Speaking of Finding Odd Things in Your Purse...

When my kids bring such stuff home I immeditately put it in File 13.

The trash can.

I hate promotional junk and packets of stuff.

I love the free giveaway stuff. I glue pictures to the give away magnets and display pictures of my grandkids on the fridge. I haven't purchased a pen or pencil in years. The notepads are great for taking phone messages, writing grocery lists, etc. I was at a country fair a while back and got white boards with wipe off pens, temp tattoos, coloring books, posters, etc all for free. I don't take anything food related because I don't want a forgotten popped packet of something in the bottom of my purse.

HAHA My husband is the same way. He also has to buy us something if he goes out of town and it's always somthing really stupid. I find it mostly annoying.
Although the notepads I keep in the box by the phone.

.

Hi, Denise:
Your friend needs to see a Narrative Therapist. Her behavior
is inappropriate. This is not a funny situation.
Just a thought.
D.

Well she sounds like a "Hoarder."
If her purse is like that... what about her house?
Where does she put ALL of that?
Its not even needed.
Just because she takes it, does not mean she will use it.
Thus it accumulates.

I don't take things just because its free or 'mine', much less all the packets from a restaurant.
That's a tad extreme.

She has a problem?

Just because something is free, does not mean you 'need' it.

I will admit..I am a pen stealer. If the wait staff brings a pen for signing the credit card slip at the table of a restaurant, and I "like" the pen (and I am actually finicky about them...they have to feel right...write nice, etc to my standards)...I will nip them. If I really like it I will purchase them as well (they are usually a Papermate brand...LOL, or a store/company Logo O...bummer). But I swipe those. If its a "fancy" pen I won't take them.

Anytime we go out to eat, my now 17 year old daughter will look at me and either chuckle (as I am debating if I like it), or go "MOM!" as I slip it into my purse. Sometimes if I really liked the waiter/waitress, I will leave them O. from my purse that has lost its "shine" for me. Not often tho!

Horrid habit, but its mine I 'fess up to!

The other stuff I ony take if its stuff I will use (post it notepads, etc)...my other fave at trade shows (Home and Garden, etc) are the jar opener rubbery thingy's. I have about 8 of them and I use them everytime I open a jar. I can't open a jar wthout them, never could even when I was younger, and my Mom always had them around when I was growing up too with different company names on them! Ya go with what you know, I guess! LOL

I don't go out to eat very often at all.

We do trade our geoducks for sushi though, and get our meals to go. I keep all the packets of soy, the napkins (put them in the car), and the chopsticks (we keep them for picnics) that come with our meal. Waste not want not!

sometimes i accidentally run off with the pen, or the condiment container in my to go food. Thats not on purpose though i dont want that stuff.

I do always take a fork to put in the 'to-go" box if i plan on giving my leftovers to a homeless person, just because they live on the street doesnt mean they like to eat with their hands.

Th cost of these items is built into the cost of the foods you buy, and anything else you pay for. If I go inside a food place to get my meal, I will take the packet of catsup/hotsauce/honey that I need for the meal Im buying, but not extras. That will drive the price up after time and we all end up paying more. If I go thru the drive thru window what they put in the bag is up to them. Its then mine to keep. I find it really strange when I buy 2 tacos, and they include 13 packs of hot sauce. yes I got 13 of them last week with 2 tacos. She asked if I wanted sauce,, I said "yes a couple please" and got home to count 13. Thats just stupid and wasteful on her part. I like to go to the health fair and home shows now and then and there are always tables stacked with note pads, and cans of pens and pencils, magnets with the amublance number, hospital, or some pharmacy number. They hand them out and tell you to take them. I get them and it can last me all year. I dont take what isnt mine, and dont steal the pen from the waitress. If Im in a hotel and need to write a note, I use the paper, but I dont take the whole pad and I dont take the pen. I like having some of those things in a drawer in my kitchen when I need them. But enough free give aways come my way without sneaking and stealing them.

If her house is very neat and clean, where in the world is she stashing all of this stuff? Sounds like hoarding behavior to me, and I have a hoarder in my family so my experience doesn't come from watching the show. Seriously, taking packets of condiments and crayons...not "legitimately" hers. They reuse unopened condiments and they reuse crayons. Maybe they don't mind if you take them so much, but I think it's rude. Who needs three crappy crayons when you can go to Target right now and get a box of Crayola for 20 cents? Hoarder.

I am like you. I might swipe a few extra packets of Equal (because I always end up getting coffee somewhere eventually where they don't have any) or some Wet-Naps because they are handy to have in my purse if DD needs to get cleaned up but that's about it. I just can't stand extra "junk" but my husband takes everything he can get and eventually I end up throwing it out without his knowledge. He used to work at a car dealership and sometimes they had promotional giveaways for taking a test ride in a new car, like a free umbrella or whatever. It was amazing how often people would drive 50 miles to come test drive a car when they had no intention of buying a car anyway - they just wanted the free umbrella.

DH's mother is O. of those who will grab up all the ketchup packets, sugar packets, napkins, plastic utensils, etc. she can whenever we go out somewhere. Free magnets, pens, etc. too. She grew up the oldest of 9 and had 5 kids herself so I guess it's just a result of her background. But it's kinda embarrassing when we are with her - we're like, "Ummm, we have plenty of napkins and ketchup at home! And we can buy more when we run out!" O. time she got a couple of free Coca-Cola t-shirts for recycling enough soda cans so that was my stepsons' Christmas gifts that year!

I do like to keep my ketchup and mustard packets to put in lunches or picnics. I'll also grab a couple of red pepper flakes from the pizza joint to put in my husband's lunch bag. You know how hard it is to go to Target and get a soda and NOT grab the salad dressing packets they have laying right there? I never have, since I didn't buy a salad, but they are screaming my name "Take me home with you!"

As for the magnets and pens and stuff - nope. Don't want those. Especially don't want them if I have to wait for them.

Cause of the kids, when we eat out we usually get take out instead of taking them inside the restaurant. when they give us condiments, etc. if we have extras i do save them. we take them on picnics, to camp, etc. if we have extra napkins at mcdonalds or something i take them too cause they throw them out. same with ketchup...usually those get thrown out if left on a table for safety reasons.

As far as promotional stuff, i only take what i can use. i hate junk in the house and its wasteful to take something only to throw it out when you get home.

I was going to ask about her house before I scrolled down and read your SWH!!