I’m so excited to be doing another series for you. This one is called “What’s In My Bag” and I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for these types of things. Between YouTube, Instagram, and blogs, I love taking a peek into another person’s bag.

Why will this be a series? Because I carry different items in my bag depending on what I’m doing. There are three types of bags I use and this series will cover each one of the following:

Daily bag
Work bag
Travel bag

Today’s post is about what I carry around with me on a daily basis. So without further delay, let’s take a peek at what’s in my bag.

Here are the everyday essential items I carry in my daily bag

The bag

First, let’s talk about the bag itself. I use a CallagHan backpack as my daily bag. My friend told me about this brand and I fell in love with the olive green color. I also appreciated that the main compartment zipper is on the back, making it anti-theft.

I love going hands-free when I’m out and about. It’s so much easier to do things. I’ve had this bag for nearly four years. It’s durable and the canvas material makes it easy to clean.

The inside has three pockets, plus loads of room for other stuff. But being a minimalist, I don’t carry around much when I’m just running errands. Still, this bag gives me plenty of room without it feeling like it's weighing me down.

Here’s a bag like the one I have.

Wallet

Obviously, I don’t go anywhere without my wallet. I thrifted this Coach wristlet from Poshmark. It’s a perfect size and holds the central things I need.

Sometimes if I’m running out for less than an hour I’ll simply take the wristlet with me.

Inside is my FurArt wallet. I keep my essential cards (credit, debit, license, insurance, etc), plus a few bucks cash. I also keep a chapstick, my vaccination card, and a small case of pills (Excedrin, Advil, etc) inside.

These are the essential essentials as I call them. So if I need to run to the post office and nowhere else, I’ll bring only the wristlet as it has everything I need.

Keys

Can’t drive my car without my keys. I used to be the type of person who had a ton of keychains and only two keys. Since becoming a minimalist, I’ve pared down a lot.

My keys are now kept on a single carabiner. I have my house key, my car key, and a single decorative keychain.

The carabiner is perfect to clip my keys on the top handle of my backpack. If I don’t have that, I’ll clip them to the belt loop of my pants. This way they don’t get lost in the bottom abyss of my bag again.

Reusable bag

While I do keep a stash of reusable bags in my trunk, I love this foldable shopping bag from Bagcu. They’re the perfect size for any purse and come in handy more often than you think.

New Jersey finally put a ban on plastic shopping bags as of May 4 of this year. If you’re in need of flexible — and stylish — reusable bags, this company has you covered. They’re super easy to unfold when needed.

Tissues

As an allergy sufferer, I don’t go anywhere without tissues. I keep a box in my car and a travel-sized pouch in whatever bag I’m using for the day.

There’s nothing worse than needing a tissue and not having one. Using a napkin or paper towel is rough on my skin. I love knowing that I have soft tissues ready to go when I need them. They’re also handy to have in case of spills.

PPE

While many businesses don’t have mask mandates anymore, I still carry essential PPE stuff. This includes a mask and hand sanitizer. I also keep a small moisturizer with the sanitizer since it tends to dry out my hands.

I don’t leave the house without a mask nowadays because you just never know. It’s a good thing to have on hand.

Reusable water bottle

My only complaint about my bag is that the side pockets don’t extend far enough to fit my reusable water bottle in. That doesn’t stop me from bringing water with me, though.

Adamant about keeping hydrated, especially as we move into the warmer months, I always have a bottle of water with me. If I’m running out for less than 30 minutes, I’ll skip it. But errands running longer than that means it’s coming with me.

Since it doesn’t fit in my bag, I often leave the bottle in the car while going in and out of stores. Saves me from having to juggle another thing in my hand.

What I don’t drink while out, I’ll finish when I get home. It’s always a good idea to practice bringing water with you. Even if you leave it in the car. You never know when you might get stuck somewhere and need a drink.

Phone

Finally, I always have my phone with me when I’m out. I’ve been practicing digital minimalism as of late where I limit my phone use. But I’m not comfortable going out without it, despite what Cal Newport suggests in his book.

I do think it’s a good safety precaution to have a phone. A way to get in contact with someone for emergencies.

I still limit how much I’m on it while running errands. I do keep my lists on there, but if I know I’m going somewhere like the doctor or getting my oil changed, I will bring a book or notebook with me.

Each of us needs different essentials when running out on daily errands. If you’re a mother and you have your child with you, chances are you need more than what I mentioned above.

My goal with my daily bag is to keep things as minimal and as essential as possible. If you really think about it, you don’t need a massive tote if you’re just running to the post office or convenience store.

I used to be that person. I would have to dig to the bottom of a giant tote to get my wallet. I already have enough anxiety holding up people on line. That only added to it.

But now, I can go into my bag and know my wallet is within easy reach. And if I just bring my wristlet on those quick errands, it goes even faster.

Learning to bring only the essentials with you is something I’m going to highlight in the rest of the series. I look forward to writing the next one.

What are some of your daily bag essentials? Do you tend to carry more with you than needed? Have you tried paring down what you carry? What’s one thing you leave behind the next time you run on a quick errand?

Read my previous series, “The Key to an Organized Life.”

What’s In My Bag Series: Daily Bag Essentials