This week for I must confess, Kirsty is asking us to reveal the secrets of our handbags.  At the moment I actually have two bags on the go.  I use both of them regularly and they both have their own secrets.My first handbag is a gorgeous brown bucket handbag that I received as a present from Raychael of Mystery Case fame.  It fits a surprisingly large amount inside for a small handbag.  I have learned my lesson with larger shoulder bags though, because they quickly become bottomless pits.

This handbag I use when I am shopping or not going very far.  I have found that walking long distances with a bag over one shoulder plays havoc with my back.  It sits just at the right height on my hip to make it easier to reach my purse when shopping.  Right now in that handbag is:

• A massive pile of bus tickets.  Our public transport system is still in dark ages and hasn’t upgraded to electronic tickets yet.  I buy myself a daily ticket which stays in my purse but I only need to buy a one way ticket for Mr 6 so it gets thrown in my handbag.  At the end of the term I usually clean them all out.
• A pack of tissues.  Tissues always come in handy.  Especially with a child who thinks he’s had an amputation if there is even a spot of blood.
• Receipts.  As I mentioned, this bag is used when I go shopping so receipts are a common occurrence in my handbag.
• Pen.  Having a pen on hand is always a good idea.  There is nothing worse than trying to fill out a piece of paper work while out and none of the pens work, or they’ve all been nicked.

The second bag that I have is a backpack.  I use this one when walking home from school or on the mornings when I don’t have to go to the shops after I do the school run.  I used to just put my other handbag inside Mr 6’s school bag but if he had to bring any extra things home it wouldn’t fit.

I’ve recently gotten a new backpack because the one I was using didn’t close properly.  I didn’t think it was a big deal until my wallet fell out and I didn’t realise.  Thankfully it fell out at school and someone handed it in.  Right now these are the things that I have inside my backpack:

• Earphones.  I like to listen to music while on my way to the bus stop and while waiting for the bus to come.  It helps kill the time.
• Bus tickets.  As the school run in the afternoon is often the last trip, the bus tickets get thrown into the bag.
• Boost cup.  This one isn’t normally in there but I just remembered that I had left my reusable boost cup in there after buying one on the way home from school on Friday.
• Umbrella.  For an entire week there was a storm at 3pm everyday of the week.  It’s summer so the rain wasn’t cold (there was steam coming off the road!) but I’m not a massive fan of getting soaked to the bone.
• Pen.  I chuck a pen in this bag so I can sign the inevitable forgotten note at school.

I also have the items that migrate between the two bags like my wallet, keys and mobile.  I’ve always had bags that I could fit lots of stuff into.  Sometimes they have been a little too big and turn into bottomless pits of receipts and bus tickets.  I opt for smaller bags now that I don’t have to carry around so much kids stuff with me.  It makes it a lot easier to find things too!

What’s in your handbag at the moment?

Do you prefer a larger bag or a small one?