Today I have been cleaning out my work bag. This is something I do once a year at around this time, and something I really should do more often, as evidenced by the amount of crap I have pulled out of it and put directly into the bin.

This is my work bag:

People are always teasing me because it is so big, and really, I admit, most days I don’t need anything so large. But I like carrying a big bag. What if I buy stuff while I’m out? Also it’s very useful for getting a seat on the tube, because I can use it to block off other commuters who are competing for the same seat as I am. Trust me, a bag this size is useful in London. You can use it to push tourists out of the way when you’re in a hurry. There is always room for an umbrella in it.

Besides an umbrella, I always carry around my diary, my keys, wallet, mobile phone, a book (sometimes two), business cards, Oyster card, a snack of some description, and a bottle of water. Those are the things I intentionally carry around in my work bag.

These are some of the things I really never knew I was carting all over London with me:

In one front pocket, a key to I do not know what, and a receipt for cat food. From September.

In the other front pocket: A cinema ticket and a sandwich reciept from August. Also:

A Weight Watchers points calculator. Incidentally, I am not on Weight Watchers.

Also discovered: A copy of a contract for work that was negotiated in April, a print-out of directions to a training course I attended in September, and a Take That CD.

Please, reassure me that I am not the only one giving herself early-onset back problems by carrying around a load of needless junk day after day (OK so the receipts don’t weigh all that much, but that key is heavy). What random crap are you carrying around in your bag?