What Is A “House Purse”? And Why I Love It

I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite tool in my house: I call it my “house purse.” (It’s actually a basket right now, but that’s beside the point…) My house purse is a container that I carry around with me, or that occasionally lives in a room, either for help tidying or for easy access to the things that I need. That’s it. It’s a very simple concept. But it’s such a game-changer, especially in a house with levels.

There are a few ways that I use the house purse:

1. For Personal Items

We so often assume that just because something is in our house, it’s easy to access. But that’s not always the case… Have you ever forgotten your water right before bed? That trip down and back up the stairs is annoying. Or what about when you need to take a certain medicine? Do you always have it right with you when it’s time to take it? It can feel like quite a reach when the item you need is on a different level or side of the house at the moment you need it.

By putting all of your current personal items in a small container (like, dare I say, a purse?), you can have everything you need with you at all times. No need to get up from your seat.

I found this to be incredibly helpful when I was postpartum. I imagine it would also be great for anyone who is sick, recovering from a surgery, or just has a lot of needs at the moment. But it could be helpful for anyone! If you think you have enough stuff that you want continually by your side, give it a try.

Some personal items to consider adding to your house purse:

• Phone
• Other personal devices, like a tablet or laptop computer
• Lotion (hello, dry winter months!)
• Chapstick
• Water or other drink of choice
• Snacks
• Medicine
• Pen + paper or post-it notes
• E-reader or current book

2. For Tidying

Ever heard of a stair basket? It sits on your stairs and you put things in it that need to go up the stairs. A house purse can act just like a stair basket (in fact, it can be a stair basket), but it can move to whatever space in your house needs in the most – whether that place changes or stays the same.

By keeping a container within reach, you can easily put away items that need to go to a different location. It’s like a pile, but it’s contained, so it’s less chaotic to look at, and it’s easy to grab once it’s time to go to the new location. You can almost always find a house purse in my main living area, because it’s the easiest way for me to keep my house tidy with minimal effort.

3. For Packing

Lastly, a house purse is my secret weapon when it comes to packing. Packing inevitably requires moving items from all around your house, and if you just use your hands to do so, you have to move around a lot. It’s a very scrambly activity, which is one reason why I think it can feel so stressful.

A suitcase is usually too big to carry from room to room, but a medium-sized bag or basket is reasonable. You can use your smaller container to gather items from each room and then dump them in the main suitcase.

Also, consider setting out one (or even more) small containers ahead of time in your main living spaces. (Multiple house purses?!) Then any time you use something that you know you’ll need to pack for your upcoming trip, put it in there. This container is just where the things will live in the room until it’s time to pack. You’ll reduce stress with your head-start on packing, and you’ll likely remember those pesky random items that are so easy to forget.

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So what can you use as a house purse? Literally any type of container. An actual purse, a duffel bag, a grocery bag, a basket, a bin, a box… I’m not going to provide any links because I don’t think you should buy something new for this concept – just use what you have. And if you end up loving it, you can always upgrade later!

If you try this out, let me know what you think!