Throw it in the Bag.

Several years ago, I went to a baby shower where they played "Whats in Mommy's Purse". For those unfamiliar, they gave a list of items that might (or might not) be found in the purse of a mommy. This list included the usual: gum, safety pins, and tissue and went on to include some not so common items, such as a curling iron, utility bill, and scissors. Each woman racked up points by creating a pile of items from their purse based on the checklist. I laughed at the woman who won thinking, "Wow, I think there is such a thing as being overprepared." A little women's college in Atlanta taught me that in fact, there is no such thing.

Of course, we cant go trekking the landscapes with everything AND the kitchen sink in our beautiful bags. Furthermore, I know we are all sick of seeing that tired sister with the "leather" bag far past its useful years, stretched to the brink with trash and unmentionables. I too, have been guilty of making some of my best bags, trash cans for loose paper, gum wrappers and the like. To help you out, I have come up with a list of essentials that will take the contents of any frog kisser and catcher's bag from trashy to efficient on your journey to far far away.

The Frog Kisser/Catcher Essentials:
A WORKING pen.
Mints or Gum
Compact Mirror
Lotion
Lipstick/Lipgloss
Mascara
Business card (note: Even if you haven't had a job in 2 years, you should always have a way for people to get in contact with you. Of course you could just give them your number, but a card with at least two forms of communication that you don't mind having in circulation provides a special touch that will always be well received. A small investment, with a big pay off!)

I'm sure you don't leave the house without many of these things, but we can always improve. Experienced frog kissers and catchers will also have a number of other items to outfit her kit and caboodle. They are:

Sunglasses. Instant diva for those "so late its early" nights and the resulting dark circles. No matter the weather or hour- sometimes having a little shade is just what the doctor ordered.

A USB drive with resume. At first glance this might seem like over kill, but you don't know how many times I have been grateful to have a usb drive on my keychain. It provides easy access to important documents, and in this economy, especially for you job hunters, it makes perfect sense to always be ready to make that career move. I promise, this little bit of technology will NEVER hurt.

A condom. Look, we're all grown ups and the fact is, we need to take our health seriously. Come on out of the stone age where a woman who carries a condom is somehow seen as taboo and dare I say... loose? It's just good business (hats off to you).

An extra phone battery or charger Safety and accessibility are always a high priority. You really never know when you need to have a reliable mode of communication to get you out of a sticky situation. I know that I personally hate to see that "Battery too low for radio use" signal on my crackberry, especially when I desperately need to reach the outside world.

Some of you may be thinking, wow- that's a lot of crap. But you can go over to your local walmart and get a cute printed or clear compact zipper case to put all these items in, and when transferring purses you can easily throw in your "survival kit" along with your wallet and other essentials with ease. The point is that, there is nothing worse than a good looking, quality bag with nothing but confusion inside. I just said something somebody.