I’m not exaggerating — it’s changed my life…

This is one of my favorite bags:

It’s big and roomy, while also being stylish. It has long straps that stay on my shoulder. You can fit pretty much anything in it (wallet, diapers, wipes, Transformer toys, My Little Ponies, you name it). I’ve used this bag thousands of times, taken it with me on countless trips, and it has always managed to carry everything I needed.

There’s just one small problem.

I couldn’t always retrieve everything I needed once it was dumped placed into this bag.

If you were trying to reach me on my cell phone, for instance, good luck. It could take me 20 minutes to find my phone in this bag because the inside always ended up looking like this:

If I was stuck at a traffic light and felt the need for a little lip gloss, I’d still be hunting for said gloss long after the light turned green. If my husband asked for a pen to take notes during the church service it would take me about 10 minutes to unearth one.

Now, I’m not the most organized person in the world. So, I figured maybe people like me weren’t meant to carry big stylish bags. So I switched to a much smaller one. But the same thing would inevitably happen. I would start off all clean and organized, but by the end of the week the inside of the purse looked like absolute bedlam.

That’s why when I read about Lyn Marstellar and her Purse Perfector, I was instantly intrigued. You see Lyn had become frustrated because her purses were not functioning well. She set out on a mission to design the “perfect purse.” But do you know what she discovered?

The problem wasn’t with the purses she had tried, it was managing the stuff in the purses.

Genius!

So, Lyn created the Purse Perfector.

The Purse Perfector can hold all the daily items we women need, but organizes these items in such a way that we can find them quickly and predictably.

Seriously, this little invention has changed my life. For once in my life, I can answer my cell phone before it goes to voicemail. I can get my hands on a pen or lip gloss immediately. Take a look at how the inside of my favorite bag looks now:

A zipper forms the center pocket, where I keep my checkbook, coupons and receipts (although, as Lyn points out, it can also hold a passport or photos). You can see the section that is on “top” in the picture below holds my wallet, a pen, hand sanitizer, lip glosses, and sometimes my sunglasses. The other section holds my cell phone, a folding brush/mirror and a mini M&M case that houses crayons for my kids.

There are also some pockets on the front of the organizer. This is where I keep my driver’s license, credit cards and ATM card (items I use often and need to reach quickly). I also put a few of my “mommy cards” in there, as well:

The other great thing about this organizer is that you can unzip it so that you have two separate organizers (for smaller bags), or only unzip it partway so you have a long organizer that can work in a beach bag, briefcase or diaper bag:

And, can I tell you how long it takes me to switch bags? About 2 seconds. The Purse Perfector works just as well with my smaller bags as it does with the larger ones.

Now, I’m going to be perfectly honest here. The Purse Perfector does not come cheap. It retails for $58 dollars. Initially, I found that price a little hard to swallow.

Now you can go online, search “purse organizers” and find a variety of options — many that are a lot cheaper. My sister, after seeing my Purse Perfector, went out and bought one of the cheaper options. I took a good look at it and what I didn’t like was that it was rigid, not soft and pliable like Lyn’s. While my sister’s organizer works with her oversized bag, because of its rigid shape it won’t transfer as easily into a smaller bag. There aren’t as many sections in my sister’s organizer (so it’s harder to keep everything in its place), and she doesn’t have the option of changing the configuration because there is no zipper. Plus, the Purse Perfector is machine washable.

I have used the Purse Perfector for about six weeks now. I’ve used it in several different bags. It has kept me organized 100% of the time (no small feat, I assure you!). For me, I’ve learned in my 36 years that sometimes it’s wiser to spend a little more up front to get the right tool, instead of buying a cheaper version, not liking it and then relenting and buying the real deal later anyway. Just sayin’.

The organization you’ll gain will be worth every penny.

So thanks, Lyn. Thanks for showing me that it wasn’t my purses — or even me! — that was the problem. It was how I managed the stuff inside.

My purse organization problem has been solved and, in the process, I’ve also figured out what I’ll be getting my sister for Christmas this year.

(This post is also linked to the Works for Me Wednesday Carnival at We are THAT Family.)

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary Purse Perfector to review for this post. What you read above is my honest opinion and the links are NOT affiliate links.