I just discovered an awesome personal finance blog, If I Were A Wealthy Girl. She recently posted on the value of the stuff we carry in our purses. It seems foolish for me never to have done the math on this, but here’s my breakdown of the contents of my bag, currently:

Vintage clutch, $3 at Goodwill, not easily replaceable
The View from the Fortieth Floor, practically free on Amazon [borrowed from a good friend]
Double-sided condensation-proof plastic cup for cold drinks $10 [this belongs to Chris; I steal it from him all the time]
Black leggings, $9
Tank top, $9
Champion c9 seamless sports bra, $17
Old Navy flip-flops, $3
Sephora concealer palette, $20
Sephora Hope in a Jar moisturizer sample, $1 [got it free from a friend who works in skincare]
Urban Decay Skyscraper multi-benefit mascara, $22 [ditto from same friend above]
Tarte cheek stain, $30 [ditto from same friend above]
MAC eyeshadow palette, $25 at a factory outlet store
NYC Color eyebrow pencil, $2
Sephora Khaki Electro eyeliner, $7 [ditto from same friend above]
Demo of TML album, worthless unless we get famous and someone can sell it on eBay for millions.
Wet and Wild lipstick, $2
Vanilla fragrance, $8 on sale from Anthropologie
Plastic teasing comb, $2
Tiny cosmetic case with tampons, $2 or so
Debit card, worthless [easily replaced]
Driver’s license, $24.50 to replace
Travel toothbrush and toothpaste, $3
Tube of Tom’s of Maine, $4
BlackBerry Curve, $199
Skull Candy noise-cancelling headphones, $10
BlackBerry charger, $29
Borrowed 8-gig iPod nano, $99
Skein of Lion Brand acrylic yarn, $3 [not pictured]
Two double-point circular needles in different gauges, $16 total
Set of four double-pointed sock needles, $7
Finished hat from I Love Life I Love You, $28
Finished leafy headband from I Love Life I Love You, $12 [this one is a sample; these aren't for sale yet, but they will be soon]
150-mb thumb drive, worthless [got it free, and the info on it is backed up on both my work and my home computer]
Tiny Post-it pad, $.50 [free from work]
Random pens and markers, free from work
Mini binder clip, free from work
Fabric scissors, $11
stork-shaped embroidery scissors, $12.50
Needles and black thread, $4 total
Two bundles of black elastic thread for current ILLILY project, $6 total
Jar of Nivea cuticle cream, $1
Nail clippers, $.50
Sunglasses, $5 at Forever 21
Cables for camera, phone, iPod, around $10 [easily replaced]
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 plus 8g mini SD card, $479 [not pictured]
Borrowed MacBook and associated cables, $999 [not pictured]

Approximate value of everything in my bag: $2135. Holy shit, that’s a lot. Even without my computer, that’s still $1136, which if I could sell everything for its listed price, I could reduce my current debt by almost 25% in one fell swoop.

I realize this model isn’t perfect, because not only did I give prices for the things I got as gifts or things I’m borrowing, I could never sell all these things for their listed price. These flip-flops exist solely so that I don’t have to commute in my nice work shoes, and they’ve served that purpose well for over a year. Consequently, they’re pretty banged up. I wouldn’t rescue them from a burning building. These scissors were purchased at least twelve years ago – my mum got them for me at age 16 for sewing my pointe shoes at summer camp – and they’re much duller than a brand-new pair, so selling them at a yard sale would probably fetch me no more than two bucks.

Also, a note: I don’t carry cash. Ever. I pay my bus fare every morning in quarters, and I carry exactly enough quarters to get me onto the bus. Carrying more would only mean that I’d spend my afternoons at the vending machine, whereas carrying only a debit card means a) I’m encouraged to take a walk to Whole Foods during my lunch break and get some fresh fruit or tofu curry [as well as a breath of fresh air as a break from my windowless office] and b) my food costs go neatly into my Mint.com budget tracking, so that I know exactly what I’ve spent on food [and usually have a pretty good idea what I actually ate, too]. When I’m in New York, my Metrocard is my primary means of getting around, and whenever I take a cab, I pay for it with a card for the same reason.

Other thoughts:
Okay, okay. I need to downsize my handbag. I know. To be fair, this is my work bag, so I require the camera and computer [not pictured]. And my hourlong commute would be a damn waste if I didn’t bring something to do. Hence, book, knitting, iPod. And the gym clothing is in there because I’m headed to the gym after work. So there.

On days when I’m not a busy little bee, I typically just bring along the clutch, which holds my ID, debit card, keys, cosmetics, and phone. The rest of the time, I just throw the clutch into the large red bag [or the nearly identical blue one I have at home] with my work [and workout] gear.

I could cut down on my load by choosing only one activity to do on the bus [reading or knitting], and by purchasing duplicate cables/chargers for home and work. I just haven’t yet. Also, duplicates: I’m not sure why I have both a travel-size and a full-size toothpaste. Clearly my subconscious is serious about never getting another cavity again.

What do you carry in your bag every day? How much it is worth?

Related posts:

  1. The Cost Per Wear: How Much is Your Clothing Worth to You? [Or: Are You Getting Your Money's Worth?]