Healthy Handbags, Tips For Safe Schlepping

I hate to schlep. I love my freedom, especially my freedom of movement. I want to be able to try on jackets with out figuring out what to do with my purse. I want to carry all of my groceries into the house without my purse sliding off my shoulder.

I have friends who lug around so much stuff you could confuse them with refugees from the Gaza Strip. The carry huge handbags, shoppers, filled with hair products, bottled water, reading material, electronic devices, coupon books, makeup bags, kleenex. sanitary wipes, endless amounts of crap.

Why, I don't know. Emergency preparedness, I imagine. The first tip I am going to give you is that carrying all of these items is heavy. It is weight that you are not distributing evenly over your body. If you are carrying a loaded down Hobo on your right shoulder, you are completely throwing the natural alignment of your body out of whack. Oh is that why my back aches, is that why I am suffering numbness in my right arm. Hmm, could be.

I want all of you terminal schleppers out there to go through your handbags right now and get rid of the items you can live without. If you insist on carrying bottled water, carry a dollar instead and support the local economy if you are a little thirsty. Since those bottles are bad for the environment, keep some paper cups at work and drink tap water instead.

If you cant make it through the day without your hair care products, then I would suggest a new stylist. If your hair requires continuous coiffing then the cut doesn't stand very well on it's own anyway.

Cologne and perfume are heavy and it never smells as great on you as you think it does. If you are continually re- applying, you are wearing too much and most of your colleagues are probably complaining about it behind your back. A little dab before you leave the house goes a long way,

Antibacterial wipes. I would like to think that most places you are hanging out at offer soap and water in the rest rooms. Simple hand washing is the most effective way to prevent disease. Kleenex, well sometimes T.P. can be a problem. I will let this one slide.

100 calorie snacks, you are on a diet, right? Then I would assume you only need one, not a baggy full of 20 assortments.

Cosmetics, A compact and lipstick should be enough to get you through an 8 hour day. Stop the dependency.

After you have gotten emptied your bag, replace all of the items that are necessary. Billfold, lipstick, compact, keys, kleenex, sanitary supplies(only what is needed). medication in a small pill box. That's it. Now pick up your purse and fell how light it is.

I have always loved crossbody bags. They distribute weight evenly across your body. They stay close to your person for easy access and are troublesome to muggers and thieves. They are impossible to snatch.

Both of your arms are free making shopping a breeze. They hang low enough that you can try that cute cardigan on, that you have been eyeing ,right over your purse, without laying on the floor at the store. If you are at the farmers market you can inspect the produce with both hands. When you are bring in the groceries you can pick up 3 or 4 bags in each hand without struggling with your purse that keeps sliding of of your shoulder. It's so freeing.

In the past crossbody bags have been a little tricky to find. Especially if you have a little fashion sense. Mostly you had to look in travel catalogues and settle on the fanny packs next of kin. They came in black or brown and so many compartments that you would have to call in Phillip Marlowe just to find what you were looking for.

Well, the fashion industry has finally woken up. Tanginello, The Sak, Fossil, Lucky, Calvin Klein, Coach, Dooney and Bourke, just to name a few brands have introduced crossbody bags for fall. They came in an assortment of colors and styles. For all of you terminal schleppers they even offer crossbody shoppers. One step at a time folks.

It is the season to shop and when you are buying new bags for fall, I would recommend this style. You will be safer on the streets. Your back will feel so much better and you will appear to be the fashionista we know you to be.