Basically, saving money is awesome. And having an awesome handy-dandy camera bag is awesome. So, I combined the two.

For those of you who DON’T fly constantly - as I’m finding myself doing - sometimes, you end up on a tiny plane. TINY. So small that your normal bag won’t fit above the seats, so you’re forced to check it.

This is not cool if your stowaway bag is - for travel’s sake - where you stow a lot of your camera bits. I pretty much refuse to let these things out of my sight, so, this particular time - and the first time I’ve come up against the issue - I opted to take all of my most important things out of the stowaway bag and carry them with me in my tiny carry-on tote bag. Annoying. This would have been prevented if I had a bag that combined purse, carry-on bag {with books, etc.}, and a camera bag.

ENTER BRILLIANT IDEA.

There are a TON of really beautiful & girly camera bags out there for sale that don’t look like a camera bag. A ton. And though they’re all super high-quality and great, I’ve never been one to spend lots of money when I don’t have to, and I certainly am not the type to drop a cool $300 on - what is essentially - a purse.

So, I’ll continue lusting after those amazing leather bags, and in the meantime, I built myself a badass intermediary bag.

STEP ONE:

In case you don’t already know, Charming Charlie is a crazy place. I’ve only been in the store a handful of times, but it’s rather overwhelming every time. HOWEVER, their organization system is rather brilliant. Everything is organized by COLOR, and then sub categories. And I’d always noticed their ENORMOUS BAGS. {That sounded wrong.} It’s very “in” now to have a humongous purse to hold everything in the world {apparently}, and this place is lousy with them. {I will admit, though, that having a big purse is extremely handy for sneaking things into the theatre. Just sayin.’}

Not only does Charming Charlie have a ton of bags, in all shapes, colors, and sizes, they’re inexpensive. {True, it’s because - like so many things, today - they’re not super built-to-last. But for me, that’s okay, for now.}

I picked this fairly simple black bag {while I really wanted the nautically-colored bag to work, it just didn’t} for a few reasons:

• The size - big enough for my stuff, small enough to be my all-in-one bag just in case I have to check my luggage
• It still looks like a purse - you never want your bags to scream “HEY! THERE’S STUFF TO STEAL IN HERE!”
• The inner pockets - good for my purse essentials, books, and still have PLENTY of room for camera stuff
• The shoulder strap - it came with an optional shoulder strap, so I don’t have to hold it in my hand all the time, which I hate
• The bottom is flat and sturdy, so it’ll stand up by itself and not flop over

SUB-TOTAL: $25 {originally $35, the bag was on sale}

STEP TWO:

Also in case you don’t already know, there are a bunch of companies that make & sell camera bag inserts for variously sized bags. {They also make inserts of the purse or diaper bag variety, but I’m not so much in the market for those.} For exactly the reasons I was seeking a camera bag insert, actually. They also come in tiny sizes, for a “day trip” sort of bag, or rather large for the “I-need-everything-I-own-on-this-shoot” sort of bag.

I chose to go with the company Timbuk2, maker of fine bags and inserts. They make a few different sizes, so I went with the size that best fit my Charming Charlie bag, and set the shipping to “rush” because I just. Couldn’t. Wait. Also, I had a plane flight soon.

There are other, larger, sizes that are a bit more expensive {around $49 or $59 depending}, but even still, you’re coming up WAY under $100. Which is STILL a half or even a third of most of the bags in MY wishlist.

SUB-TOTAL: $29 {ignoring the shipping}

STEP-THREE:

After finally getting the two together in one place, they’re perfect. It’s exactly what I’m looking for in a bag and it only cost me -

GRAND TOTAL: $54!

Are you proud of me yet? I know I am. And all that’s left is maybe some decoration. Like the map of Westeros or the sigil of House Arryn. Or the crest of Ravenclaw. Or something equally as nerdy and awesome.

What would you like to see me build on a budget next?