Last week, I mentioned that August is Capitol Hill Style’s birthday month. Born from the boredom of a four-week recess and a desire to guide the cadre of 22-year-old ladies who come to D.C. each year seeking their fortune, this blog has now been dishing up fashion and career advice for five years. (Boy, I feel old.) To celebrate, I’ll be hosting a weekly giveaway for some of Capitol Hill Style’s most loved products starting with a Lo & Sons bag.
From Left, the OMG and OG, the Brookline Laptop Tote, the Claremont Camera Bag and the Catalina Beach Bag
Last year, when Lo & Sons contacted me about reviewing their handbags, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. From the moment I opened the box, a love affair began. The bags are durable, chic and cavernous (in the best possible way). They hold laptops, workout clothes, legal-size files and any workday essentials you might need.
I use mine as a carry-on, a gym bag and a work bag. Miss M carries her OMG with her everywhere and is always surprised how many people stop to ask her who makes it. And even out in sleepy Montana, my Mother is constantly asked where other teachers can buy a “magic bag” like hers.
The winner of this giveaway will receive the Lo & Sons bag of her choice in the color of her choice. Choose a beach bag, a camera bag or a work tote, the choice is yours.
To enter, leave a comment answering the question: What is the strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag?
Don’t forget to sign in using your real e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. And please, PLEASE, please comment only once and do not reply to other people’s comments. Duplicate comments and replies throw off the count and will be deleted.
And if you’re not willing to take your chances with the whims of cruel fate, Derek at Lo & Sons was kind enough to offer a 15-percent-off discount code that can be used on their website to purchase the bag of your choice. The code is CAPITOLHILLSTYLESUMMER and will work through the end of August.
I have a Lilly Pulitzer Koozie in everyone of my everyday bags! You never know when you need a Koozie!
The strangest thing I carry in my every day bag is a wine bottle opener. I mean, you never know…
A plastic bag full of pills…it probably looks worrisome, but I’ve found it’s the only way I remember to take my vitamins every day!
I have a Bags on Board container of dog poop bags in my purse all the time. I never want to be that person that leaves my dog’s special delivery on a DC sidewalk.
I always carry a little can of almonds with me.
I don’t really have anything *strange* in my bag, per se, but I do keep up to five notebooks on me at all times. Is that strange?
I keep a pretty big variety of foreign currency in my wallet, which lives in my bag.
The strangest thing I carry in my bag is probably syringes. It doesn’t look good, but I need them to inject my insulin, appearances be damned!
Random house stuff- spare screws, etc.- I’m doing a lot of house work and keep finding random things sitting around that somehow end up in my purse!
I carry a plastic mouth barrier should I need to perform CPR. It even has its own pouch. Mouth to mouth with a stranger, yuck. I am a nurse so that should make it less weird. 🙂
Right now the strangest thing in my purse is a tortilla in a plastic bag! My partner packs my lunch, and today includes a build-your-own burrito (the fixings are in the fridge, tortilla still in my bag). Thanks for the giveaways!
Pearls! Never know when you need to step up your look on a moments notice
My purse contents are pretty conventional! I’d probably have to agree with Anna Louisa though that I carry a full pharmacy. Currently have 5 different OTC meds in there…just in case!
An old school diaper pin – the kind with the duck head at the top.
A bottle/packet of Zicam, Airborne, Emergen-C or something similar. I totally believe in their abilities to stave off a cold but you have to take it at the first sign of symptoms so I like to be prepared in case the sniffles hit!
Not that strange – but I carry the mini jambox with me everywhere while traveling to always have music in my hotel room.
I have recently started carrying a small container of Play-Doh with me to be used as a stress reliever/focus enhancer. Works incredibly well, just have to remember not to check your nails after!
Consistently, probably contact solution/a spare contact lens. I drive to work and I’m blind as a bat without my lenses, and I’m always paranoid something will happen and I will get stranded.
Clear nail polish. I threw it in last winter in case my tights snagged and never took it out. Also lots of toothpicks, the boyfriend is always asking for one!
I have a small bag of muesli in there that I got after listening to a talk about Bob’s Red Mill. I was going to remove it, but then figured, hey, I’m going to have no time for breakfast some day . . . .
I usually keep my bag down to the bare minimum, but always carry a tape measure, because you just never know when you need to measure something!
A plastic container of sea creature-themed rubber stamps that I use to recognize students who are working on task. The sea lion is very popular with my tenth graders.
The strangest thing I carry in my purse everyday is nearly a full-blown pharmacy min-bag with tylenol, band-aids, sudafed, you name it. All these items come in handy more than you would think!
A ring of gold keys. I’ve had them for three years for work but to this day I only know what two of them do!
The strangest thing that I have in my bag right now are all of my beverage containers. I have a mason jar with a green juice, a coffee mug with hot coffee and then a tumbler with water.
The strangest thing I have in my purse is a small disposable razor (and I don’t use it to shave my legs!). When my sweater or cardigan starts to develop pills, I just bust out the razor and remove the extra fuzz. Strange but very helpful.
I used to do physique competitions and the strangest thing that I always had with me is food. Chicken, fish, asparagus, brown rice, a protein shake. Where ever I was going I made sure to have my next meal with me. In case you are wondering meat is kept cold by putting an ice pack in a Tupperware container then adding the meat sealed in a Ziplock bag. Yes, I would get strange looks whenever I pulled chicken out of my purse.
The things I carry in my bag are pretty conventional. Strangest may be a mini lint roller?
Wool socks–as the outside temperature gets higher, my office gets colder.
Thanks for the giveaway, and the Lo and Sons review in the first place! I have the Brookline laptop bag, and really want an OMG as an everyday/gym bag!!
The strangest thing is probably a bag of doggie treats. My neighbourhood and the area around my office always has lots of people walking their dogs, so I love having little treats on hand when I inevitably stop to pet them!
Herbal tea. The kind depends on my mood.
A purse in my purse. I once dropped my zippered clutch into my work bag when I was running late, and now I find it easier to just keep it in there with my most important items- it also makes it very easy to grab something smaller to hold when I’m just heading down the block to grab lunch.
I always have some wort of sweet snack. Usually a cookie, but M&Ms tend to creep in my bag as well.
Oh gosh, what strange things don’t I find in my purse? I often have my DSLR thrown in there (and all the little bits and pieces that go along with that.) I have dogs, so it’s not unusual to find a clicker or a baggie of treats in there, and I have a toddler, so stickers or small cars can also sometimes be found. Sounds like a “cavernous” bag would be perfect for me!
At least four tubes of chapstick / lip gloss.
The strangest thing in my bag right now is an ingrown hair bump fighter kit. I got a wax the other day in preparation for my upcoming vacation and bought the kit at the salon, but forgot to take it out of my cavernous bag. Oops!
I have a clear pouch that carries an assortment of lipglosses, mascara, epipen, and inhaler. None of these items is strange in and of itself but the bundling in the same pouch is a bit odd.
Paci wipes…my kids don’t even use pacifiers anymore! They come in handy for wiping things off though.
I have an addiction to lipstick so at all times I have a small cosmetics bags with at least 14+ different shades of lipstick, lipgloss, and chapstick. It never leaves my bag!
An unused Paris metro ticket from a trip in 2004. I never had the heart to throw it away and it always makes me smile whenever I see it tucked away among all my everyday items.
As a mother of three- the weirdest probably to the cap hill crowd is a green package of the most marvelous variation on the baby wipe: a green snot-colored package of Boogie Wipes. They not only wipe away, they soothe my babies tiny noses during raw-nose seasons! I buy them in bulk!
A key! I have no idea what it opens, but it stays in my bag “just in case”
A flashlight. Don’t know why when I have an app for that
Ever since I was in the Peace Corps in Mongolia and was subjected to day after day of food prepared with any spices, I carry two mini air-tight condiment jars. One is filled with a home made blend of garlic powder, black pepper, curry powder, and paprika, and the other is filled with a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. When I was in Mongolia, I used to discreetly whip these little bottles out and sprinkle my mutton with much-needed flavor. Now I carry them around on the off chance that I’ll need to rescue myself from bland food.
I just found a plastic letter F in the bag I’ve been carrying for weeks, with no idea where it’s from!
My cleats & softball glove. I run my two corporate softball teams and play on at least four others throughout the week during Spring, Summer & Fall.
I have a red Rabbit rubber wine stopper in my purse. I’m not sure how it got there, and I don’t know why I haven’t taken it out yet, but I like to think it rounds out my preparedness.
I love these bags! The strangest thing I carry these days is a pair of sunglasses… Not needed for the foggy Sam Francisco summer, but I’m an optimist!
I have scissors and glue in my purse – I was a second grade teacher before going to law school and still can’t shake the urge to carry around school supplies!
Nothing too strange in my bag. Maybe the little mini flashlight I got at a company trade show? You know in case I get stuck in a dark place.
The weirdest thing I carry in my purse would have to be cheese sticks. I’m a college girl on the go, and it can be the perfect snack that isn’t messy!
I always carry my pocket U.S. Constitution. I’ve whipped that thing out on a few occasions during heated discussions of the 2d Amendment, the 14th Amendment and Article II power.
A mix CD from highschool (>10 years ago) and I have no idea why it’s there.
The strangest thing in my bag is probably the wide variety of magazines I always have to read – currently I’m carrying around an issue of Time, Better Homes & Gardens, and Kiplinger. But since you’re a woman who appreciates variety, I’m sure you’ll think that’s too normal.
So my other weird thing is a pair of capri leggings. I almost never wear pants, but I’m a part-time actress, so I always like to hair a pair of leggings to put on under dresses for rehearsals.
A smaller purse! It helps with organization. Plus if I need to go to an event and do not want to carry the larger bag around all evening, I already have a smaller purse ready to go!
Dental floss. Always with the dental floss. One does not go into a meeting with clients with strawberry seeds in one’s teeth.
This is very attractive- nose spray. My allergies are killing my right now.
Lavender aromatherapy for when I am stressing or cannot sleep while traveling. That is always in my bag. That and tape measure. Tape measure is essential to make sure if I find an awesome deal on furniture that it can fit.
A silver dollar my dad gave me for good luck, and a pink mini-Maglite in case my luck ever runs out in a place like the subway.
Nothing too strange, but I usually carry snacks. Today it’s trail mix.
Nothing too strange at the moment. Maybe the sharpies I have from where we took my step son to camp. Label, label, label!
The strangest thing I have is probably my mini pharmacy of stomach medication (tums, gas-x, rx, etc.) Any kind you can think of, I usually have it in my bag.
Hm, I haven’t really got anything strange or unusual in my purse. On any given day the strangest thing is probably some random toy or snack that my 2-year old has hidden inside my purse. One day the interior pockets were stuffed with crayons!
Nipple cream! It’s so embarrassing but it’s the BEST for chapped lips (trust me on this!)
Thanks!!
Ali
I carry salmon flavored dog treats and doggie bags everywhere!
A wine opener. Clearly I have my priorities!
A pocket DSM. Never know when I’ll need to diagnose on the fly! (I jest.)
A padlock just hanging out in my purse, hehe. You never know when you’re gonna need one?
Right now it’s an assortment of straws. Straws always amuse my daughter in public
A Leatherman tool. It has come in handy on multiple occasions!
Dog/Cat treats for when I’m visiting friends who have furry babies!
Miniature beach umbrella from a cocktail that I never (apparently) took out of my purse…
The strangest thing in my bag right now is dog treats (in a ziploc) from my last trip to the vet.
A name tag from my most recent conference/panel/etc. I almost always have at least one floating around my bag.
A few tea bags. Just in case I go somewhere and need tea.
Coffee. We always forget to restock the coffee supply in the office, so I keep some in my purse in case we are ever out.
What is the strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag?
a CNN mint container with stamps (for a while i was taking an old school correspondence course in geography and always needed stamps)
A single monkey from the game “barrel of monkeys” – it’s a good luck charm!
Chamois Glide anti chafing balm. I initially bought it to use when cycling, and found that it doubles as a way to prevent (or ease the pain of) blisters from summer sandles!
An apple corer! I use it so that I can snack on apple wedges at my desk, but also answer the phone in case it rings.
I have my Leatherman multi-tool at the bottom of my purse. It has a box opener and scissors and I love having it when I need it. People are always so surprised I have it when I pull it out of my purse or offer help to someone.
My purse has a better selection of products than most drugstores! I always carry 5 lip glosses/lipsticks that I rarely use, and one chap stick I use constantly. Seven kinds of pills for whatever medical situation might arise. Band-aids. A spare pair of undies. Moisturizer, and an under eye roller, a hair brush, and too many hairpins and pony tail holders to count, nail-polish remover wipes, and all of the little perfume samples I’ve received from the department store/Birchbox.
I desperately need an OG to tote all this around 🙂
I carry assorted crystals in my purse at all times to channel various types of positive energy. They are in a small drawstring jewelry bag. I may forget my wallet or my reading glasses but I always have my crystals!
A Sharpie and a fountain pen. They both come in handy more often than you would think. There are many times when a lesser writing instrument simply will not do.
I guess fashion tape, the double sided sticky tape for clothes, is my weirdest thing.
I travel quite a bit for work, so I always have a variety of metro tickets in my bag. I’m convinced I can’t take out my BART pass or SMART card since I might end up needing one or the other by the end of the day.
