Big bags and tiny coin purses

I got this bag for Christmas, after lusting over it for months and months. From Urban Outfitters, the Saddlery Buckle Bag, $58, is very nice, well-assembled, and looks great. But it's just not roomy enough for me. My previous bag was big enough to fit my 12-inch laptop, a notebook, a few folders and at least two books, plus a snack. This barely holds my wallet and a piece of paper. So even though I just started using it, I'm already itching for an upgrade.


Now this is the kind of bag a girl could fit her life into. From Lulu's, the Boondocks Handbag, $39, has the style of plaid but is actually diamond stitching on black faux-leather--very chic. It also has little pouches on the outside front and back (good for IDs) and a zipper pocket inside, which is nice since a bag of this size has definite potential to be a black hole. I'm just imagining all the water bottles and spare t-shirts and library books and dead bodies I could haul around in this thing... yeah, I think I need the giant bag.


On the totally opposite side of the spectrum, can I confess that I want a dainty little coin purse? I know that I would never use it, because my wallet has a coin pouch and even though I only use it if there's no one in line behind me and I don't have to feel bad about taking an extra five seconds to give exact change. I would never take the extra fifteen seconds to dig that coin purse out of my bag, along with the wallet, and then juggle the two while trying to pay. But some of the vintage ones on Etsy are so cute...

From seller Noobootoo, this chain-covered coin purse, $11.50, is pure vintage adorable. The orange leather shell, 3x3.5 inches, looks great inside the mixed silver and gold chains. It's sort of silly and impractical (what, are your coins going to make a run for it?) but still, so fun.

I'm also in love with this handpainted floral coin purse, $10, from Class Act Vintage. It's so ladylike that I'd feel like a true society dame, using it to pay for York Peppermint Patties at Duane Reade. The exterior is tan leather, and it's lined in gold satin, so talk about classy. I would maybe use this on a night where I don't want to bring a purse, and can just slip some cash and driver's license into this coin bag, then put it in one coat pocket and then my cell phone in the other. While I rarely travel light, it's not a bad way to go.