I don’t know whether a lot of people have these, but I know a few of my friends do (and obviously myself) and so, I think that everyone should have a handy bag!
Basically, handy bags are a little bag of anything you could possibly need in your bag, in a smaller bag, in an emergency. I don’t mean emergency by someone dying, but just things that you wouldn’t think you’d need until you were in a situation that you did.
Some people do just have paracetamol, or hand sanitizer lying around your bag, but when you really need it, do you really want to be rummaging around, not finding it and then emptying your bag days later and realising it was right there all along? Yeah, I don’t think so.
I’ve been doing this since probably around sixth form. We were allowed to carry our bags around, so I decided to gather a ‘handy bag’ full of the things I would usually have in my blazer pockets. Since then, it has evolved and matured, and so I thought I would share!
Paracetamol and ibuprofen- I always carry either one or both of these in my handy bag. Unexpected period pains? Nightmare. Headache? I’ve got you. You can never go wrong with carrying a packet of each.
Plasters– I carry plasters whenever I wear new shoes. I never know how my feet will react, and so a lot of the time I carry plasters in my bag to make sure I’ve got a saviour when I need it. Also, handy if a plaster that you had on before falls off or is starting to peel away.
Hand sanitizer- I always have hand sanitizer in my handy bag. I’m not a germ freak, and to be honest I don’t use it that often, but I find that when I don’t have it, I need it the most. The option is always there if you have it!
Diarrhoea tablets- a lot of people laugh whenever I look in my bag and pull out the diarrhoea tablets instead of the paracetamol. You never know how you might react to food! Sometimes I will be alright eating at the same places, but every now and again my stomach throws a fit and decides it doesn’t want it. Also, I have IBS, so this is pretty useful to have.
Buscopan- as mentioned above, period pains and IBS kick in at moments you least suspect them. Buscopan has saved my life many times, and so I always have a couple of them in my bag.
Hair bobbles- my hair isn’t thick at all, but wear and tear make them rip every once in a while. Also, after showers, I usually forget to put a bobble on my wrist, and so having a whole pack of them in my handy bag makes sure that I always do.
Change or £10- whenever in a sticky situation, I always carry some change or a note to make sure that I had something for emergencies. My mum taught me this one, as you never know when you might need an emergency taxi or a bit of change.
Pen- as my other excuses, I always need a pen when I don’t have one. So, I carry one too.
Translucent powder- if I’m wearing makeup, my face gets oily pretty quickly, and so I carry around powder just in case. The makeup around my nose slides around like butter on a pan, and I pat it down with translucent powder whenever I feel like it’s starting to go.
This is it! My handy bag isn’t big at all, and I usually use a small pencil case or just a small makeup bag to put everything into it. Its so helpful as you don’t have to dig around and try to find the one thing in your bag you know is there but can’t find, but instead you know its always in your bag!
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