I have an airplane-sized bottle of Sutter Home Red Wine. I promise I’m not a lush, it’s just been there a while!
The strangest thing I carry in my every day bag is a small headlamp. You never know when you might need to shine some light somewhere!
Tea! You never know when you’ll run into an office with terrible tea offerings and need to supply your own.
Perhaps my little coupon organizer? In itself it isn’t weird, but I almost always have it with me so that if I have to make an otherwise-unplanned trip to the store, I can save a little money. I’m not a craaaazy couponer by any means, but who doesn’t like to (easily) save money?
My bag is always full of random things to get me from morning til night away from home – so I’m no longer surprised by its contents, though watching the puzzled expressions of others while I rifle through checkbooks, highlighters, socks, and blinking light attachments for my bicycle is always a treat. I guess the strangest thing in my bag is actually my bicycle lights or locks….on the days that I’m taking metro to work and not touching my bike at all….
Leftover from client events, two Sharpies–one black (with a fine tip end in addition to the marker end) and one silver (for autographs on dark-colored items). I used to work an annual event with a pro-athlete.
A wine/beer bottle opener – always prepared! 🙂
I always have a bottle of Advil.
The strangest thing in my purse would have to be the Tapatio (hot sauce) packets. I randomly came across them at the movie theatre and now I always have some with me. You never know when you will need a little hot sauce 🙂
Right now I have a tiny champagne bottle filled with soap bubbles. I went to a lot of weddings this year.
I carry whatever color of nail polish I’m wearing at the time- chips really bug me and if I get just one, I tend to think the whole manicure is ruined and start picking at it– so I try to fix chips and run a topcoat over every other day or so.
At the moment, I’ve also got a pair of underwear in a cosmetics bag– it’s my favorite pair that I got at target a year or so ago, and every time I’m in target, I stop to see if they have something similar- no luck yet but maybe someday!
Bobby pins. So many bobby pins.
I have way too many organizer clutches inside my purse.
I carry a bag of pills too! But more often that note, it’s a half-eaten cookie that I think I will save for later but just end up throwing out.
Three $1 chips I forgot to cash in at the Borgata over Memorial Day. Maybe they’ll bring me luck in DC!
My swimsuit. I hit the pool every day to start my day off right.
Perhaps not so strange, but I carry three separate calendars/day planners. One large one that has a day-per-page for the hourly schedule I try and keep, one medium size that has a week-per-page to keep the week’s goals and appointments in order, and one small size that covers two years with a month-per-page. Slightly neurotic I know, but hey, girl’s got a busy schedule!
I try to streamline my purse contents as much as possible to make bag transfers easy, but I have kept a “Redneck Driver’s License” for YEARS, the kind you buy in a souvenir store (cartoon picture of man with no teeth, birth date listed as ‘ask uncle dad’, restriction listed as ‘wearing shoes’, you get the idea). While living in Nashville post college I forgot my ID one eve and saw a gift shop next door with the ID’s in the window. Rather than cab home and back again I purchased the ID and handed to the bouncer, he laughed so hard that he let me in.
I no longer have it, but I carried around an N64 Donkey Kong game for about a month. It found its way into my purse somehow (…I really have no idea) and when I found it it made me laugh, so I kept it around.
Well, I think my purse is going to double in weight, these are all really good ideas that I now feel like I MUST have with me at all times! The weirdest thing is a Tide Pen because I spill on myself a LOT.
I have about two months’ worth of notes from the Sunday sermons at church.
I always carry a bag of goldfish crackers for the kids.
Earplugs – always handy to have the option of peace and quiet.
I always have apple slicse in my bag — never know when I’m going to get hungry!
The strangest thing I carry in my bag every day is a flash drive – always have to be prepared!
I have had a bag of broken necklaces that I’ve been meaning to fix in my purse for a month now. Happy birthday, CHS!
I’m pretty aggressive in editing my purse or it gets out of control. Probably the spare pair of contacts is the usual but right now I’m toting around some spare birthday cards.
My son’s tiny baby bunny toy, for cuddle emergencies!
One of those little wind-up flash lights, which my Dad gave me for Christmas one year. It came in handy a few times, but now I just whip out the flashlight app on my iPhone.
I keep my travel waterpik in a case in my purse. The feeling of dentist-clean gums is a good mid-day pick me up. Truly weird.
Hm…lots of old receipts and store coupons (just in case!)
I wrote a comment that was eaten! I’ve been carrying my boyfriend’s broken watch around for two years with the intention of having it fixed and for whatever reason, I can never remember to do it. He probably thinks it was lost years ago.
I keep a roll of athletic tape in my makeup bag in my purse.
The strangest thing is probably floss!
Neosporin cream, for scrapes, blisters, blemishes, and anything else that might pop up during the day.
Bandaids in a specifically engineered bandaid container.
Waterproof purple eyeliner. You never know?
Probably my Disney princess keys – I’m still young at heart.
I had to dig through my bag, but the strangest thing at this moment is a vegan cookie recipe.
I have metro cards for three different cities — two of which I haven’t visited in at least a year.
Shoes. Always an extra pair of flats for commuting.
Since it’s summer, the strangest thing in my purse is Benadryl cream to stop me from scratching icky mosquito bites.
On a brighter note: Happy 5th birthday, Capitol Hill Style!
Lavender Essential Oil ~ because you should always be prepared to handle a stressful situation.
extra underwear … I’m terrified of working out in the morning at the gym at work, then showering and realizing that I forgot to pack underwear.
Baby wipes– I am childless.
I always carry a deck of cards in my purse – just in case i get bored, or for games.
Nail clippers – in case a hangnail sneaks up on me!
I have Instant Krazy Glue right now. Not sure why I put in it my purse in the first place but I never took it out.
I currently have a pair of keys that I don’t know what they open. I have a suspicion that one of them is from my first apartment.
My epipen. I was not allergic as a kid, so I found strange the need to carry that just now that I’m 33. It freaks me out the idea that in case of emergency I would have to stick myself with that. I hope I’ll never need it.
My 9 year old sister’s pink hair tie. She put it in there on her last visit and I can’t bring myself to take it out!
A powder brush, even though I don’t carry powder….huh.
A CPR rescue mask – infant and adult size. Always prepared!
Well I always have a koozie and a tactical pen. For all you ladies, a tactical pen is by far the best item to carry if you tend to walk alone at night. The beauty of tactical pens (unlike pepper spray) is you can carry it everywhere I go. I have traveled all around the world with my pen and have never had any issues with airport security. I carry this pen in my hand when walking around alone…I know if someone tried to attack me I could defend myself, causing an injury that would at the very least give me time to run away. There are plenty on the market for sale. Here is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Tactical-Titanium-Colored-Aluminum-Construction/dp/B005HP41VW/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_29
a pair of black socks – never know when my feet are going to get cold in a chilly office. or on the plane.
A mini screwdriver. No idea why I have it with me!
I’d say it’s a tie between my spare meds holder that says “I need more money, power and less sh*t from you people” and the German baby bracelet my gram gave me. When I’m having a bad day, it makes me smile.
The strangest thing I carry around in my purse on a daily basis is a ziploc bag with my latest knitting project. Since I spend nearly an hour in-transit every day it’s nice to have something to keep my hands busy! (And, it’s an excellent conversation starter!)
The strangest item I carry in my purse is a hotel key to the NYAC – even though I’m back home in DC!
Happy Birthday Capitol Hill Style! Thank you for all the great intel over the years 🙂
The weirdest thing I have in my bag is probably the wine list from the restaurant I work at part time. I pulled it out yesterday at my office and I got a few sideways glances.
Floss! Not that weird though, and it comes in handy!
Hi! First off, happy blog birthday! Thank you so much for creating this blog and taking the time to publish such informative and enjoyable posts! It has helped me immensely, both in my professional and personal journeys. The strangest thing in my handbag would be my glucose tablets. I suffer from hypoglycemia so it is a necessity! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
I always carry a plastic sandwich bag full of my favorite tea bags. I can’t drink coffee, and decent tea is not to be taken for granted.
I don’t keep anything that odd in my bag, but I tend to shove napkins in there when I buy food on the go, so there is almost always one or more crumpled at the bottom.
I got a flat once while biking to work and didn’t have supplies to fix it, but now I’m always prepared! My bag always has a patch kit, mini-pump, and tire levers.
An assortment of bandaids… always prepared. 🙂
My Mel Ott Society card, for he, not Babe Ruth, was the youngest player to reach 100 home runs.
I usually have a stash of starbucks napkins – I kept seeing blogs/magazines say they were just as good as oil blotting papers and now they are a summertime beauty necessity for me.
Benadryl itch stopping cream, I am a magnet for mosquitoes so I never leave home without it.
I am a yoga teacher so I carry around a bottle of lavender oil at all times!
A full sized deodorant – commuting in the sweltering summer heat makes it necessary!
I carry a wrench that fits the seat of my bike in case it ever comes loose!
I keep a box of Crane & Co gold embossed thank you notes and write notes for everything. People really appreciate when they are appreciated!
I try to clean my work bag out fairly regularly. One item that is still in there is a little packet of temporary cement. I had to have a temporary crown put on and my dentist gave me this little applicator + cement in case the temporary fell off and I couldn’t get in to see her. Time to clean that out!
Usually an apple and a handful of fruit leathers from Trader Joe’s!
These comments should really be collapsible…it is quite a scroll when there are so many.
The strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag is a condom. I never know when I’ll have a last-minute date with my bf and I won’t be able to run home first so I try to always be prepared to be safe!
I think it’s normal, but I have a stash of bobby pins in every purse. They are essentially my calling card.
Baby wipes and lots of packages of broken crackers and smooshed granola bars. Yeah, I have a total mom bag.
My library card from my hometown, located about 1,000 miles from where I live now! Oh, nostalgia…
Right now I have a men’s shoehorn in my purse…It’s travel size and I was carrying it for my fiance and it has since fallen into the abyss and will unlikely be found for months!
Ear plugs. I have a pair from when my dad was helping me move across country and I had to share hotel rooms with him. He snores baddddd, so this was the only way I could sleep… it’s been almost 2 years and they still make every purse change. Ya never know when you’ll need some quiet 🙂
Basically my entire lipstick/balm/gloss collection. That way I never forget to bring it with me, and I’m never without a color I need.
Paint chips. I’m tired of purchasing items for my house and then realizing afterwards that it looks horrible with the wall color
A diaper. Totally necessary, but seems so strange compared to the stuff I used to carry.
Probably not that strange, but a mini deodorant. DC summers are too hot to handle.
i like to keep things to stay busy in my bag for when i have downtime, my kindle (not so odd), some knitting and a half-finished friendship bracelet (more odd)
A wine opener. Because, well, life. 🙂
A wine opener. I know my priorities!
My toddler has mysteriously chosen a small yellow magnet as his “security object” that he insists on carrying around during every waking moment outside of daycare. Fortunately, we have several duplicates, so I keep one in my purse for the days when I pick him up in the afternoons. It makes me smile whenever I see it. 🙂
An assortment of multi-colored pens for my 2-year old to play/draw with if we are stuck somewhere and she gets bored.
The strangest thing is on of those spiral bobby pins. Easiest way to get my hair up.
A sharpie. And extra metro/subway cards for DC and NYC–you just never know…
The strangest thing in my bag is one of those spiral bobby pins. Easiest way to get my hair up.
A ziplock baggie of vitamins, excedrin, ibuprofen, sudafed, & mucinex. Can’t say I’m not prepared!
A wine opener. Priorities 🙂
I usually have a set of contacts in my purse. My eyes are sensitive and I usually wear glasses, but I carry the contacts just in case.
I have the business card of a guy who came to my door several years ago trying to sell me a security system. We ended up talking for about 3 hours and sharing the pizza I had delivered earlier that night. I have no idea what happened to him after he walked out of my house, but I still have that card!
My library card from my hometown — located about 1,000 miles away from where I live now! Oh, nostalgia…
My check book. I haven’t written a check in year, but for some reason I still carry it around. You never know if today is the day that I need to write a check!
A migraine “preparedness” kit – ear plugs, a sleep mask, and my migraine meds. If I am lucky and catch a migraine really early during the aura, I can take the meds, a glass of water, and lay in a dark room for 30 minutes to an hour and beat the migraine. I’ve crashed on friends’ beds, in my office with the door closed (when I had one), and even office supply closet at my current job b/c its dark. They even made a little sign for my flare ups that they put on the door 🙂
I have a pebble that I picked up from one of my favorite places on the planet
For most people the strangest item I carry in my purse is my large full sized day planner, yes i still use a day planner and write everything out! I have a smart phone but can’t make the switch. Any of the L&S bags would fit my day planner!
Happy Birthday CHS!
Most recently, it’s been a Minion – a Despicable Me 2 promotional Happy Meal toy – courtesy of my 2 year old.
I have an old pair of earrings in the shape of a rocking horse in my bag. My grandma gave them to me. I found them months ago and tucked them in my bag and they’ve just stayed there, keeping me company on work trips.
I have a fancy cleaning cloth for my glasses – it makes a huge difference!
spare contacts + contact solution
This is TMI-so my apologies to other readers…Lately I keep in my purse a plastic ziploc bag full of Miralax. I am 24 weeks pregnant and am constantly adding Miralax to my tea at work to help maintain regular digestion. Miralax comes in a white powder so needless to say, I get alot of funny looks and stares when I take it out of my purse every morning.
