How many hotel samples do you need?

Are you actually using those samples, or just holding on to them in case there's a war and maybe shampoo gets rationed? I totally understand being prepared. My armageddon cabinet (What? Doesn’t everybody have one?) is fully stocked with candles, life straws, a camping stove with fuel, and my trusty Red Cross solar-powered and crank-up phone charger/radio/flashlight/omelette cooker. 

However. If you’re serious about paring down, then stuff’s gotta go and stuff’s gotta stop coming in. And these little tubes of goop are much easier to get rid of compared to your grandma’s china, right? So let's do this.

1. Gather up and separate lotion, conditioner, shoe shiners, shower caps, tiny toothbrushes the size of your finger, etc. 

2. If you travel, then save two of each although wait, won’t the hotel have more? Don’t they always have more? Ah, but camping, you say, or places where they don’t have these precious commodities. So, keep two of each although do you really expect to use the shower cap? I do have to interrupt here and say that I keep the good lotion (not the cheap fake smelly ones) in my bedside table where I use it every night before bed because...hands getting older and dryer every day now.

3, Bag up the rest and donate to a homeless shelter, food bank, foster care agency, or your favorite charity shop.

4. If you can’t bear to “waste” these by passing them on to others, then use them up. Remove the big bottle of shampoo and condition from the shower and force yourself to squeeze every last drop out of these puppies. 

I know it's hard, but unless you use these items right away, stop bringing them home, even if "you're paying for them anyway” or "they're so cute" or "I may need them someday." It’s just more stuff. 

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