As a guy, I deal entirely in pockets, and carry phone/wallet/keys and very little else.

I've had more than a few periods where relying on pockets alone was tricky. These days I manage by being very planny about what I'm doing and where I'm going.

Once I was a pockets-only girl.

And then came the army, and there were no actual pockets in the uniforms (except for in the coat, but given my country's climate, we only use it about 2-3 months every year), so I had to adjust. Plus, I got my grown-ups wallet then, and it doesn't fit any pocket (maybe to marsupial ones', but I'm not one, last time I checked).

Plus, you know, books. And music.

Well, for one thing, my pockets as a girl tend to be smaller than those a guy gets. So even my keys don't tend to fit (I have four house keys (two building keys, one door key, and a mailbox key) a car key, and a beepy car thing). Those won't fit in a jeans pocket unless they're dangling out. Girl jeans fit different than boy jeans. Now, if I'm carrying a jacket, that's different, but in the summer?

And that's before you get into the fact that my phone is not a Razr, it's a big PDA type one.

So generally, if I'm walking around town? I carry a bag (though not always a purse-type bag, usually a backpack or messenger type bag). (And if I'm already carrying a bag for the keys and phone, then I'll put in the iPod, the little thing with my migraine meds, some chapstick, a pen, my whole bulky wallet, maybe a book, some gum, eyedrops if I've got my contacts in, sunglasses...a notebook if it's a big bag...who knows?)

But if I'm going out at night, I'll often walk, so I can just take the house keys, and not take the whole wallet, and Seattle is cool enough that I can justify a jacket, to have more pockets, or I won't take the phone, so I can just have ID and cash in a back pocket, chapstick in a front pocket, and keys in another one. Maybe an iPod and cellphone in a jacket pocket if I'm carrying a jacket.

There are some necessities that I just won't do without:

Wallet
Phone
Keys
Book
Inhaler
at least 2 Lipsticks
Burt's Bees lip color (chapstick and color all in one!)
Powder Compact
Oil Blotting Papers
Mints and Listerine Pocket thingys
Immodium (I'm never w/o that stuff)
Tylenol
Extra daily meds
Manicure set (I hate not having clippers and a nail file)
Extra tampons
Pens

During the school year I also have my flash drive on me all the time and usually a script or two.

Now, if I'm going out for a fancy-ish evening, I pare that down to phone, ID, cash, keys, and lipstick. So they can fit in my little evening bags.

I can break someone's wrist with my handbag. I consider that useful.

The things in my handbag currently:

Keys
2 small notebooks (1 of which is a Moleskein calendar)
Fountain pen
Flash drive
Cell phone
iPod and carrying case with headphones
Compact of translucent powder
2 lipsticks, 1 lipliner
Nail file
Pill case with Aleve
Handkerchief
Wallet
Card case with GCS business cards
Little metal case that holds my vampire fangs (yes, I carry them in my handbag. They amuse me)
Good luck charm

Believe it or not, that is *less* stuff than I used to carry.

Rolled shawl
my checkbook
cash & coin purse
card wallet
zip bag 1: 2 lipsticks, 2 tiny teddy bears, a moss agate pendulum in a velvet bag, emery boards
zip bag 2: tylenol, sufedrine, benadryl, sewing kit, metal tape measure, magnet, magnifying glass, mirror, floss, lip balm
zip bag 3: hand cream, comb
zip bag 4: a larger bag containing smaller zip bags
a. Aleve, foot cream, joint anagesic, bandaids
b. nano, the good ear buds
c. manicure tools, little swiss army knife
d. leather cigarette case containing phone charger
Also, notes, directions, phone numbers
Hard eyeglass case
Book
checkbook for Mom's account
floss leaders for bridgework
spiral notebook
pens
notepad
tissues
phone
pillbox for daily meds
keys (upstairs and downstairs doors, 2 cars, truck)
mini-maglite
foam cozy for waterbottle

oh gosh, I'm afraid to list what is in my bag. not because of it being public, because I'm too afraid to actually look.

Gronk. Am so tired. But I have two hours of interviews starting at 8 am, so I better pull it together.

Had a dream that Obama's running mate was Christian Kane. O-kay. But I woke up just before he gave his speech.

Had a dream that Obama's running mate was Christian Kane.

Obama is reported to be considering Tim Kaine from Virginia, so maybe you were hearing NPR in your sleep.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was it. But I think my way is better.