Probably the ACE bandage – while traveling in March, I fell down the stairs at a hostel (not fun! well. the night was, the consequences, not so much). Bought the bandage at the airport and have been carrying it around ever since, since my ankle still isn’t totally recovered…(bonus: unfinished friendship bracelets that I was making for my little sister)
a tiny bottle of hot sauce.
I always have an unexplainable about of hair ties and barrettes. . .
Probably not technically weird, but yy “hair tin”. I repurposed a tin that held mints in a former life to carry clear hair elastics and bobby pins. Living in “Swampeast” Missouri the humidity here can kill a hairstyle dead in no time flat.
A small snack of some sort–usually nuts!
Band-aids and an old student id. I’m not too far removed from school that I still look like the photo, and provides a great second photo id and student discounts at stores!
LOVE my OMG bag from Lo & Sons!
I usually carry a fork and spoon with me to avoid having to use plastic disposable utensils. (Used to just be the spoon until a police officer friend pointed out how suspicious that could look!) I also keep a book of stamps in my purse, since that’s the only place where I seem to avoid losing them.
I would have to say nasal decongestant. I have bad allergies and it brings *some* relief! I also use it when I am tired. The minty smell wakes me up!
I don’t think I have anything too strange in my bag. I’ve been traveling a lot lately so I have accumulated a large stash of hotel room keys that keeps building.
A full (but mini!) dental hygiene kit- brush, toothpaste, floss, etc. Makes a huge difference!
A koozie and a few snacks!
I used to carry a tiny screwdriver, the kind you use to fix your glasses. I wear glasses and am terrified of being “blind” without them. So it happens that I “helpfully” had this tiny screwdriver with me several years ago on vacation 3,000 miles from home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I lent the screwdriver to a fellow traveler with broken specs. Never got it back. Four hours later, I lost my glasses in the Pacific Ocean when a freak wave overwhelmed our beach party late at night. Spent the rest of the week stumbling around Mexico. Lesson: no matter how prepared you are, life still throws you surprises. I don’t “need” as much in my bag as I think.
A toy phone from Build A Bear Workshop courtesy of my 5 year old. My purse randomly sings “Be bearriffic, be be bearrific, yeah!”
I keep a plastic spoon & fork in a baggie. I’m trying to cut down on the number of these I use and throw away at various fast food places.
I had to look because I wasn’t sure I had anything strange in my bag. Then, I found the Pez dispenser my niece gave me two years ago because she thought it looked like me. It has somehow managed to survive every bag transfer since she gave it to me.
The cd, Def Lepard, ‘Vault’ Greatest Hits from 1980-1995. I know CDs are old school, but I can always put it in my computer or car to hear some great music and put a smile on my face.
I always have at least 3 bottles of hand sanitizer with me
Dice! Never know when they might come in handy.
I carry a few bills worth of foreign currency from past trips. It brings back happy memories whenever I notice them in my wallet.
It sounds like I’m not the only one who carries a pair of socks.
At least 5 necklaces… my work bag doubles as a travel bag and you never know when you’ll need a statement necklace.
Diapers, petroleum jelly, diaper rash cream, packet of apple sauce, fruit snacks and a fruit roll-up…having a 2 year-old means your purse is no longer your own!
Right now, I’m carrying around a portable walking cane despite being a year shy of 30. I fractured my foot a few weeks ago and having an emergency cane really helps when I get tired.
a $1 casino chip from the Aria hotel in Vegas. And body scrub, I use for my hands (sorry if this comes up twice, there was a computer crash)
I used to be a nanny so I have top-level but very small first aid kit without which I never leave home – even (especially!) when I’m going out for a night out! I don’t think it’s strange but apparently all of my friends do.
Highlighters! Lot’s and lots of highlighters! I just counted and I have 5 highlighters in my purse (2 yellow, pink, green, and blue). You never know when you need to color code something you are reading on the bus!
Coupons. And no, I’m not 80. They *are* gathered in a Marc Jacobs clutch so perhaps that ups the chic factor?
I finally came to the realization that i would never use all those BB&B 20% vouchers if I didn’t have them with me at all times.
tweezers
Sadly I just fished a rotted peach out of my new handbag this morning. Right now my bag is sitting on my desk filled with baking soda to remove the smell. Loose baking soda is pretty strange, no?
Definitely the weirdest thing in my bag lately is a large pink rubber bouncy ball. When the muscles in my feet feel overworked after a long day of walking, rolling the ball under the my soles relieves a lot of pain.
The strangest thing I carry is a friction block stick. I hate when my shoes aren’t comfortable.
I keep a journal for my son, which hasn’t been updated in months and months and months, but I still keep it in there, just in case I have a free moment to document his likes/dislikes/milestones.
4 Different types of chapsticks…. Just in case
Two summer musts: A folding fan and a bottle of Lemon Eucalyptus oil (to ward off bugs)
Pair of ballet flats!
I’m not sure I carry anything strange or unusual in my everyday bag. I always have floss with me at all times, as I find if I don’t have some with me, I’ll need at the most inopportune time!
The spare key to my old car! Since sold.. oops. 1996 white Volvo out there, I’m coming for you.
A million pieces of saltwater taffy from a day trip! I keep throwing one or two in on my way out the door in case I need an afternoon pick me up, but then I never eat them and they accumulate. They are probably 10 in there by now!
The strangest things I have are a Tide Pen (not that strange) and an out of date Costco flier (a product of laziness). Time to clean out my purse!
vaseline!
I almost always have a snack, and it’s usually turkey jerky. I know it seems gross, but it’s my fave!!
Colgate Wisps! You never know when you’re gonna need a mini-toothbrush/toothpick!
Multiple chapsticks. They tend to disappear only to reappear after a new one is tossed in.
i don’t know that anything is strange… usually just some emergency snacks for my daughter for the ride home!
Earplugs. You never know when you’ll need a little peace and quiet, or when you’re stuck working in an office that is half under constructions.
I carry a collection of notes from my husband. Sometimes he packs me lunch in the mornings, and he will write a sweet note on an index card and tuck it in a pocket in my bag for me to find later. I must have collected 30 or 40 by now. How lucky am I to have a husband that packs lunch? 😉
A pink, keychain-sized Sharpie (in case of grammar emergencies).
Deodorant — but it’s not for me, it’s for my teenagers.
Weirdest thing? A bunch of “half pieces” of gum. I don’t like to chew a full piece, so I rip it in half and end up inadvertently dropping the unchewed half into my bag! Whoops!
*Two* koozies with my company logo and a diaper for my toddler. It really is my EVERYDAY bag.
I like to keep a fairly streamlined bag, but I’d say the oddest thing I keep is a small thing of sunscreen. I HATE being caught out in the sun with no protection (I’m good about applying it to my face everyday of course, but not so much on my body). It comes in handy!
Congrats on five years!
An embarrassing number of ponytail holders and bobby pins. You never know when you might need one (or eight)!
vaseline
Usually a couple of random utensils– forks or spoons– because I pack my lunch everyday!
Congrats on the 5 year anniversary! And thank you for including us in the celebration.
My favorite coffee shop only provides raw sugar as a sweetner, and that just isn’t enough to transform my iced red eye to the equivalent of coffee ice cream. So, I hoard Splenda packets from other coffee bars and stash them in my purse. Sad, but true.
I basically have a pharmacy in my bag – anti bacterial, tissues, sewing kit, hair ties, feminine products, advil, dayquil, gum, chapstick, bandaids – you never know when you or a friend needs anyone of these! Lately my sons fruit pouches and pacifiers have been sneaking in too. I may or may not have eaten a pouch in a pinch last week..
The strangest thing I have in my bad at the moment is Mustela bebe Hydra-Stick (a moisturizing stick for babies). I’m 23 and am no where near having any children but I use this religiously for my always chapped lips!
A mini screwdriver. I can’t remember why it’s in there!
sandals!
Neosporin probably tops the list of weird, but it always seems to come in handy with two young children. Other weird but lovely things are silver bracelets I picked up for my daughters when I was in Santa Fe and Murano glass bead necklaces from Venice, which I should put in a safe place but never seem to because I figure I won’t lose them if they are in my purse!
It’s not any given item in my bag that’s most strange, but rather the amount of stuff. My friends often jokingly compare my bag to mary poppins or harry potter. I usually have at minimum: aleve, advil, allergy meds, tissues, baby wipes, toe nail clippers, polish, bandaids, moleskin, hair ties, 2-3 chap sticks, 2-3 kinds of mint/gum, head phones, ipod, 2 phones, toothbrush and paste, deodorant, paper, pens, calendar, keys, bag of coupons, wallet, hankerchief, chargers, and more…. i guess i just like to be prepared for everything 🙂
By themselves none of my items are odd. But when you carry an umbrella, a pharmacy, nail salon, hairdresser, makeup artist and cafeteria all in one bag– it gets to be a little silly. My friends joke that one day I will pull a lamp out of my purse like Mary Poppins.
In addition to my SmarTrip card, I have an NYC MetroCard, a San Francisco Clipper Card, and a Paris Visite pass. They’ve ended up in my wallet over the past two years and I guess that’s where they’ll stay!
A ton of band-aids and a random collection of ticket stubs from baseball games (I work next to the stadium).
i always have deodorant!
A tide pen and a pair of silver stud earrings and my Nook … my contents aren’t too, too strange, but I like being prepared!
I keep a small pharmacy- currently have 3 different colors of nail polish, 5 lip glosses, and 2 different lip balms.
I carry wet wipes just in case I decide to stop at a food truck for lunch and can’t wash my hands.
a pacifier for my 2 year old
I currently have 26 pens in my work bag. Seriously, I just counted.
Grippy socks for Pure Barre class. And actually, an extra pair of socks in my purse has been helpful on other occasions (impromptu bowling!)
A pill box with some sketchy looking cut in half orange pills. The pharmacist insisted I also carry the rx label so that I don’t look like a crazy person. The meds are for migraines.
a small retractable measuring tape. convenient for the obvious use, but priceless for how it keeps my 17 month old happy when running errands.
I keep a baby photo of my niece in my wallet, which is always in my everyday bag. Doesn’t sound weird, but she’s not a baby anymore… I put it in there as a “just in case” after reading somewhere that lost wallets with baby photos in them are most likely to be returned!
My husband is an endurance athlete (read:just ran a 100 mile race in July) and thanks to him I discovered Clif Blocs (caffeinated sports nutrition blocks). I keep a package in my bag just in case I can’t get coffee somewhere and am in need of a boost. Not the healthiest thing to tote around but a LIFESAVER. And speaking of lifesaver…I also have a pair of medical gloves (unused). I’m a nurse and those things come in handy for so many things it’s unreal.
Libraries cards for libraries in multiple states and countries. I never want to go on a research trip and realize I forgot my reader card!
A crumpled up list of conversation topics that my best friend and I made for ourselves before a blind date freshman year of high school!
I carry an antique blue marble-sort of a worry stone.
I usually have a couple of random utensils in my bag– usually forks or spoons– because I bring my lunch everyday
I almost always have House and Senate Gallery Passes in my purse. We give them out to our grad students for Capitol Hill day so I stash extras in my purse in case someone lost a pass or I counted wrong. I swear, the world would end if we didn’t have enough passes!
A piece of paper certifying that I got a yellow fever vaccination. I keep forgetting to take it out of my purse.
My Toe Socks for SPX Pilates!
Ha, I actually still have my *year old* capitol hill ID card in my bag. It has a hole punch through it and is obviously expired. I threw it in my wallet after my last day (exactly 1 year ago) and never took it out. Weird thing is, I’ve changed purses many times since then, but I always move it into the next purse…I guess I’m just holding on to the past and my fun ole days as a cap hill staffer!
A NYC metro card. I haven’t been up to NYC in months, but you never know when it might be needed!
The weirdest thing is probably my Cambodian drivers license from my year there in 2011-2012. It’s sort of become my lucky charm, plus it’s the best ID picture I’ve ever taken.
There’s nothing terribly exciting in my bag; however, I have been known to carry my Kindle as well as a paperback or two to read during my commute.
Honestly, nothing too strange. I guess I have a small altoids tin that contains pills (vitamins/ advil, etc) so that might be a little unusual.
Snacks- allegedly for my students, but also totally for me.
Also, I got the OG last fall on Belle’s recommendation and it is even better than you could hope. Perfect work/gym/weekend bag. I’ve been saving up for my next Lo&Sons purchase!
The strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag is a necklace my mother gave me when I was young. She said it would protect me and so far it has!
6 pounds of gold jewelry. I tend to take pieces off or add pieces throughout the day & they never seem to leave my bag!
Three unpaid parking tickets that I keep meaning to put in the mail!
A small wrench. Really more of a tiny wrench. It has come in so handy so many times I have lost count.
I always carry a koozie!
I have thank you notes.. never know when you might need one!
I have a lightning bolt shaped keychain that lights up and makes thunder sounds when you tap it. Great way to find my keys when they disappear into the depths of a bag.
Cut up veggies often end up in my bag (in a tupperware, I promise!) as I’m on the Bob Harper “Jumpstart to Skinny” challenge and eating tons of vegetables!
