Always have trouble looking for things in your bag? Here's a solution for you

Keys and sunnies can be clipped to your bag with these handy metal chains. Once I clip the chain with my keys to my bag strap, I drop it inside the tote to keep it safe. Pics/Nimesh Dave

There's not a woman alive on Earth who doesn't know the expletive-inducing annoyance of fishing for the house keys in a tote bag even as her bladder's bursting. On a recent evening, after one beer too many, we found ourselves plumbing the depths of our bag for a good half-hour and finally decided, enough was enough; there had to be a better way.

At first we looked for bags that had in-built key clips or D-rings so we could just clip on our keys. But all bags we saw were either not to our taste or not in budget. And then we found a way to retrofit our favourite bag with a key clip - "metal bag strap extenders". They're designed to extend the length of the straps on purses, so they're quite aesthetic and come in a bunch of patterns, from plain gold/silver chain links, to butterflies, strawberries, hearts or stars. They come with lobster clasps or round spring buckles on both ends. I just snap one end onto my bag strap, and my keys on the other end and then let the chain fall into my bag. At the end of the day, I just unzip the bag and pull up the chain to find my keys. Easy peasy!

But why stop there - I've now got a second chain that I've attached my sunglass cover to. This chain is cuter, and sits outside my bag, so my sunnies are always within reach. You can do this with earphones, bag charms, or a small pouch for lipstick/mints. Starting from Rs 300, it's a pretty affordable retrofit and doubles up as some (understated) bling for your bag too.

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