Bags, Totes, Purses, and Backpacks
Barb here.
It’ll probably come as no surprise to learn that I hate to shop. So far we’ve discussed bras, make-up, my two pairs of shoes, and more. While I like to spend money (sometimes too much) I don’t like to shop. I shop one of two ways.
- Panic because I have nothing to wear/use/carry stuff, so I go to the store and purchase something that’s too expensive or too cheap and just wrong.
- Take for-flipping-ever to analyze, search on-line, compare prices and attributes and purchase something that’s too expensive or too cheap and just wrong.
More…
Next to bras, I’ve always hated to buy handbags and my 30-year-old line is that I want one to be inexpensive enough that I have money to left to put in it.
While cruising, I essentially got rid of handbags and used a small backpack, a zipper tote, or (tres chic) a waterproof gear bag with a luggage strap attached. Since we are living aboard in a city for a couple of years, I needed a bag and the winner is… one EW bought for me. Yep. EW surprised me with a small shoulder bag for Christmas.
It wasn’t expensive, and it isn’t perfect, but it’s small, has a few different compartments, holds all I need for a normal trip ashore, and (most important for those on a boat) every single compartment closes. Think about it: you want nothing to fall out of your bag when you are handing it from dinghy to boat or dock. Trust me, those open outside pockets or open totes are not my friend.
I love my little cloth bag and will use it until it dies. I have my eye on my next bag, also compact but with a few more compartments and a bit higher cost. There are bags I’ve sworn I’ll never get.
1. Designer bags worn at the elbow as our moms did. I’m a cross-body-strap woman.
2. Teeny tiny lipstick bags for dates. How cute. I can forgo with a bag that’s holds enough so I don’t have to put stuff in EW’s pocket.
3. A large, overstuffed, over feminine bag that makes me so tired he has to carry it. You’ve seen that? When I was in Texas for Lynnelle’s birthday we stopped at Buck-ee’s —a truly amazing convenience store on steroids. I took a lot of photos, and then I saw this—Pa following Ma around with a large ladies’ hand bag on his arm. It’s not a good look for him.
Seeing that couple is what inspired this post. In the early days of my marriage I promised EW (at no prompting whatsoever) that I would never make him carry my large purse. I’ve stuck with that. That’s why we have small backpacks and gear bags. He looks manly carrying a backpack and I get to fill it as I wish—after all, I never told him I wouldn’t ask him to carry a bag, just not a large ladies’ purse.
Lynnelle here.
I’ve got nothing to add here. Wish I did, but I like to shop. I love bags. I wouldn’t ever ask Kurt to carry one; hold one while I tried on more bags, maybe – but not carry. He could remain stationary.
The definition of “shop” is something we can discuss at some point. For me “shopping” isn’t necessarily buying, but more planning, dreaming, strategizing. That is, unless you’re talking about grocery shopping. If Karen and I are going out “shopping” we do tend to come back with something in a bag, but sometimes not. If we go out grocery shopping, then that is a given we’re coming back with multiple bags (not the kind of bags I love, but more akin to the kind Barb loves).
This is all I have to add, even though I opened by saying I didn’t have anything to add. See? Get us started and we don’t stop! I’ll bet if you get Barb started shopping she may be a tough one to get stopped.