Some days my bag is so heavy, it sets off the front-seat passenger alarm in my car. (I think 20 pounds or more will activate a seatbelt cue....) And I wonder why my back hurts!!!

It used to weigh me down. And I could never find anything in it unless I had separate little bags in it. Since I am a crafter/sewer I started to make my own bags with just the right amount of pockets, zippers etc... The more I made, the better they became. Now I'm getting requests and making them for everyone. Organized, lightweight, fashionable, and depending on if I can get the material on sale, not too expensive. The only thing that's in the center of my bags is my wallet and hairbrush. Necessity is the mother of invention after all!

My handbag weighed in at 4.5 lbs. As an incentive to carry around less weight, I switched my handbag for a smaller Coach handbag - it holds less, and looks more stylish.

the best i can do is load up a big tote at beginning of week and leave it at work. then carry a small purse for rest of week, for some money, lipstick and whatever else.

my best solution has been to start with a handbag that is light weight when empty. better bags tend to be light weight. i am willing to spend more for the bag if it is better for me and my shoulders! over recent years i have made a concerted effort to scale down what i carry. it has been an interesting challenge and i have had some success. a number of items are left in my vehicle (not high end, expensive things)

From my experience, I have found that the accumulation of loose change that I keep putting in handbag often makes it overweight. I take out all the coins once in few days to reduce the bag weight.

3 pounds 3 ounces
But you wouldn't believe how much I keep in the trunk of my car "just in case."

My handbag on a daily basis weighs 6 lbs. 5 oz.

I have a brown purse that does not look very big, but on a recent vacation to visit family in Colorado, my aunt started calling it my magic bag. At an amusement park, my two children kept giving me things to put in my purse. In addition to the usual wallet, lip balm, camera, feminine products... By the end of the day, it held a boy's sweat jacket, baseball cap, sunglasses, a water bottle, snack bags of Goldfish crackers and Teddy Grahams, a souvenier photo in a cardboard holder, and two hand dipped candles.

I bring hardcover books, a makeup bag filled with makeup for a whole runway, work papers, bible, checkbook wallet, spare eye glasses, umbrella, subway card holder, keys, vitamins, colorful pens, mechanical pencils, highlighter, usb device, fruit, notebook, planner and clutch.