What's In My Bag?

Inspired by US Weekly's feature, What's In My Bag?

A scientist and self-described fashionista, I carry a purse that hails the Boy scout motto, Always be prepared. (And don't get me started on the Boy scouts. It's totally unfair that they got to ride on floats in parades while us Girl scouts didn't. I don't care if it's dangerous.)

Pinching Pennies
Couponing is all the rage, and I'm no exception! "I keep all my coupons in an outside pocket of my purse. That way, they're always with me when I go to the store. Except when I go after the gym and don't have my purse. ...which turns out to be roughly 90% of the time."

Write It Down
"The key to managing so many students while staying on top of my own responsibilities is tough." The key is to keep reminders of all the important tasks that need to be done. For example, write things like "Wednesday, Feb 4 2:30pm" so you don't forget...to... be busy at that time. And remember to be Earth-friendly: "I like to recycle. If there's a coupon with a white back, or a card from someone I don't like, I use them as I would notecards. It makes me feel very Bohemian."

Protect Your Privacy
Identity theft is on the rise, and the modern woman needs to protect herself. "I save all of my receipts so that no one can go dumpster diving and snatch my credit card number." Then, the receipts can be disposed of by ripping them into roughly 12,000 little pieces or deposited in a plastic bag being used for cat litter disposal. "I learned this from Lisbeth in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. She would rip up receipts and throw them away in different trash cans in the airport so as not to leave a trail. At least, it's the same idea." ...until you forgot to empty the receipts out of your purse and realize it's overflowing with literally hundreds of them. Eh.

Grassroots Community Living
"I love that the town I live in has so many unique events. For example, there's a place on main street that has live music every Friday, from seasoned bluegrass musicians to teenage jazz quartets." You can grab advertisements for roller derby bouts, comedians, free yoga sessions and children or family events. Of course, if you're in grad school, you'll never have time to go to any of them.

Showing Her Maturity
"I always carry Gas-X. You never know when flatulence will attack!" I also try to have at least two types of painkillers for my arthritis, dairy digestive pills (to prevent the flatulence in the first place), and lots of tissues. If I'm going on a long trip, I sometimes empty an Altoids tin and fill it with Sudafed, Tums, and other pills I might need. Medication keeps you young at heart.