Emergency Items Every Woman Should Have In Her Bag

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In a perfect world, you know what the day has in store for you. You’d have the chance to prepare, fully, under ideal conditions at home. Whether it be for a spontaneous lunch date with bae or a Zoom meeting at the drop of hat, there’s always something that comes up with little notice. If you live in a small town, stopping at home to change or grab supplies is no big deal. But anybody who lives in any major city knows that when you go out for the day, you’re out for the day and you have to plan accordingly.

There are scenarios you can run into while away from home that can be anywhere from painful to embarrassing to just unfortunate. Being prepared with the right supplies in your bag can give relief in these moments. Again, I t’s all about planning. Here are emergency items you should have in her purse, backpack or whatever you use to carry your load.

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An extra set of shoes

You obviously won’t be keeping a set of knee-high boots or chunky heels in your bag, but keep a slim pair of flip-flops or lightweight flats. You don’t want to be caught out in the city when your heel breaks or the strap breaks on your sling back or the rubber part of your boot snaps off. You are literally stuck if you don’t have footwear. You can’t even hobble over to the nearest drugstore to purchase flip-flops. Walking all of two blocks on a city sidewalk barefoot could mean stepping on glass, needles, fecal matter…you name it. Having a backup pair of footwear on you at all times in the city is essential.

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A snack

If you mismanage your meals and snacks or your schedule runs late, you could find yourself ravenous with nothing to do about it. Well, maybe the only thing to do about it is order the $17 French fries, which are the cheapest thing on the menu, at what was meant to be a quick (cheap) drink with a friend. So often your options are to spend more on a snack at a restaurant or bar than you typically spend all day to eat, or go hungry. And when you’re hungry you become, at best, irritable and unfocused and at worst…at risk of passing out. Keep protein bars or nuts in your bag at all times.

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Wipes

There’s almost nothing worse than rushing into a public bathroom stall only to realize there is no toilet paper. If there’s nobody in the stall over, you can’t even ask for a few squares. So you’re stuck doing the shimmy dance, hoping to dry yourself off, but you never feel clean. Keep a small pack of wipes in your purse so you can clean up down there when there’s no toilet paper around. These can also be nice for feeling extra fresh during your period.

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Hand sanitizer

Here’s another thing that public restrooms tend to be out of: soap. But it’s so important —  now more than ever, given the pandemic — to keep your hands clean. You itch your eyes, touch your face, touch your food, and more. Transferring bacteria to your mouth, eyes, or nose can lead to illness or infection. So when you can’t rely on public restrooms to have soap, it’s essential you keep hand sanitizer on hand. Sometimes, there isn’t even a bathroom in sight — like when you just held the subway rail and desperately want to eat the snacks in your bag.

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Face Coverings & Masks

Maybe you hadn’t planned on going inside of any businesses or inside a friend’s home, but days rarely go as planned. If you are serious about preventing the spread of COVID-19, it’s important to wear a mask when you go indoors so don’t get caught without one. You might even visit an outdoor location that’s more crowded than you expected. When you can’t maintain six feet of distance outside, you’ll be glad to have a mask, too. Then there are those times you pick up a friend in your car, and she forgot her mask. You’ll be glad you have a pack of clean ones in your glove compartment, so you can both be protected.

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An LED flashlight/taser

As a woman, you can find yourself walking alone, at night, in a place where you feel unsafe unexpectedly. Maybe a meeting ran late. You were meant to get out of there when there was still daylight, but now the sun has set and a neighborhood that’s cute at 6pm becomes sketchy at 8pm. Or you park your car in a perfectly full and bright parking lot, only to return to it later to find that it’s nearly empty and the lights are out. You can purchase a small LED flashlight/taser combo that will provide a nice bright light to illuminate your path and protection should something come up.

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A tiny sewing kit

What’s a girl to do when that one button pops off of your blouse and you’re away from home? Suddenly, you’re getting written up for a dress code violation at work when you didn’t mean to show all of that cleavage. Or men are leering at you on the subway because your bra is visible. Always keep a tiny sewing kit on hand. Some are no bigger than a pack of cards and will have just enough thread, needles, and spare buttons to patch up your shirt so you can feel decent again (at least until you’re ready to change into your cute going out top).

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This makeup combo

A day that was meant to be casual can turn exciting in an instant when your crush texts and asks if you want to grab dinner in an hour. You’re already in the area he’s asking to have dinner. Your home is a half hour drive/subway ride away. There’s no time to go back and do yourself up the way you’d like. Always keep on hand one bold lipstick (like red or pink), a good black mascara, and concealer. With no more than this combination you can intensify your look and be date night ready. And you can cover up those dark circles you didn’t mind the pharmacist and your mom seeing – but your date can’t know about.

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A phone charger

Not to sound like a major millennial, but your phone is your life source. As a woman, it’s a safety tool. You can call an Uber when you feel unsafe taking the subway at a certain hour. You can look up directions. You can look up directions that take you through safe neighborhoods. You can double check the password you emailed yourself to get into a building. Everything is in your phone so if it dies when you’re out and about…good luck finding a stranger who will let you use theirs. They have places to be. You need an emergency phone charger.

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A good book

A good book is great for two reasons: 1) it helps you make the most of your time during time-wasting activities like sitting on the subway or waiting in line somewhere and 2) it’s a signal to others that you want to be left alone. See a creepy guy eyeing you on the subway? Pick up your book. Someone getting too chatty on the bus? Pick up your book. It’s the universal signal for, “I’m not open for conversation.” And what woman doesn’t need that?

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Bandaids

There are many times you wish you had a Bandaid and don’t. When blisters start to form from these new shoes the sales associate said were “so comfortable,” you need Bandaids so you can keep walking instead of hobbling to work. When you get a paper cut that, left exposed, stings like a mother every time you touch soap or a lemon. When you get a tiny cut on your hand that threatens to leave spots all over your white blouse. BYOBandaids. Nobody else ever seems to have them. And when they do, they never get them to you in time.

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Pain relievers

Headaches, cramps, neck pain, back pain…there is never a convenient time for any of these ailments. And most professional women don’t have the luxury of canceling a meeting over a headache, nor do mothers get to take the day off of motherhood because of cramps or back pain. Make sure to keep Tylenol, Ibrupofen, or Advil in your bag at all times so that when pain strikes, you can minimize it quickly and get back to functioning at your highest level. Letting pain go unchecked can just make you cranky, unfocused, and even tired. But once you’re out and about, you might not have access to painkillers if you didn’t pack any.

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Period products

Even though you’ve had your period for years if not decades, you still have those times when you forgot it was arriving that day. If this happens when you’re out at a professional engagement or on a date, you might not feel comfortable asking the women around you for a pad or tampon. So you’re stuck using the bulky, uncomfortable ones sold in the bathroom vending machine (if even that), or buying a pricey box at a nearby drug store, when you already had a full box at home. Always make sure you have a few of your perferred feminine hygiene products in your purse. If you use a menstrual cup, keep that clean in and in a secure pouch in your bag.

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Sexual protection

If you are single and dating, you never know when a date goes so well that it leads to somebody’s bed. And, hey, maybe you’re down for a one-night-stand with a cutie you meet at a bar from time to time. Even those in committed relationships need to make sure they’re protected during sexual encounters. Your partner may not remember to restock on condoms (perhaps as a way of getting out of using them). Whatever your preferred form of birth control is — be it male condoms, female condoms, the sponge, or spermicide — always have backup in your purse. Forgetting this when you need it could have life-changing consequences.