I always carry matches or a lighter in my purse, but I don’t smoke. I saw SJP once in an interview and she said a lady always carries matches and it just stuck.
A diaper. What can I say I have a potty training 2 year old.
I always have an assortment of at least 6 or 7 lip sticks/glosses/balms. Apparently that’s not as strange as I’d always thought!
The Monistat creme for chafing (aka, chub rub). At the airport once they made me take it out and I wanted to die while the woman kept flipping it over and examining it while everyone could see “Monistat” printed clearly on it. But my thighs need a little something with these humid summers!
A mini stuffed panda bear wearing a Case Western t-shirt on a key chain. It was a gift from my boyfriend when we were still long distance in law school. Or a mini gavel I keep handy in case I need to declare order somewhere.
Nail clippers, I can’t stand it when my nails get too long!
I always keep the disposable toothbrushes in my bag!
I change bags often enough that I don’t collect anything too odd, but dental floss is a constant. One two many days of getting blueberry seeds stuck in my teeth and not noticing before I left home taught me that lesson.
Small packets of honey. Good with tea, coffee, or on crackers.
I keep soap strips in my wallet. I got them on the train in India, so they always make me smile. As a bonus they also keep my wallet smelling fresh, and are handy when there is no soap in icky bar bathrooms.
I carry a Koozie, deodorant and a rollerball of my perfume – three key ingredients for a good day!
I suppose the strangest thing I carry in my bag is an extra pair of shoes. You just never know when it’s going to rain around here so I always have an old pair of sandals or flats so I don’t have to worry about toting around my rain boots.
I’ve had a pair of broken sunglasses in my bag for a few months now. I keep hoping I’ll remember to pick up a repair kit, but I never do. Here’s to hoping it’ll happen soon!
Transit Cards from New York, DC and Chicago (even though I live in Chicago), a spare pair of underwear (mine) and an extra diaper and wipes (for my 2 year old).
Spare razor and deodorant!
Right now, a shotgun shell. It’s probably time to clean out the bottom of my bag…
I don’t think I have anything in my purse that hasn’t already been mentioned, but I guess the weirdest thing would probably be some foreign currency from Southeast Asia, or a combination lock (for the gym).
Custom molded earplugs. I can’t stand noise. Unruly child in the checkout line at Target….no longer a problem.
My DSLR. I’m not a photographer by trade but I’m trying to learn how to use it and you never know when inspiration will strike!
I keep a finger rosary ring in my wallet. Even though I was born and raised Catholic, I don’t consider myself particularly religious (at least to the point that I’d need a rosary on the go!) But I’ve never felt right leaving it out of my purse!
A plastic baggie- it’s for my phone if I ever get caught in a rainstorm
Dramamine, both the normal and non-drowsy formulas. I get motion sickness very easily!
The strangest thing that I carry in my everyday bag is a tube of lipstick that I know I will absolutely never use. It’s a beautiful color, and was kind of pricey, but when I wear it I look a little clown-esque. I just can’t part with it!
A flashlight.
Crackers and condiment packages!!
Floss! You never know when you might get something stuck in your teeth
Extra loose leaf tea, in a tupperware.
$2,000 Korean Wong (equivalent to $2 US Dollars), dog tags (not mine), gaffing tape (non-marking, easy to tear, black duct tape), and superglue….my purse as a whole is always interesting, my friends have turned it into a happy hour game (Guess what Jenn is schlepping today?)
A necklace I never wear that is supposed to be a good luck charm. I don’t know if it works, but I’m not about to remove it from my purse to find out!
I collect pocket knives and sometimes have as many as three in my purse…which makes for some interesting stories about going through security lines in DC…
A silicon basting brush – my son loves to play with and chew on it!
Random pieces of jewelry. I’ll take them off when going to the gym and then forget them in my bag.
With the heat and humidity of DC summers, I’ve been carrying around travel-sized deodorant in my purse. Always handy to have! Right now I also have the pleasure of carrying around GRE vocabulary flash cards.
I always have a snack in my bag. I’ve carried everything from a granola bar to hard boiled eggs (protein!) in there.
My mail! Every morning I pick up my mail when leaving my apartment and on my way to work. I then go thru everything at the office!
Old school planner/calendar because I just can’t get on board with using my iPhone calendar!
Strangest thing would probably be a tube of bright orange nailpolish that I really don’t like – tried it in an ill-fated attempt to be a part of the neon trend.
Today I have four iPhone chargers and some fabric tape – not quite sure what I’m prepared for!
Breathe right nose strips. I use them to stop unexpected blistering.
Dental floss
i keep multiple koozies in my every day purse. you never know when you are going to have a cold diet coke in a can or meet up with friends for a beer after work!
I never leave home with out a travel size facial cleanser and moisturizer in my bag. Keeping ones skin fresh is hard to do in the dog days of DC summers, these items are my remedy.
What is the strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag?
Probably a Burt’s Bees lip balm marked ‘foot.’ One day I had a new pair of shoes giving me a really bad blister, with the rest of the workday and a 4 hour retail shift staring me in the face. I needed a remedy, since I had just bought a new tin of rosebud salve, I decided it was time to dedicate my old tube of lip balm to the cause. I wrote ‘foot’ on it just so I don’t mistakenly (read: drunkenly) use it for its original, intended purpose.
paperclips and binder clips. They fall off my stuff and somehow then live in the bottom of my bag.
Dramamine – you never know when the Metro is going to be surprisingly bouncy!
A dictionary. It’s essential.
A pencil with amber decorating it. . .a gift from last year when I was working in Poland.
I carry a Koozie. Never know when I am going to grab an ice cold beer, after work hours of course!
Nothing that weird – but I do carry floss with me at my husband’s request. I already carry various “just in case” items (advil, bandaids, hair ties, etc), but floss was a new one for me.
Nothing too strange in my bag. I do usually have some sort of emergency snack (bribe) for my 3 year old twins.
Rainbow flip flops!! always!!! hate wearing flats or heels on the train
The strangest thing I carry everyday is my Visine. You never know when your eyes will get tired or dried out from the computer or raging air conditioning at work.
Wet wipes. And I don’t have children. I get heckled about this a lot, but they have come in super hand on many occasions.
The strangest thing I carry in my bag (on a daily basis) are those sticky pages that mark pages and coordinating highlighters. I must keep my notes organized!
A calculator…yes, my iphone has one, but I’m a CPA and I just like a real calculator for work. Pretty nerdy.
I almost always carry an Emergen-C Vitamin C fizz drink packet. Just in case a I feel a cold coming on!
bug spray, because bugs love me!!
A travel size pack of Clorox Wipes just in case I spill something in my bag or drop something on the groud.
This probably goes to show what’s really important to me – food! The weirdest thing I keep in my bag would have to be a pocket knife that consists of a fork, spoon, knife, and bottle opener. You never know when you’ll need a fork!
I’m not a morning person, so I usually have some sort of breakfast food in my purse (cereal, granola bar, etc.,) or a spoon when I remember to grab yogurt out of my fridge.
I have a couple of tea bags and 2 thumb drives on a big keychain with pictures from the last 3 vacations I’ve taken. Still need to go through and print some pictures.
Great giveaway!
Just found a Crest White Strip and one sock (not sure where the other one is).
I never, ever leave the house without a stick of dove deodorant in my bag! May seem strange but during DC summers and with the general nature of this city being that you will always run into someone you know, I’d prefer they got a fresh whiff of me 😉
I carry a knife. Just a little one, but it comes in handy all the time! I think it’s pretty common for guys to carry one, but the little 2 inch blade also makes me feel a little safer if I’m out and about alone.
An empty clear plastic ziplock bag… the bf is convinced when it rains his shiny new iPhone is going to get ruined and left this baggie in my purse at one point… just in case.
Dental floss. And last time I cleaned out my bag I found 12 lip glosses / balms and 14 pens. And it’s not that big of a bag!
I keep children’s underwear in my purse. You know, in case either of my kids has an accident.
The weirdest thing in my purse is a pencil case full of Papermate Flairs…just makes note taking more fun.
I keep my Swiss Army knife on me at all times. This in itself isn’t that weird, but it’s pink, sparkly, and says “Princess” on it. I’ve had it since I was twelve and can’t bear to part with the hilarious looks I get every time I use it.
A pocket-size U.S. Constitution. Perhaps not as strange as it’s just uncommon? But so useful.
A mini framed poster of the Batman Bat-Signals through the years. I purchased it for a friend some time ago during a local comic expo– every time we hang out I fail to remember to take it out! Subsequently this broke grad student’s everyday bag is stretched out in four different stress points.
a needle and thread is the strangest thing i have in my purse. The reason it is strange is because i wouldn’t know what to do with these items if i ever actually needed them…
Postcards – I like to write notes to friends when I’m stuck in a waiting room or something.
I’m not a morning person, so I always have some sort of breakfast food (cereal, granola, etc.) in my purse and occasionally a spoon when I have yogurt.
I always carry a small plastic spoon – usually one leftover from an overseas flight. Comes in handy when travelling – you can always pick up a yogurt for a tasty, cheap, healthy snack.
I always keep dried fruit and trail mix in my bag for snacks. Right now, I have a large amount of dried pineapple stowed in my bag for when I’m hungry.
Lactaid pills! Cheese is wonderful and being lactose intolerant is a curse.
My membership card to the United States Parachute Association!
socks…for walking through airport security on days I’m wearing flip flops or flats!
Sandwiches.
A pocket Constitution. I picked it up at work one day and have been carrying it around ever since.
My not-so-weird thing: there’s always a chocolate square in my purse! Quick pick me up on a crappy day or a just-because
Nothing weird right now, because I’ve downsized to carrying a wristlet inside my drab work laptop bag. If I won a new bag, maybe I’d be more prone to filling it up with odd items!
I always have floss with me. I must have a crippling fear of spinach being in my teeth!
Love the blog!
A ticket to Mount Vernon from 3 years ago. Why? I have no idea.
sunscreen! not exactly strange, but i need to apply it at the end of the day when i’m trekking to the train station to get home!
A seashell I found when I was a kid.
A travel size packet of peanut butter!
Not sure I carry anything too strange, but I always have hand sanitizer, at least one band-aid, and a toothbrush. I don’t always have toothpaste, but the toothbrush does come in handy!
I have a pair of ear plugs with their own case that have never made it out of my bag from some overnight trip and/or concert. I take my sleep sounds and future hearing very seriously! 🙂
Fabric samples and paint chips – in case I see a potential purchase for my home.
Nothing totally crazy in my bag right now…Hmm, but there are some rubber bands. I keep all the ones I get from Whole Foods. They’re pretty handy.
Hmm… nothing too strange, now that I think about it. I always have a granola or luna bar, and I always have nail clippers.
A hand-carved wooden “worry cross” my grandpa made for me. Might be strange to some but it’s sentimental and practical since I’m super fidgety.
Right now I have 6 highlighters, but I often have a roll of gaffe tape in my bag. It fixes everything!
My weird thing is a full sized stick of deodorant. I never want to be surprised by an unexpected bought of B.O.! And I only wear Tom’s (cause of the aluminum content in most other deodorants) and they don’t make travel size, so a full stick it has to be!
I have a wine opener for impromptu picnics in the park and a sharpie.
Although unintentional, I always have a supply of earrings – I work out after leaving the office, and drop my earrings into my bag before my workout.
I keep benadryl on me during the summer months in case of nasty mosquito bites (which I’m covered in now, ouch!)
I always keep a pocket-sized cork screw in my purse. It’s important to always be ready to open a bottle of wine.
I carry a Swiss army knife, which a lot of my friends say is strange–until it comes in handy to cut a tag, slice an apple, or pluck an eyebrow. Never leave home without it (except when I’m flying)
Extra underwear, contact lens, a zillion medicines, flip flops, and band aids. I’m petrified of not being prepared for anything!
Multiple notepads and more pens than I know what to do with… and yet I can never find anything to write with when I need it.
I have a business card from a friend with an interesting job. The card just has his name, contact info, and title – “professional sports bettor.”
I have a small purse (the kind that fits your smartphone and some money/cards) in my everyday bag that I thought I’d use for going out to lunch/running errands from work. Never used. It just sits in there.
an old birthday card from my parents that says how proud they are. I read it when I have a bad day!
3 different chapsticks 🙂
I live in Texas right now, but I always carry my old smartrip card – just in case. Also, dog treats.
A mechanical pencil. I also carry a pen, but the pencil is a back-up just in case the pen runs out of ink just when I need to use it.
I keep a small, silver medallion with a picture of a frog and the word “Smile” engraved on it that was given to me by one of my favorite high school teachers when I graduated. It’s a reminder to always stay positive and not take life too seriously!
Yogi-Tea or Emergen-C during the school year (I’m a teacher)!
Homemade za’atar, tucked in a souvenir change purse from China that says, “Like me you will die”.
I have a loose key. I don’t know what it opens, but I’m afraid to throw it out or leave it behind!
a lint roller!
A teething ring.
A lotto card that my MIL gave me as a stocking-stuffer this past Christmas. I won $10 but never remember to cash it when we visit her nearby state. Do these things have expiration dates?
5 hour energy shot – never leave the house without one!
