A Tote for NYC

For the past few years, my husband guy and I have attended the OrigamiUSA convention in New York City.  Well, my husband has done most the "attending." Origami is one of my husband's favorite hobbies, however, not so much mine.  In the past, while he was enjoying the convention, I'd either roam around the city by myself or work wherever we were staying. This was fine, I guess, but I couldn't travel too far away from the convention because I always wanted to link back up with my husband for lunch and dinner, and whenever he had a short break in between classes.

Luckily, this year I don't have to worry about being there for him during all his breaks.  My friend from Georgia (the same friend that accompanied me to Key West!) will be joining us in NYC.  This means I will have a friend with whom to roam around the city, and my husband guy won't have to worry about entertaining me on his breaks.  We can both go our separate ways each morning, and I'll see him later at bedtime.  That way he can fully focus on the convention and not have to worry about me being all sad and alone all day, and I can fully focus on enjoying myself in the city and not have to worry about being back at the convention at a certain time to meet up with my husband guy.

Since I am actually planning on being out in the city most of the day (and not in the hotel working like last year), I want to get a big bag to carry all my crap.  My current purse is tiny.  I only use it to hold my phone, keys, and wallet, so it really doesn't need to be big.  However, for this trip I will be adding an NYC guide book (I'm a tourist!), a camera, and a bottle of water.  I need a bigger bag. :(

I'm quite frugal when it comes to buying things like purses (I got my current tiny purse from WalMart for $9), so finding a cool, sturdy tote bag that is hella cheap has been a little difficult.

Also, I am a completely lost when it comes to what is in at the moment (I'm like a freaking moron when it comes to fashion), so below is my wish list for my dream tote bag:

-less than $30 (preferably including shipping)
-sturdy, but not so heavy it hurts my shoulder skin
-odd/weird looking?  I'll be in New York for f*ck's sake...
-room for all my stuff
-can wear on my shoulder comfortably

Below are my favs.

 Vintage Caramel Tooled Leather Handbag Tote ($24) from MetroVintage

 Vintage DVF Shoulder Bag Weekender Tote Teal ($30) from KissaPrince

 Vintage 1970's Straw Owls Handbag Purse Tote Colorful Birds ($8) from myalteredlife4u

 Vintage Hunter Green Suede Leather Tote ($28) from SimplyBorrowed

Nautical Nautical Fashion Shoulder Bag, White and Navy Purse ($25) from Etsplace

 Vintage Brown Vinyl Handbag ($19) from paisleyandpolyester

 Market Bag with Suede Straps ($20) from CheddyBaloogaVintage

I still need to drop by Goodwill first to see if I can scrounge up something.  If nothing amazing (and cheap!) is found, I'll probably be choosing from one of these bags.

*A little random: I kind of hate that Etsy now adds a row of "sponsored" items in the middle of the results page.  I'm scrolling down the page, see a bad ass bag, and then notice it is $200 over the limit I added to search criteria. :(