Fabulous article. For someone who loses a wallet with such frequency, you certainly don't lose the thread of what you are trying to get across here.
I'm not a fan of a bag, though I do try. I lose things within it. How does one find things in such black depths? I am a fan of a big basket, like our Jane. I leave it by the door and throw things at - and hopefully in - it for the next day, like a memory basket. Maybe I'll take it, maybe I won't - but at least I can see what's in it for remembering - the books to take back to my Mum, the post I need to deliver, the sandwiches for lunch, and so on. Sometimes it'll be a change of clothes and a wetsuit for surfing after work. Sometimes it's a whole two baskets, because my day is so busy.
As a woman, I don't think I'm handbag normative.
But dammit, I hate my man putting things in my handbag. Take your own, for ffs. And then WE'RE the bad guy (wife) for saying no. Now, if we didn't BRING handbags, men might be forced to bring their own.
Thank goodness I don't lose my phone, that's attached firmly to my person - it has my wallet there too, with digital cards so I don't lose them when they slip out. And thank goodness for my husband, who is the 'finder' in this relationship.
I understand your issue.
But, even when you are scrabbling to find whatever, you know it is in your bag! the chaos is confined to the bag, or selection of bags