The weirdest thing in my bag is medicines! I’m like a walking pharmacy (I’m blaming it on my mother, because she’s the same way). I always have advil or tylenol (sometimes both), heartburn stuff, stomach stuff, allergy stuff. You name it, I’ve probably got it.
I keep a business card case…full of the cards from restaurants I love! It’s really helpful when I’m meeting with friends for Happy Hour and no one can think where to go, or when I am running errands in outside of DC and can’t remember the name of the awesome Korean place in a non-descript strip mall. Or when I have out of town visitors who need tons of recommendations and my mind goes blank.
I just knew this was going to be in your most loved product list! looking through my bag the strangest thing I have is a koozie…I have never used it, no need to carry it, but it has been there since I got it. NO CLUE WHEN 🙂
Weirdest intentional thing? Doggie bags. My lab pup has a habit of going in the most awkward places….
Unintentional? That would be two disposable rubber gloves, like the ones from the doctor’s office. Not sure how those got in there, I just haven’t bothered to take them out!
While I don’t have any one particular weird object, maybe the range of items I have makes my bag weird? My friends and coworkers refer to my bag as the Mary Poppins bag. Whatever someone needs, I usually have it – safety pins, face blotting paper, tylenol, ibuprofin, naproxen, allergy pills, sleeping pills, wet wipes, mints, hand salve, scratch paper, chap stick, ear speakers, pens, extra lapel pins, nail clippers, etc. I’m like a boy scout, always prepared. I have a little case that I stash in my bag that is my emergency kit and rarely use it myself!
A note my college friend wrote to me several years ago, and which contains a love note my brother wrote to her while we were in college. For a few years, they carried on quite the sarcastic affair.
While I don’t have any one particular weird object, maybe the range of items I have makes my bag weird? My friends and coworkers refer to my bag as the Mary Poppins bag. Whatever someone needs, I usually have it – safety pins, face blotting paper, tylenol, ibuprofin, naproxen, allergy pills, sleeping pills, wet wipes, mints, hand salve, scratch paper, chap stick, band aids, ear speakers, pens, extra lapel pins, nail clippers, etc. I’m like a boy scout, always prepared. I have a little case that I stash in my bag that is my emergency kit and rarely use it myself!
A Nintendo DS
Hydrocortisone anti-itch cream. I use it liberally when ever I feel the first itch of ANYTHING. I swear it makes the bug bites heal so much faster…
Probably the weirdest thing in my purse at the moment is a prescription bottle full of codeine – a holdover from when I had shoulder surgery, was in a ton of pain, had friends driving me places and didn’t want to get stranded somewhere without pain relief. 🙂
At least 4-5 coupons for Rite Aid. Their receipts are insanely long but I always save them in case I need to buy something in an emergency!
weirdest thing is a snack, usually a granola bar
Measuring tape! I think leftover from a trip to IKEA, but it has proven to be quite useful. And right now, matches from a restaurant (you never know when you’ll have to light birthday candles!), but I should probably remove those.
I don’t have anything too strange, though I am currently carrying five currencies. I’m definitely That Person in checkout lanes right now since I try to only pay with USD.
I carry a lint roller everywhere – I am always covered in dog hair and never know when I might need it!
Most of my items make sense or are essential, but I can’t seem to toss my 3 month Executive Club “membership” card to a local pistol and rifle range, given to me after shooting there only once. They wrote my name on it in pen and everything!
My college ID, even though I graduated 6 years ago.
The ‘weirdest’ thing I can think of is my pocket knife. It’s this awesome ‘manly man’ made knife, the same brand my grandpa and dad carried. But mine is HOT PINK. I feel silly/awesome every time I use it
Enough bobby pins to equip a formal wedding.
I carry Sea Bands with me at.all.times. I don’t get motion sick terribly often, but I think it’s one of the most awful feelings. Sea Bands are amazing and also work for pregnancy morning sickness and chemo nausea (my stepdad is an oncologist and is ordering some for his patients).
Thanks for the giveaways! I’ve had my eye on the black OMG since you first mentioned Lo & Sons.
Also, happy 5th blog birthday! It’s hard to believe that I haven’t missed a post in three years.
I often forget to take treats for my dog out of my bag. They go back and forth to work with me for no good reason.
Ugandan shillings in my wallet from a summer spent there five years ago. A little trip down memory lane ever ytime I see them!
I am currently in Medical School, so this semester you can find lots of books and skulls to help me study!
Amidst all my individualized wallets/card holders, I have a little felt bag with extra ear buds for my headphones. Always be prepared!
About once a quarter I meet for lunch with an executive from a major utility. He’s really into geo-caching, and I’ll admit it’s pretty fun. After lunch we’ll usually do one or two caches before going on our separate ways. About a year ago we found a cache that included a mini Hello Kitty figure–it’s all of a half inch tall. For whatever reason he couldn’t close the cache with Hello Kitty in it so he tossed it my way a d tod me to hold on to it. Now, every time I switch purses Kitty makes her way with me and I don’t know why. Perhaps I just want to ate sure if he asks for it I can say, “oh yeah, it’s right here.”
My brother’s funky business card. Always makes me smile when I see it in my wallet
Currently the strangest items in my bag is a Thermacare heating pad (courtesy of Aunt Flow) and a bunch of matchbox cars from babysitting my nephew this past week!
I guess the strangest thing I carry with me is my Erin Condren planner. Most people can’t understand why I have a huge paper calendar– but I love being able to write everything down always!
Typically, goggles and a swim cap . .
A Baggu bag that is used solely to carry my umbrella when it’s wet!
I carry and stethoscope with me everywhere. Being a veterinarian, I have learned that you never know when you will need one!
A few Euro banknotes leftover from my trip to Europe last fall. I just can’t seem to get rid of them!
A broken corkscrew- the screw part snapped so it’s useless if I ever need it but I haven’t thrown it out yet!
And store rewards cards for stores that exist only in New England while I live in DC
A can of ginger ale, since I’m pregnant and have random bouts of nausea (particularly, it seems, before big meetings). I find the ginger ale doesn’t fit very nicely in most of my purses, so this work bag would be perfect for pregnancy and beyond!
My purse is not very strange right now… but definitely carrying lots of band-aids – just in case.
I’m pregnant, just out of my first trimester, so my ” strange thing” is an assortment of nausea remedies. Preggo-pops, ginger candies & saltines. Hopefully I’ll be able to take them out soon.
A flashlight. So paranoid about being caught in the dark somwhere!
a little silver figure of St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers! it makes my mom feel better to know that I carry it with me.
I carry around a padlock, but that’s not really weird since I use it at the gym!
A bee sting relief pad. Not really sure why I have one, especially since I’m not allergic to bees, but there it is.
I’m generally pretty good at editing my bags, but I have a broken necklace in my purse that I just don’t have the heart to get rid of. It’s been in there for weeks. Other than that, I do keep in my gym bag a business card case the bf brought back from Alaska with a moose that says “We outnumber you.” It’s not serious enough for my usual purse, but it never fails to make me smile.
The strangest thing right now is a champagne cork from the night before I moved to DC (I am one of the aforementioned 22-year-olds). Apart from that, I carry chapstick and lip balm everywhere.
My last month’s worth of hotel receipts and boarding passes. My bag is a hot mess of papers.
Ok, here’s strange:
I’m carrying around a life size squishy foam rubber model of a human brain.
Studying neuroscience as part of my job training leadership development and although it’s nerdy, it’s helpful for reference.
Poop bags for my dog – also work well for wet umbrellas, messy shoes, etc.
We women do carry a lot of random things, don’t we? Loved reading everyone’s comments. My wierd items are a couple of colgate wisps (rather have a toothbrush, but that wont work in my smaller bags lol) and a Dove chocolate wrapper that says “Lead on!” to motivate me on those days when you know the only way things will get done is if you lead the charge yourself.
A leather bracelet from france my best friend got for me a few years ago. Instead of getting it fixed, it says in my bag to surprise me every few weeks. As well as a mini pharmacy -painkillers, hair elastics, mini comb, bobby pins, gravol, vitamins…etc.
I keep my purse to a minimum (and even still can’t keep it organized!) Anyways, nothing strange, but thanks for the giveaway.
I have toupee tape– I’ve used it as emergency hem tape before. (It holds better and is usually larger than fashion/dress tape)
Definitely the strangest thing is my passport. I have it with me at ALL times. I think in my mind, I live this secret life where I am a CIA spy that might be pulled out of the country at any given moment. I think I probably ought to just accept that no one has EVER spontaneously offered me a trip to Thailand right. this. minute and start leaving my passport at home.
Floss is the strangest thing I always have!
I don’t carry many odd things in my bag, but right now I have 200 ibuprofen tablets scattered on the bottom of my purse from a freak accident. Does that count?
i always have my kindle for downtime reading.
The strangest thing in the bag is a travel-size Lysol spray. As long as I carry it, I don’t fear public bathrooms with unquestionable level of cleanliness.
I have a small baggie of black eyed peas in bag. My grandma puts them there on NYE for good luck.
Not sure if I’m elegible as I live in Canada, but I thought I’d give it a go.
I regularly carry a multi-tool consisting of a tape measure, three way level and a Post-it pad and pen. It was a promo item from a former client, and comes in handy surprisingly often.
I like to keep my purse light so I don’t have too many random items in my purse. I think the strangest one I have is floss!
Socks! My office is freezing and when my feet are tucked under the desk no one will know. Especially helpful on planes…
I keep finding loose almonds from a spill a couple weeks ago. This is a good reminder that I should empty it out and make sure I have removed them all!
A Benadryl Itch relief stick. This time of year, I get a bite every time I walk outside!
Regular sunglasses, prescription sunglasses, glasses and spare contacts just in case I’m having a “bad contacts” day. I could use a bigger bag for sure!
After going through my purse, it turns out I have a Triple-A sticker hanging out there instead of being helpful attached to my car!
I carry babywipes because I have found nothing works for getting weird grime off my hands, the handles of my bag or other yucky things I encounter during my day. I move these from bag to bag but every bag has a pen, a higlighter and lipgloss that stay when I empty everything else out.
Swiss army knife. So handy for getting things done (and impressing guys when needed). Not handy for going through airport security lines.
I put a banana in my purse every morning for my mid-morning snack!
My MiFi- can’t stand being without Internet
I carry deodrant in my purse; I also have a stick in my desk and car. Guess it’s a bit overboard.
I have a couple random rounds of 9mm and .226 ammunition in there. Not sure how they got there, I never take my purse into the range.
Flat fortune cookies — the fortune cookie factory in SF sells them pre-folded, and they are addictive!
I always have post card stamps so I am able to drop a note to long-distance friends when I see a cute (or cheesy) card. I almost always have a snack bag of baby carrots, too.
Two separate lint rollers. One for dog hair, and one for standard lent.
Not sure if it’s necessarily strange, but I keep a carabiner in my bag…you never know when you need to hang your bag but there are no available hooks, or when you may want to hang a bag off of your bag (I’ve found this especially useful when traveling).
A small tire gauge – I recently helped another woman change her flat tire and it never went back into my “emergency car bag”.
Thanks for the opportunity to win a bag – they are awesome!
A Japanese folding fa – they give out free ones everywhere in Tokyo, which is the best idea ever. I love getting envious looks when I whip out my fan on a non-airconditioned Metro car or Circulator bus!
I have a fairly big tote bag, so I’m constantly finding random things – just this AM, I dug up a half-eaten bag of gummy bears and an inhaler. (Obviously, the essentials.)
A Japanese folding fan – they give out free ones everywhere in Tokyo, which is the best idea ever. I love getting envious looks when I whip out my fan on a non-airconditioned Metro car or Circulator bus!
hydrocortisone cream, because during the summer bugs seem to love me.
At least five different colors of lipstick. What can I say, I have a problem.
Toy Story band-aids but I’m not sure that’s so strange.
A mini bottle of baby powder–comes in handy way more than expected in the DC summer!
7 different kinds of chapstick/lipbalm – I’m addicted to it!
Corkscrew…my husband is in the military and we move A LOT! After my corkscrew ended up in the last box we unpacked during our first move, I started carrying it with me. Moving 4 times in 4 years calls for a glass (or two) of wine.
Tape measure! I got one at a conference once. Surprisingly useful.
I guess the strangest thing in my everyday bag is a highlighter. Never know when I will need to highlight something, I guess. And even though I have a few highlighter marks on the insides of some of my bags (and should know better not to keep one in there)…there it remains. 🙂
The strangest thing in my purse right now is a can of Diet Coke. This is actually pretty normal compared to my usual.
I always have a Tide stick in my bag. I am so clumsy I can’t seem to go a day without using it.
Ever since I was in theatre tech in high school, I’ve carried a wrench in my bag. It’s amazing how often I’ve used it!!
I always carry a mini pharmacy kit in my purse – Tylenol, Pepcid ac, neosporin, I have it all! And people are always thankful too.
My pepper spray might be the strangest because it’s pink and you can’t really tell what it is. My mother insisted I keep it with me after she found out you can’t carry a gun in DC.
I just checked: I have not one, but two lipsticks in my purse. I don’t wear lipstick.
Deodorant and body wash! You never know when you need to freshen up on the go!
Probably my book…which is strange because I have books on my electronic devices anyway.
The strangest item I have in my bag is my mini stapler because I always seem to need it at the weirdest moments.
