Kelly-Rose Bradford: Handbag essentials

Jun 16 2009 Surrey Herald

THE contents of my handbag are a constant source of amusement to my family and friends, who question why I need to carry (among countless other things) a roll of parcel tape, hairdressing scissors, a tape measure, a length of ribbon, various pieces of fruit, and, at the last count, 47 used train tickets secured with an elastic band.

This is obviously in addition to all the daily 'essentials': make-up bag, iPod, book, keys, purse, credit card holder, notebooks, and mini laptop.

I have to admit that seeing it all listed makes me wonder why I take so much stuff around with me.

The answer could lie in the results of a survey undertaken by tissue makers Kleenex, who, in findings published last week, claim women are simply hoarders.

Apparently, we are routinely stuffing our bags with as many as 63 different objects on a daily basis.

Kleenex also discovered that as well as all the stuff we might expect to find - keys and purses and the like, there are also a cluster of what they deem as unusual objects lurking in the dark recesses of totes, clutches and handbags around the country.

As they cite car CD players and screwdrivers as being 'unusual', it makes me wonder what they would make of my roll of parcel tape

(needed for removing cat hair from my clothes when I'm out), length of purple ribbon (to pull up the zips on my boots so

I don't break my nails) and hairdressing scissors (for snipping loose threads and split ends when I'm bored on trains).

The survey also says that 92 per cent of the items found in women's bags weren't even seen as being useful by the 1,300 females surveyed, and more than half of respondents said they only ever use between 1 and five of the things they carry around with them, these most commonly being purse, keys, phone, pack of tissues and a pen and notebook.

Now I can confidently say I use almost everything in my handbag. In fact, it's the more random stuff that I tend to reach for over the mundane - for instance, I always take my laptop out, full of good intentions of working on the train, and rarely do.

Ditto reading my books.

I am far more likely to be found sitting painstakingly cutting off all those pesky split ends or parcel-taping the cat hair off my clothes.

The survey ends with the sage advice that we should try weighing our bags to see 'how realistic' we are being about our essentials.

If they are too heavy, we should be considering using compact versions of things wherever possible: smaller purses, a smaller notebook, a mini-sized pocket pack of tissues etc.

Yes, quite. Depending on what you deem an essential.

Any idea where I can obtain travel sized rolls of parcel tape and folding hairdressing scissors, anyone?