coin pouch or your car’s console. This helps keep your essential purse light and systematically organized.
Passports
You don’t need to carry your passport if you’re not traveling internationally. Losing it can cause plans to derail and incur replacement fees at significant costs, which would take weeks to fix.
Keep your passport securely at home. It is unnecessary packing and makes you a target for identity theft.
Work ID Badges
Work ID might be your all-access pass to all those sensitive spots. But if someone else possesses it, your workplace could be a security risk. Always leave your work ID in your car’s glove box or another safe spot. Don’t just carry it everywhere.
Flash Drives or Hard Drives
Storing sensitive documents on a USB or external drive and carrying them in your purse makes them vulnerable to loss since you have them everywhere. If your purse goes missing, so do potentially critical files.
The advantage of storing essential documents in the cloud is that they can be secured to cloud platforms. That way, they’re always around, and you’ll never lose them.
Medical Prescriptions
One thing is bringing your medication for the day, and another is carrying your prescriptions. If your purse is snatched, thieves cannot only misuse your meds but also access your health data on the label.
Only carry what you need. For your peace of mind, keep prescription bottles somewhere safe and private in the home.
Expired Gift Cards
A cluttered purse wrecks your efficiency. Unused or old gift cards join the pile of mess. Moreover, losing them (even unused ones) is not worth it.
When sorting through your purse, remove outdated gift cards or cards you’ll never use at least once a month. These can be organized in a drawer or wallet, which can declutter your life.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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