I have three pairs of sunglasses. Apparently I like to have multiple choices when going outside.
A toothbrush and toothpaste. You never know when it will come in handy!
I got the OMG bag based on the CapHillStyle recommendation and love it! As a consultant, I use it as my carry-on and everyday work bag! A strange thing I always have in my bag is a koozie! You never know when you are going to need one!
All the necessities for a desktop mani: nail clippers, cuticle stick, top coat, base coat, colored polish of the week, and Zoya Quick-Dry drops.
In the summer, I carry anti-itch cream. Mosquitoes love me.
9 different lipsticks/glosses/etc. You never know what shade you’ll feel like after lunch!
Thanks for the giveaway!
Weirdest thing is my everyday bag…probably the sheer quantity? Have a bag of makeup basics, plus all the computer stuff, plus “go kit” stuff in case there’s a disaster and I have to report in. Unfortunately it’s a giant tote, and am thinking I need something more compartmentalized. Would love an OMG bag!
My best friend’s nail polish – she was running late to her own wedding and asked me to paint her toes right before the ceremony. The wedding was back in April and I keep forgetting to return it to her!
I also have a ton of pens, in any color you might need 🙂
A pocket US Constitution. No, really. You’d be surprised how often it’s been used. Occasionally there is one in Spanish in there as well.
I always have a small roll of toilet paper in my purse- it comes in handy all the time.
I keep travel sized bottles of shampoo and body wash. I work out in the morning and usually end up taking a shower at the House gym.
I have a vineyard vines koozie in my bag at all times!
I have a “mom” purse even though I have no kids. I have wet wipes, antibac gel, bandaids, aspirin, bendaryl cream, etc. I have thing about germs.
The strangest item would have to be a toss up between the pouch I keep my dog’s waste bags in and my bike tools gadget, which has come is surprisingly handy in social situations.
A heavy square-shaped lock and loose metal chain that my grandfather fashioned for me to use as a “weapon” while travelling for work since mace is not allowed on airplanes. Thankfully I have never had to use it 🙂
Floss picks (in their own little plastic bag). I’m a flossing fiend – my dentist loves me.
Mints from random restaurants. I always take a mint when leaving a restaurant, but I never eat them. I have a pocket in my bag filled with random restaurant mints.
Clear nail polish. You never know when you’re going to need it.
Probably my toothbrush/toothpaste/mouthwash/floss kit, though I guess it’s not too too strange – you never know when you’ll need to freshen up!
Dog/cat treats. You never know when you will make a new four-legged friend!!
Napkins. I’m a terrible face-sweater, and I keep napkins at all time to mop my brow throughout the day while I’m walking outside.
A full set of highlighters in every color imaginable.
I keep a small bug spray and a wine tool in the bottom of my bag. Two things that its terrible to be without in a time of need!
Happy Birthday CHS!
A paper tape measure that they give away free at T.J. Maxx
have to be chopsticks in my bags always. In case I buy a meal and forget to get some or there’s no fork around. Very usefful
A bathing suit
Barre socks. In case I ever find myself with free time during the lunch hour to get to a class. (It rarely happens, sadly…)
My bag is always full, but I try to keep it super neat! I guess the strangest thing in there is a thumb drive that doesn’t have anything on it except for some random photos.
3 individual packets of salt from the movie theater. I love a good bag of salty popcorn at the movies but my hubby is always in a rush to get good seats that I don’t have time to “flavor” my popcorn at the concession stand and I have to bring everything into the theater and salt at my seat. Apparently I missed a few the last time we went to the movies…over a month ago..whoops!
Seeing as I’m currently carrying a diaper bag, my personal items are limited to the necessities. Some people are surprised at how much cash I carry – I think it goes back to my living overseas where cash was the only way to go.
Hotwheel toy cars- for some reason my son’s toys always end up in my work bag!
I carry about 6 tubes of lipgloss, lipstick or chapstick in my bag, which deserves it’s own little cosmetic bag!
I carry a deck of cards with me at all times. Never know when you’re going to be bored and need a quick game!
The weirdest thing in my bag is definitely the assortment of three-year-old receipts in my wallet from places like the Longworth supply store and Rayburn Cafeteria from when I was a House page. I just never bothered to clean them out with the rest of my old receipts, and I’m too sentimental to part with them now!
The strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag is a bundle of takeout menus. Every time I pick up lunch from a new place, I grab a to-go menu…to keep on file? In case of an emergency? I’m just not sure.
Knitting needles, yarn, and around 15 old hotel key cards. Life of a consultant, got to be prepared for looong airport delays.
I currently have 3 rosaries in my purse. Because, you know, one’s not enough.
What is the strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag? It would have to be a nail file and a pair of eyelashes. Although I don’t have the glue to put them on.
dental floss
Bounce dryer sheets – you never know when you need to take care of some static cling or if your clothes could use a little freshening up at the end of the day. Running the dryer sheet over your clothes will instantly make you feel and smell better!
I carry 3 different checkbooks, 7-11 tubes of lipstick (I dont wear lipstick during the week) and one of my Dad’s business cards (something I’ve been doing since I was about 11). I would LOVE an OMG Bag (imagine how much lipstick I could carry!). Happy Birthday CHS and thanks for the giveaway!
A south african buckeye from my mother-in-law. It’s supposed to be for good luck, but I can’t ever find my keys, so she gave it to me on a key ring for her spare house key so I don’t loose it…I think she’s trying to tell me something..whoops
I currently have a bowl of dog food in my handbag.
The strangest things in my bag are a host of different public transportation cards from various cities none of which I plan to visit anytime in the near future.
Socks! I do a lot of Bar Method classes (they require you wear socks) so I tend to always have socks in my purse. I’ve definitely gotten some funny looks when they’ve fallen out before 🙂
The strangest thing I carry in my bag every day is a human bone (I’m a bioarchaeologist).
A mini-roll of toilet paper, you just never know!
The strangest thing I’ve been carrying with me are my lactation support pills. I’m halfway through my goal of BF my DD for her first year, but need as much help as I can get!
A reusable bag that collapses into a banana. It looks like a nylon banana but you unzip it and it expands into a reusable bag. It’s super useful!
A set of beautiful, hand painted Russian spoons that I got at a baby shower months and months ago. I keep meaning to get a shadow box frame for them but it hasn’t happened yet.
Portable disposable toothbrushes.
A mini bottle of hand sanitizer (in a ziploc in case it spills) and a full pack of bobby pins.
Postage Stamps!
strangest thing in my purse right now – q-tips i guess.
A wine opener. Always.
The original shoe bag for the work pumps I’m wearing. I keep them all!
I always have a few empty shotgun shells in my purse. They’re kind of like token good luck items for me and they have an oddly uplifting effect on me (I love skeet shooting).
Probiotics and zinc – avoids colds 🙂 Oh and a usb with the last 3 months of my work, I don’t trust my laptop!
My flip phone, circa 2003 (still in use). I don’t think it’s weird, but others sure do!
Socks! I hate putting socks back on that I’ve taken off, so I have an extra pair i ncase I try on sandals while shopping or the ones I’m wearing get wet!
I guess this isn’t too strange for DC, but I carry my pocket-size version of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. You never know when you need to look something up and it’s even come in handy at happy hour before when a few of us were discussing something in an amendment. Well, maybe it is strange even for DC, but I like having it. : )
I usually have 3-5 oatmeal pouches in my purse. I throw 1 in to eat when I get work, don’t eat it, and repeat the next day until.
I bike to work, and I have a rather aggressive knife in my bag. Not for self-defense, but just because my bike backpack is the same one I use when I’m day hiking. (I also have a compass, fire-starting materials, and sunblock. It’s very ‘boy scouts’ in there.)
Qtips. I find they come in handy for all sorts of unexpected things.
extra pairs of socks!
Toilet wet wipes – one can never be too clean!
3 dog leashes. Remnant of Saturday’s vet appointments.
Super glue!
I don’t think I have anything especially unusual in my bags! Maybe lens cleaners? I’m obsessed with *perfectly clean* glasses, so I always have them on hand.
The strangest things in my purse are… *a yellow smiley-face hand puppet and disposable latex gloves*. 🙂
The puppet’s name is Mr. Happy and he is quite skilled at diffusing stressful situations. The latex gloves…well, that’s a longer story…
Nothing too strange, but a couple things that might seem a little random to always be carrying but that always come in handy – extra earrings, a flash drive, headphones, a couple tea bags.
I carry a small torch, just in case!
During the summer, I always carry deodorant – never know when I’ll need it!
I don’t think it’s strange, but people usually look at me funny when they discover that I keep a copy of my wedding vows in my purse.
Another purse… I always carry around a mini purse so I can take that to lunch or on errands during the workday.
The strangest thing I carry in my bag are Immunization Records. My kids have been in a few different camps this year so I started carrying copies of the records with me for registration days!
a altoid smalls box full of lactaid pills. you never know when ice cream can happen, i need to be prepared because i don’t have the willpower to say no.
truvia (I’m a splenda hater, and also a calorie hater, so this is perfect for the impromptu coffee date) and ear plugs for flights or hotel stays. Fingers and toes crossed for this one, Lo & Sons is my absolute fave.
A plastic frog!
A koozie in the summer for impromptu patio happy hours!
My passport! I don’t have a driver’s license and you never know when you’ll be invited to happy hour!
Dog poop bags (clean!) because you never want to be caught un-prepared.
The strangest things I carry are Chicago screws–they hold the U-lock holster on my bike. I lost one, once, riding over some rough pavement and had to rig a solution to get home. Now I carry a spare set (although I haven’t needed them since).
The strangest thing I carry in my bag at all times is my boss’ challenge coins. They are heavy, and TSA is not a fan of them–I have to explain their purpose every time!
I currently have a dog leash and collar, a wine opener, 3-4 screwdrivers, and a roll of dog poop bags in my purse. I am ready for anything!
Salt and pepper packets! I hate heating up a bland lunch and realizing I have no condiments.
A razor, which I haven’t used but have in there just in case!
A leftover graduation party invite for my daughter, a cheat sheet on how to get rid of head lice (thanks summer camp), and paint samples.
I’m that person that knits on the metro (baby on the way so I have some excuse), so I have yarn and knitting needles in my purse most of the time.
Tums
Telecom glossary.
My trusty USB flash drive that has a bottle opener at the other end. Has helped me out in some clutch situations (and always is a good story)!
Oh wow, look how popular you are! The strangest thing I have in my handbag, currently, would be my birth certificate. I needed it for something recently and I guess I have forgotten to take it out since then. Oops!
I carry a travel sized hair straightener with me at all times.A girl needs to be prepared to fight the “Wavy Hair + DC Humidity” battle at all times.
an extra cell phone case. its just too risky to go even a minute without one on!
I’m sudying for the LSAT so I am currently toting around my prep course book and about a million pens. Keep grabbing new pens, never take the old ones out
clear nail polish. you never know when you will need to fix a run in your stocking or touch up your manicure.
Strangest think in my bag is my silver skinny double-wrap belt. I don’t remember when I put it in my bag but I haven’t taken it out… I, too, have transport passes from cities I’ve visited while carrying this particular bag that I probably will never use again.
I never leave home without a corkscrew. And I’ve gotten plenty of looks because of it.
Ear plugs. I travel a lot and they work wonders when I’m trying to sleep on a plane.
Wildflower seeds that fell out of a bag I recently got as a wedding favor.
A pair of my 1 year old daughter’s socks – had them in my purse for weeks before I remembered to take them out!
A combination lock!
I change bags regularly and usually empty out the nonessentials when I do, so I suppose the oddest thing I keep is my Hogwarts crest key ring. Even though I’m 26, I still dream that some day, my letter of acceptance will come, and when I’m having a rough day at work that little fantasy makes me smile. What’s more crazy about keeping it is that it adds even more heft to my already janitor-like key chain!
A wine key for long evenings at work!
I carry a spare contact lens case, one side of which is filled with face wash and the other with face lotion. That way I’m always prepared for a mid-travel refresher, impromptu sleepover, or any other time my skin needs a quick cleanse.
Matchbox cars.
Mini toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. Never leave home without them!
My beautiful Spanish hand fan, gifted to me by cousins in Sevilla, and hand-painted with pictures of Spanish fauna. It is strange, yes, but keeps me cool in the hot DC summers (and stylish because it is beautiful).
A small bottle of hot sauce- I decide what to order based on what it would be good on. I know, very strange.
A tin of caviar and a Saber (I work in a restaurant)
I carry a tiny of roll of duct tape. It has come in handy more times than I can count, mostly to cover blisters and mend loose hems.
I keep a small envelope of end wraps to blot my face. (End wraps are the little papers used with perm rods.) It’s a super cheap alternative to blotting papers!
Not strange but I am a good breath freak. Always have 2-3 packs of gum.
A fox 40 whistle and a CPR mask- I’m a lifeguard, so when I’m off duty I just keep my lifeguard supplies in my bag!
Paycheck I need to deposit! Yikes!
I carry a cloth napkin–hate to have to put up with cheap paper napkins at lunch or on airplanes.
I have an excessive amount of Tupperware in my purse – you never know when you’ll need a snack!
I carry around the a cut off finger of a exfoliating glove! Sounds strange, but I use it to exfoliate my extremely dry lips quickly before putting on lipstick or gloss!
