Clearing Out a Purse: What To Leave Home

Coins, extra cards, unused keys, duplicates and full-size toiletries. AOTA’s list of what to cut.

Published November 3, 2026 · 3 min read · Topic: Size, Fit & Comfort · Size & fit

Typical situation

You empty your bag onto the table and find a surprising amount of things you rarely use.

Main answer · berabags Editorial Team · Fit view

Take out duplicates, coins, unused keys, extra cards and full-size toiletries. AOTA’s advice for packing a purse suggests asking whether items can be left at home or in the car, and lists specific things to cut.

What the source says

Consider the contents of your purse: can you leave some items at home or in your car?
Eliminate unnecessary duplicate contents, such as extra pens and lipsticks.
Wallet: regularly empty it of coins, and reduce the number of cards you carry.
Toiletries: look for travel-size options for items such as lotions, make-up and hand sanitisers.
Cell phone: clip it to your waist.
Keys: leave keys you do not use regularly at home.
Accessories: limit the number in your purse.
Medication: request sample-sized medications.
The Ontario Chiropractic Association says to divide the contents among multiple pockets.

A simple clear-out

Empty the bag completely.
Put each item in one of three piles: always, sometimes, never.
Take the never pile out of the bag.
Put the sometimes pile somewhere you can fetch it.
Weigh the bag again.

What to keep

Things you need for safety and health, such as medicine or ID, belong in the bag. The aim is to remove what is not needed, not what is.

Tips for keeping it light

After you have cleared the bag, set a reminder to check it again in a week. Most people find that things creep back in. Keep a small tray or pouch at home where you drop receipts, spare cards and loose coins, so they do not return to the bag by default.

Where this answer stops

AOTA’s advice about medication is general. Do not reduce medicine without your pharmacist’s or doctor’s guidance.

Sources and further reading

Three more perspectives

berabags Editorial Team · Fit view

Do the clear-out with the bag open on a table, and put items into three piles: always, sometimes and never. The never pile goes home at once.

berabags Editorial Team · Use view

Keep a small pouch of the sometimes items at home or in the car, so that you can fetch them when needed rather than carry them every day.

berabags Editorial Team · Maintenance view

A clean-out also helps the bag itself. Loose items can scratch the lining and pull at seams, so a lighter bag may also wear more gently.

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