Every "what’s in my bag" video is a lie of omission — nobody shows you the receipts, the mystery cable, the three pens that don’t work. This is the audited version, after a year of taking things out and seeing what I actually missed.
The eleven survivors
- Wallet the size of a credit card, because it holds exactly four cards
- Keys with one (1) sentimental keychain, down from five
- Lip balm, and its backup, because losing it is a personality trait
- Sunglasses in a hard case — soft pouches are how lenses die
- A pen that works. Singular. Guarded jealously
- Tiny notebook for the thought that will otherwise evaporate
- AirPods, hearing protection for the subway, honestly
- Hand cream, travel size, replaced more than any other item
- A snack. Non-negotiable. Ask anyone who knew me before snacks
- Battery pack the size of a matchbox
- One emergency hair tie that has been there since 2024
What got voted out
A full-size umbrella (check the weather like an adult), a book I carried for three weeks and read on zero commutes, and a makeup pouch that was really a museum of products I no longer use.
The perfect everyday bag isn’t the one that has everything. It’s the one where you’ve used everything in it this month.
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