A DVD of the original Stepford Wives (1975).
A pair of pink leopard print scissors and no less than 8 shades of lip gloss. Can’t seem to kick either habit.
I carry multiple (extra) passport photos that I’ve been meaning to give to my mother for scrapbooking. You never know when you will need the worst photos of yourself at your disposal!
Fox 40 whistle and CPR mask- I keep my lifeguard supplies with me 24/7!
I never leave the house without extra hairbands and bobby pins!
What a fun read!
The weirdest thing I have in my purse, which I guess isn’t that weird comparatively speaking, is a laser pointer. One of those things that you put in for a specific reason and then always forget to take out! 🙂
A tick remover. I have a horse and a dog. Those suckers turn up ALL the time.
I carry a teeny-tiny Swiss army knife. Very handy.
I carry a tiny bottle of tabasco (in case my food just needs some spice!!) and a fork.
A small rock. Bigger than a pebble. My 2 year old gave it to me one morning before I left for work, with a look of earnest sincerity on her face. I’ve felt compelled to carry it everyday ever since.
A highlighter/pen duo. You never know when you might want to highlight something.
The strangest thing in my purse is probably a mini Swiss Army knife.
I carry random lego pieces from my son’s legos. At this point, I can pretty much build a whole building!
My passport – Was a habit from living abroad but now I like knowing I can go anywhere in the world in a moment’s notice.
At least one (often more) of my daughter’s soothers – a must for keeping the peace in unexpected traffic jams!
Socks. My feet are cold everywhere, especially on planes. And right now I’m carrying around movie gift certificates… in case I decide to duck in and see a film…?
An extra paid of earrings! I always forget to put them on, so it helps to have an extra pair…
Lots of just-in-case items — Tums, tweezers, blister block stick…the list is endless!
The strangest thing in my bag is a tin of chocolate-covered espresso beans. For emergencies only, when I can’t make it to a coffee shop!
Either the bag of Sport Beans in case I am stuck somewhere without food and need something desperately, or the fuschia pepper spray that unfortunately looks like a mini-vibrator
A little Cinderella figurine given to me by a dear friend to remember that I can find the glass slipper of the job each day.
Peanut butter packets…I kid you not. I have a serious peanut butter problem and you never know when you may get hungry. It’s pretty embarrassing, actually.
48239048923 bottles of antibacterial gel. 1 is clearly not enough.
The strangest thing in my purse? Well it’s probably not strange, but I always have a hand written note from my Grandmother in my purse. I always keep a note from her in my purse to remind me of what’s really important!
Bottle opener! It comes in handy surprisingly often. This is such a great way to celebrate Belle, congrats on 5 years!
I usually carry some kind of extra jewelry for a work to hh transition. Often times, I can find some sort of candy bar or M&Ms in there too. Thanks for the giveaway!
My bag is usually pretty clean…maybe the strangest thing is just about 6 different lipglosses?
I have a container of silly putty in my purse at all times. It’s a great stress reliever!
6 tubes of Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Chapstick! My purse always seems to be cluttered, so I like to be able to reach in and grab to apply without rustling around each pocket or the bottom of my purse.
Easy Mac. It’s my guilty pleasure and always makes a bad afternoon at the office better!
I carry a spare pair of earrings in case I lose one– it helps to be prepared!
I have a small squirt bottle of olive oil. I bring or buy a salad for lunch everyday and loathe salad dressing. A squirt of olive oil and i’m all set!
A big Leatherman multi-tool. The thing weighs a ton, but you just never know when you might need something on it.
Strangest thing I carry around in my purse is definitely nasal spray- I am allergic to summer!
Strangest thing is probably my dressmaker’s measuring tape! It rolls up small, and you NEVER know when you need to take a measurement of a body part or a piece of clothing in a store (or the sweater you’re knitting!) Bonus is that it has both cm and inch measurements, so I’m always covered 😉
My diva cup. It’s part of my “shark week” supply kit, with tampons and pads, just in case (my period is kinda unpredictable so I always have my supplies with me). Everyone I know who knows that I have a diva cup thinks I’m crazy, but it works great for me!
a tapestry bag from Croatia that I keep my business cards in.
My friends always call my handbag my “Mawmaw Bag” (yes, we’re from the South). I always have a notepad, pens, OTC medicine, a tide pen, etc. Hey, they may make fun of me, but I never hear any complaints when someone asks for a an extra bobbie pin!
Is it weird to carry deodorant in my bag? DC summers are hot and I have a long walk to the office!
Paint and fabric swatches from my house. THat way, I know in the store, if the thing I’m looking at will match.
The “Official Cat Butt Coin Purse and Field Guide.” I use it to store one of the 3 ipods I carry — none of which are currently working!
My pouch for my OTC medication and spare make up is an amenity kit pouch from United Airlines. I love to use those when flying in premium cabins internationally but can’t talk myself into letting them go to trash after the flight.
I think the strangest thing about my bag is the number of electronic devices. Perhaps I need to pare it down since I’m currently carrying an iPod, iPhone, Blackberry and iPad.
I carry a a back scratcher in my handbag. Since I can’t reach my back to apply lotion, I tend to itch right in the middle of my back. The back scratcher instantly puts me out of my misery!
the weirdest thing in my bag now is a dog treat left over from the dog park…i should probably take that out
The strangest thing I carry in my purse is a protein shake for when I have to eat on the go.
Tweezers. You never know when a different light will uncover an errant hair!
My mom would always take the extra breadsticks and rolls from restaurants and we would find them at the bottom of her purse, wrapped in napkins and hard as rocks a few days later. It’s a running joke in our family that mom always has bread in her purse!
I have a 50 ruble note that a friend gave me from his trip to Russia–I’ve never been!
These days it’s a casual dress – with the ballpark so close to my office, I often end up attending spur of the moment and don’t want to have to wear my formal work outfit!
A spoon, and not a plastic one. I think it got thrown in there one day when I took yogurt with me to work, but I don’t know why I haven’t taken it out yet.
lots and lots of money
The strangest thing in my purse right now is probably my bandaid friction block stick and a mini tooth floss.
Currently its a cucumber. I brought a fresh garden cucumber to eat for lunch. That was Friday and it is still there.
Right now the strangest thing is matches — I’m meaning to bring them to work for my desk candle, but keep forgetting!
The strangest item in my bag right now is an antihistamine for allergies, just in case…
my anti-under eye pouch roller. just in case it was a long night! I also carry Immodium AD…just in case! 🙂
It’s not that strange, but I have two sets of headphones; the ones I like but are in the process of breaking and the ones I bought to replace the ones I like, but dislike how they actually sound.
Burt’s Bees Bug Spray. Mosquitos REALLY like me.
The strangest thing I carry is this dainty little measuring tape that I got as part of an accessory kit during a wedding I was in. I threw it in with the rest of my “just in case” tools since I feel like during every occasional moment when I am looking for a measuring tool, I never have one. Now I do!
Nail polish! So I can’t always keep my nails painted. Or my Bar Method socks!
An oyster fork! I found it rummaging through my Gran’s silverware, absentmindedly stuffed it in my bag, and haven’t removed it since! Good thing I’m prepared whether I’m tackling a dozen steamers or fending off a prowler on the street!
I have an emergency kit containing gauze pads, sutures, needles, bandages and a micro flashlight!
two small quartz stones given to me by my sons: one in the shape of a tear drop and the other in the shape of a star. both are precious touchstones for me as I have been travel for work a lot this past year.
Not weird to me, a pale Irish girl, but sunscreen! Essential.
Empty carton from a light bulb. I kept buying the wrong ones because I didn’t write it down………
Well I want to use mine as a baby bag, so I am guessing the strangest thing will be a dirty diaper looking for proper disposal!
I always keep a highlighter and post-its in my bag. I have no idea the last time I used a highlighter :/
so fun! i love lo and sons. the strangest thing i carry in my everyday bag is a mini chapstick (from my dentist!) its the best freebie i have! xo
The strangest thing that I carry in my bag is a pocket-size copy of the U.S. Constitution…you never know when you will need to reference an amendment!
About a dozen Splenda packets in case we’re ever out at work.
The weirdest thing is not so weird to me but would be to a lot of other people…..diapers and wipes. My purses have all turned into diaper bags!
Several containers of floss.
I am such a “mom” when it comes to stuff in my purse – Band-Aids, Advil, Tide stick, bobby pins, mini sunblock, etc. haha.
a banana
I carry a plastic bag full of tea, sugar, and creamer. I gotta have my caffeine fix everywhere I go!
My strangest thing is a Norwex enviro cloth so I can wipe things down if I need to!
The strangest thing I have in my bag right now I guess would be Kinky Curly Custard?
I always wanted one of those bags!!!
Id say the weirdest thing I carry around is excess gum wrappers/packs/3 packs. I have a whole lotta gum in my bag lol
A tablet stylus, which I have never used, and I usually don’t even have a tablet with me.
I always carry a fork in my purse because you never know when you may need a fork. You wouldn’t believe how many times it’s come in handy. Most recently I went to see a movie with my boyfriend and stopped for takeout on the way. We sat at a public outdoor table and realized we didn’t have any forks! He didn’t, anyway. ; )
Not weird (for me), but I always, always have a book with me. And I don’t mean a Kindle, but a bound, paper, book. You never know when your Metro car will sit in a tunnel for 20 minutes, when your hairstylist will double-book you, or when you need to sneak away from your desk for some personal time. And always having a book solves all those problems.
Thanks for the giveaway!
A list entitled “How to be Lovely” written by my mother
I carry around a bag of “just in case” necessities daily- lip gloss, Moroccanoil, blister bandaids, sleeping pills, hair clip, hand cream, concealer, tums, granola bar, small umbrella. Thankfully I love large bags.
I have a bunch of toys in my purse from my younger siblings; I have no idea how they get there, but I like to think that they slip them in so I have something fun to do when I’m bored!
Cardamom seeds. I am trying to kick the gum chewing habit.
The strangest thing in my bag right now, probably my stick of Body Glide balm, it’s to prevent blisters and “chub rub”, the two worst things about summer.
In my bag, I have this tiny Benefit makeup bag with all the essentials – dental floss, aspirin and tums, chapstick, mini-mascara, hair ties, mirror. I like to be prepared! Huge fan of Lo & Sons. I have been coveting the OG bag forever-perfect for carry on luggage!
The strangest thing in my bag is a pack of beautiful cards. I love writing handwritten notes to friends and family when I find some downtime – wherever I find myself.
I always carry my mini wine tasting notebook my sister got me in Paris… Great way to remember good wines I try at restaurants!
I always seem to have a little IKEA pencil, whether or not I have been to an IKEA in recent memory. It is kind of spooky.
I have a $2 bill with an old man’s phone number stamped on it. He orders the $2 bills from the Mint, stamps his phone number on it, then gives them out to young ladies he fancies. It’s been in my wallet for more than five years. 901 area code, in case you were wondering!
I carry an extra battery charger
Dental floss, travel eating utensils, and a snack of fruit leather are probably the most unexpected things in my bag, so probably also the weirdest. 🙂
It’s not strange to me, but I guess most people would say that it is – I keep actual cloth handkerchiefs in my bags at all times. Kleenex is fine when I have a cold, but nothing beats an actual handkerchief.
A skipping stone. I skipped it eight times this summer (a personal record) and my seven-year-old daughter looked at me as if I was a goddess- we’d never skipped stones before. Then she insisted I swim out and find it so I did. And it’s still in my purse.
Saline nasal spray – I have had lifelong sinus problems and with the way everyone uses A/C and heat in DC, you never know when you’ll be a dry dry room.
A razor. I often forget to shave my pits, and my typical work outfit is a tank top with a blazer or cardigan, which I remove if the office gets warm.
Love the bags, hope I win!!
I always have a lint roller in my bag, and I’m not afraid to whip it out in public multiple times a day. Pet hair on black drives me crazy!
A dirty tennis ball for my dog. I never know when I’m going to need to get her attention. She’s very toy motivated.
Golf tees
A wallet that has more mementos (my business card from my first job out of law school, a note my fiancé left on my car many years ago when we first started dating, old student IDs, school pictures of my little brothers from back when they were actually little, etc.) than functional items. I always intend to downsize to a smaller wallet, but I just can’t part with my treasures!
A piece of ribbon from an old gift that I thought was too pretty to throw away. Seeing as that was over a year ago, I should probably clean out my bag 🙂
I take the light off my bike so it doesn’t get stolen – is that a weird thing to carry around? One time I brought a peach for a snack at work but forgot it was in my bag, and thus ended up with a very smushed peach at the end of the day….oops!
A tiny bottle of agave syrup!
It’s not all that weird, but a heavy duty flash light. It comes in handy all the time actually. Thank you, protective husband =)
In my bag: Spandex shorts. I use my Bikeshare to get around DC, and always want to have the option to bike to/from where I’m going even if I’m wearing a skirt or dress. Bonus – Hanging on my bag: helmet. Safety first.
Don’t really carry anything strange, but always have advil and sudafed given my sinuses.. and always have a bunch of hair ties.
The strangest thing I carry in my bag is a fake wedding ring that I picked up at an antique store. For those times when you just want to be alone at the bar.
My Nintendo 3DS in case I have any free moments to play Animal Crossing!
