How many Tote Bags should you have?

How many “bags of bags” do you have? I totally understand how easy it is for them to accumulate - I've been a professional organizer for over 20 years and have seen it happen to my clients all the time. It's almost like they have a life of their own!

I read this interesting article in the New York Times that talks about how hard it is to resist a tote bag - they're often given away for free, inexpensive, and adorned with logos. And let's be real, we've all bought more bags at the grocery store because we forgot the ones we already had at home.

Personally, I try to keep it simple and have less than a dozen. I have a few different sizes of tote bags in my hall closet, along with a few sturdy canvas ones that I always keep in my car for grocery shopping.

It's important to remember that totes are meant for carrying things to and fro, NOT for storage. Bags become clutter when they are used as receptacles in the back of your closet.

If you have a large collection of bags, it might be time to sort through them, empty them and keep only your favorites.

Here’s some ideas of what to do with the excess. I've found that excess bags can be donated to places like libraries, food pantries, and schools. And don't forget to keep a small one in your handbag for when you're out and about to prevent re-rebuying them!