It's in the Bag

I carry a large purse. I haven't always carried a large one, but, with the birth of each child my bag has seemed to grow larger (hmmm...much like my hips, feet, boobs and belly!) Alas, I think my days of the small bag are over for awhile...

Sadly, in the area of purses, I think I am becoming like my mother-in-law. I have often made light of the fact that she seems to have a Wal Mart store inside her purse. You ask for nail clippers & she produces them. Need a screwdriver? It's in there. Mine's not that bad, and I hope it never will be.

Here's a picture:





The purse itself is new. I will admit it cost a little bit of money, but when I got the Vera Bradley catalog in the mail, I fell in love with the fabric. I never spend money on myself, so I splurged. I deserve it.

I love that it has lots of pockets inside to keep things neat. I'm a bit overzealous about handbag organization. I clean it out religiously. I don't like to have gum wrappers or receipts or anything like that floating in the bottom of the bag. I don't like clutter in my home, and I guess it just extends to my purse. If it's possible to have just a smidgeon of OCD, I think I do.

The contents of my bag aren't shocking or atypical. There's the wallet with my debit cards and my Blockbuster card and my library card and my Staples teacher's rewards card and all of those things a person normally carries in a handbag. I have the checkbooks and the hand lotion (which should really only be in there in the winter, as my hands sweat too much in the summer for lotion to be necessary!). I have the little zipper purse that matches the bag (another splurge) and it holds gum, hand sanitizer, Splenda packets, and Ibuprofen. The 2 Longaberger catalogs (1 current, 1 upcoming) because I'm a Longaberger consultant and keep those with me "just in case". I have baby wipes for sticky hands and the household calendar for keeping up with appointments and such. Basic stuff.

The most important thing in my purse is the black wallet which holds my cash. I don't use credit cards (anymore). I am not good with credit cards. I am an emotional spender and can't be trusted with credit. I have to be given limits, and the cash helps limit my purchases.

The cash is categorized. I have cash for groceries, for fast food purchases, for restaurant purchases, for babysitters, for haircuts, for clothing, for entertainment and for "blowing" on stuff that's not in the budget. When the money is gone, I don't get any until the beginning of the next month. Living on the cash system has taught me all kinds of self control.

About 3 years ago my husband and I went through the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover. We cut up the credit cards and paid off $73,000 in consumer debt within 18 months. It is one of the things I am the *most* proud of in my life. We now live credit-free. We have no debts except our mortgage.

I love living on the cash-only basis. I feel so responsible. I feel free. I feel in control of my money. I am proud that I have no debt. I can give when people need help. I LOVE IT.