Pilot Pen Australia conducted a survey and found Australian women spend 81 days in a lifetime searching for things in their handbags.
The global brand, which specialises in pens, released the results of the survey earlier this month as it wanted to conduct a definitive survey on handbags to find out what daily items women keep in them.
According to the survey of 1488 women, 34.5 per cent spent at least five minutes every day trying to find something in their handbags and 18.5 per cent said they spent 10 minutes every day meaning they will waste 162 days, almost half a year, scouring their bags.
Only 3.7 per cent of women said they knew where to find everything.
Maddington resident Treslyn D’Lima said she takes her handbag with her everywhere she goes.
“It’s got everything I need in there,” she said.
“Any woman will tell you how much we carry around in our handbags.”
Ms D’Lima said she not only carries the basic items such as her wallet but she’s also got her hairbrush, hand sanitiser, lip gloss, sunglasses, extra pair of ballet flats and a water bottle among a number of other items.
“I never really thought about it before,” she said.
“But I do spend a lot of time going through my handbag.
“Generally speaking I know where everything is but I still end up rummaging through all the different pockets and sections.”
The survey also revealed most women spend around $100 on a handbag with seven per cent spending between $300 and $500 and just one per cent spending between $500 and $1000.
Ms D’Lima said she could see why people would spend so much on a handbag but it was not her personal style to do so.
“That’s a lot of money to shell out,” she said.
“I’d much rather save it for something else.”
Australian handbag designer Bella Corke said it was unfortunate for many women’s handbags, which collects items over time and the end of losing track of what’s inside.
““So many handbags just don’t have enough pockets and places for the everyday items that most women like to have in their handbags,” she said.
Ms Corke developed her own range of handbags, Freedom Filosofie, which features dedicated compartments for a laptop or tablet, pens, phone chargers, keys, sunglasses and passports.
“I tried to think of every possible element to make the everyday work bag functional, comfortable, attractive and orderly,” she said.
“I’m hoping my designs will help women focus their time on other things, rather than desperately trying to find things in their handbags.”