I think the strangest thing that I have is a baggie full of meds and cough drops. It’s massive and kind of beat up. I should get a cute little big for that stuff! Thanks for the giveaway! Fingers crossed!
A can of ravioli or bag of ramen. I would hate to starve 😉
I always have liquid band-aid in my bag. I feel like my feet are particularly prone to blisters!
It’s a tie between an ankle brace (because I’m excessively accident-prone), a copy of my renter’s insurance policy (I just moved to a new apartment), and the charger for my extra iPhone battery. The last item is only strange because I do not seem to have the extra battery in my purse, only the charger, which is of no real use by itself!
Congrats on five great years!
I carry an extra pair of earrings (plain fake pearl studs) in my bag, because from time to time I forget to put on earrings in the morning.
I love Lo & Sons bags!
The weirdest thing is probably that I hoard sunglasses and lipstick in my purse. Current Count: 4 pairs of sunglasses, 6 lipsticks/glosses. You never know when you’ll need a quick change! 😉
lock de-icer… In August. Also stamps, I always get made fun of for having stamps in my purse but they have come in handy!
You would think my boyfriend is a small child, by the things I keep in my bag for him. Small bags of hard candy, eyes drops and nose spray. Maybe he needs his own bag… Or, just get a bigger one for me to carry more things
I usually carry a small purse inside my big purse!
Earplugs for when I need to work in public spaces.
Currently it’s a mini screwdriver that I meant to bring home from work.
The strangest thing I carry is individual nail polish remover pads!
As a mom of three kids(6,3 and 4months) an xtra underware is a must.
I love all the answers and I think my answer is fairly boring. The strangest thing I keep in my everyday bag is my smart phone wire cord because my phone battery is horrible and I like to charge my phone at my desk.
a million stray bobby pins!
i carry a million bobby pins!
Crest white strips. Never know when you’ll find an extra 30 min!
My bag is littered with…well…everything (including a miniature Buddha)!
Baby wipes. I am a grandmother but have none living close to me.
I keep a small wine bottle opener in my purse, and I think there’s another one in my car, too… you never know when it’ll come it handy!
What is the strangest thing I carry in my everyday bag? Bike headlight. Never know when I’ll find myself out riding after dark unexpectedly.
Love, love LOVE Lo & Sons! The strangest thing in my bag right now is a tape measure – I’m in the process of moving so it comes in handy almost everyday!
I have a roll of dog poop bags. I am never without a roll of those, and they’ve often come in handy for other things throughout my day (besides poop)!
A lint roller… Dog hair is not a good look on a suit!
Black, white and silver safety pins in different sizes in case of a fashion emergency.
a mini sewing kit. a rip, a tear, can ruin a gal’s day.
fingers crossed!
allie at alliewears.com
Floss
The strangest thing I carry is a halogen light bulb that I’m keeping with me to match a replacement bulb. Love those bags!
metal spoon (for my morning oatmeal, because sometimes there aren’t any plastic ones!)
I carry around tons of different medicine-both my prescriptions if I forget to take it at home, or lots of OTC things people are always asking for-cold meds, benadryl, etc. I also carry around a small dry lite towel-very small and absorbent but dries quickly.
a mini-size deodorant-you just never know, right? thanks!
I always carry a posture and gait assessment sheet with me in my tote. I am a physical therapy student so it fell in one day after class and i have kept it there ever since and it has been surprisingly useful!
I carry one of those little like 2 oz. bottles of vodka in my purse, because you never know when you may want to add a little adult loveliness into a smoothie or juice drink (especially since its summer!). =)
I carry a usb power block…you never know when you need to charge something so I always carry it with me…no cords however.
a set of note cards and stamps
Thermal paste! It’s used to attach a heat-sink to the CPU in your computer so that it stays cool while running. I need to do this a lot for work, so the tube just lives in my bag.
I have a big bag that is filled with about everything. I don’t think it’s weird because I’m always prepared for anything. I had to go through and see if I could find anything weird that I forgot about. I do have a champagne cork from a friends party. Don’t know who put it in there because it wasn’t me lol. Love your bags!
Mini-bottle of sriracha. Never know when my food will be in need of rescuing.
gummy bears for me. dog treats for the pups. three + sketchbooks for work. 🙂
love lo&sons…beautiful AND functional bags.
The key to my boyfriend’s bike lock. The bike was stolen on campus 4 years ago yet i still have the key.
Gerber baby food containers, the little plastic kind are perfect to hold a small portion of almonds or bobby pins. I don’t even have a kid but I got my sister-in-law to collect a few for me.
I’m loving this topic too. I didn’t realize all the things I have lived without in my purse. Extra set of pear earrings…genius!
A rubber band ball – doubles as a stress ball & emergency hair tie
A ziplock bag with almonds.
I live in DC, but I have at least 5 passes for the subway in NYC and the L in Chicago. Most have about $2 left on them, but hey, why waste it when I know I’ll be back eventually?
a toothbrush, tooth paste, and floss!
I always have a stash of bandaids and blister relief materials. Running around DC in high heels creates a lot of blisters, so I’m always prepared for the worst!
The strangest thing I carry in my purse is a sheet of moleskin. That and my Band-Aid blister block are my weapons of choice against blisters.
I always carry decongestant with me – sometimes I’m hit with sinus issues suddenly and it keeps me from having to make a trip to CVS when I feel terrible!
Currently, it is diapers (I have a newborn)
I keep baby wipes in my purse to clean my dogs paws after the dog park.
I always have a list of restaurants in all different states, so no matter where I am I have somewhere cool to eat!
the strangest thing I carry in my bag everyday is floss. strange but necessary! I’ve been dreaming of owning this bag ever since I heard about Lo & Sons a year ago. Thanks for the giveaway!
I work at a hospital with kids so I often have a mini multicolored slinky in my bag!
The weirdest thing in my bag is probably a small box of q-tips! My biggest per peeve is dirty ears! :/
I always have a pair of ballet flats and a book in my bag. I live in a big city. Never know when you’ll need them.
4 half used tubes of the same lip gloss – it’s a problem!
My kindle. It’s strange because I never read it – I can read kindle on my iphone – but I still carry it everywhere.
The contents of my purse are pretty conventional but I do find it strange that I now have to carry three to four different kinds of chargers to go with all the devices I carry with me to work and on travel.
During the summer I carry extra shorts in case it gets too hot and I want to change.
In the winter I carry an extra pair of tights to wear in case it gets too cold.
at least 5 pens. Who needs 5 pens in their bag?
i always have to have: “emergency” nuts for snacking, dental floss, and a usb drive.
I carry a ton of things on a daily basis, but probably the strangest thing in my every day bag is my jump drive. I keep it in my purse and not my work tote.
A can of diet coke, because I’m an addict!
I carry a love note my husband wrote me when we were dating.
Right now, one lone Euro that I forgot to get rid of before I left Ireland.
I carry around a post-it note in my wallet from my father. he had attached it to a book of his that he loaned to me and written: “if you [heart] this book, jen, you can keep it.” it just makes me smile.
Jelly Bellys…perfect sweet snack, but I will never eat more than a couple.
I carry around a post-it note in my wallet from my father. he had attached it to a book of his that he loaned to me and written: “if you [heart] this book, jen, you can keep it.” it just makes me smile when i read it.
Keys for my Mom’s house in AZ (even though I’m in DC) and every card/coupon/voucher I have b/c you just never know when you might need things 🙂
I actually narrow down my daily essentials a lot – the most random thing I carry around is probably Abreva because I hate when I start feeling the beginnings of a cold sore and I’m caught without it. haha (Gross, but seriously it works so much better when you put it on immediately!)
Q-tips
The strangest thing I carry in my bag is a paper map of Wäschenbeuren, Germany. It’s the small village where my mom grew up and where I spent quite a few summers. I carry it because it makes me feel more connected to my family there and remind me of the time I’ve spent there Plus you never know when I might have to make a completely out of the blue trip (which is never, FYI)!
I have a stick of Glide, a runner’s anti-chafe.
Way too many old gift cards with less than $20 on them, i always forget to use them!
I don’t know that this is strange, but last year I met General Martin Dempsey,Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the Washington Nationals NLCS game. General Dempsey graciously gifted me with one of his challenge coins, a military tradition, and I have carried it in a small pouch in my person every single day since then.
One can usually find some sort of citrus in my purse, usually a few clementines. Never know when you’ll need the vitamin c boost!
Oil blotting sheets- DC summers are rough!
The strangest thing…
A target from the gun range! I went shooting with my boyfriend maybe 6+ months ago, and it still is in my purse. I have a large tote bag if you can’t tell, haha.
An envelope full of coupons 🙂
Extra jewelry. You never know when you need to switch up your look.
Love the bags. I always carry my glasses and eye drops in case my contacts dry out.
A scarf in August! My office and the train are freezing.
a blackjack strategy card
It’s not that strange, but I always have a book in my bag (even if I don’t end up looking at it for weeks. You just never know when you might get stuck on the metro or waiting for an appointment or something. Right now, it’s John Dies at the End.
An embarrassingly high number of lip products (like 12). I really do have a problem.
An extra long straw to drink coffee out of my thermos!
Honestly–a tiny, furry, yellow (fake) mouse. I have a ton of them at home because they are my cat’s favorite toy, and he loves to throw them in the air and chase after them. I guess he got a little too enthusiastic and lost one in my bag. I found it while looking for a new pen during a long, boring meeting, and it really put a smile on my face. I haven’t taken it out because it never fails to amuse me when I see it. Luckily, my cat has plenty more at home. I think my yellow mouse would look great in a Lo & Sons bag! 🙂
A headlamp. Because one never knows when the lights will go out!
What isn’t in there?! But seriously I have about 7 lip glosses – I can never decide and a girl needs options!
The strangest thing would have to be a bottle of nail polish, because I always do my nails at home. But if one ever chips I guess I’ll be prepared!
X Kenzie
http://www.CaveGirlintheCity.com
A ResQMe car escape tool.
A koozie. Every bag should have one!
Stamps! So quaint in this digital age, but whenever I need them (which is what, a few times a year? Forever stamps, indeed), I know where they are.
Plastic bags have been outlawed where I live, and all stores now have to charge for paper bags, so I have a reusable nylon ChicoBag (which folds into itself) in each of my purses because I am constantly forgetting my reusable shopping bags.
Old fortune cookie fortunes. Always cheer me up on a sluggish day!
I always carry a bungee cord. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Baseball tickets that were never used… rain delay, and work. 🙁 Also – old contact lenses… just in case.
Dental floss!! You never know when you’ll need it!
My bag is pretty normal, because I easily end up packing way too many things but I think on occasion the weirdest thing I’ve carried in my bag is salad dressing. Always wanted to be ready for lunch time! Thanks for this!
Deodorant… DC summers are hot and humid!
I have a pocket size face shield in my purse. I do home health so I always have one with me.
Right now the strangest thing is a pair of flats for the subway commute home from work. No fun walking 10 blocks in heels!
I carry an empty gallon sized Ziploc bag in my everyday bag because it inevitably gets filled with something kid-related that is either leaking, sticky, or stinky. Ha!
Thank you cards. It’s so I don’t forget to write them! But, somehow stay in there always.
Mostly conventional stuff here… but I always have another bag in my bag… like a fold up grocery bag so I can stop and grab something on my way home.
Deodorant… DC gets humid!
I carry around an absurd amount of lists on yellow post-it notes.
A toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste, and floss
I’m a design student so I always have a miniature x-acto knife and a scale ruler in my bag. Try getting into a smithsonian with an x-acto…
I’ve had a little plastic cocktail mermaid in my bag for weeks.
Crumbs! With two kids and snacks always packed in my purse, I am always finding crumbs leftover that never seem to make their way out of the bag, despite the cleaning and shaking.
A hair tie. Keep in mind, I have a pixie cut.
Hair ties – I was always ending up at the gym without one!
Right now the strangest is a pacifier. The life of a mom of a fourteen month old…
Strangest thing that I keep in my bag? Tweezers.
I carry a tiny screwdriver, for eye glasses. Very useful.
Maybe not that strange, but I am the only 20-something I know who carries around a checkbook and a book of stamps–I actually use them a lot too since most dry cleaners won’t take cards and I never have more than a couple dollars of cash on me. I also currently have 3 library books, Off! wipes, and a mini sewing kit.
At least five separate lip color products, even though I just wear my plain Burt’s Bees 99% of the time.
I honestly don’t think I carry anything weird with me everyday. But I do have a lot of “just in case things”. After reading some of these comments, I have a few things to add to my bag!
I carry a tiny bag of mini “good luck charms” in my purse every day. My best friend gave them to me as a graduation gift, and they are itty-bitty pewter figurines of a heart, a globe, an acorn, and angel, and a peace sign. I tied them up in a green gossamer bag, and it fits in the side pocket of my purse. They are a daily reminder of how lovely life is!
Little green army men, some pieces of metal and a few stones.
paper clips! Good for the office and they can store jewelry when you travel.
I just moved to DC from Birmingham, Alabama two days ago and have been scoping out the bags the women carry! I would love one of these! The strangest thing in my bag would be 2 key chain zipper pouches full of essential oils! You never know when you will need them!
Tape measurer! Gotta make sure furniture will fit in the house.