Most women know what it is like to carry around a black hole some may refer to as a "purse" but so I thought writing about this topic might actually be beneficial for two reasons.

#1. I don't know if this is a New York specific thing, but there are some things I never leave my apartment without. Living in the city, you never know when you're going to need band aids, or a phone charger, for example. Going home in the middle of the day is often not an option for me or for many of my friends, so it's nice to have certain things "just in case." #2. Many women (myself included) are suckers for big totes, that can very quickly turn into a black hole if not kept under control. There is nothing worse that getting home late at night, only to discover that my keys are somewhere in the bottom of my purse, hidden under a pile of things I always think I'll need but never end up using. 

Limit yourselves ladies! It's not good to be carrying around all that weight all the time and it's not like there isn't a Walgreens / Duane Reade / CVS on every other corner in the city that will most likely have what you're looking for in the case of an emergency.