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My dad gave me some good advice early in my career: keep a toiletry bag packed.
I was a 21 year old kid who had been on an airplane maybe a dozen times in my life at that point. Whenever I traveled as a kid, we picked up a bunch of those sample size bottles of shampoo and toothpaste at the local discount store, which I used for one trip and was done. My deodorant, toothbrush, and hair brush all came off my bathroom shelf the morning of a trip and went into my suitcase.
But my dad knew that my job would have me on the road a fair amount and it would be inefficient to have to pack toiletries from scratch each and every time. Aside from that, it would increase the possibility of forgetting something.
So I dutifully listened. I went to The Container Store and bought a bunch of little plastic bottles, filled them with my various self care needs, and kept them ready to go at all times.
Over the years, the contents of that bag have shifted and the bag itself has been upgraded once or twice. But the intention remains the same: keep a separate stash of toiletries, a toothbrush, hair brush, and razor solely ready for travel and keep it separate from my day to day use items. It means I don’t have to think about what’s packed for an individual trip, because I usually have what I need ready to go.
The trouble is that sometimes items can overstay their welcome.
Exhibit A: this tube of toothpaste.
I think it’s at least three years old, maybe closer to five. Perhaps even older. And it’s nearly empty at this point.
But no matter what, there always seems to be an extra squeeze or two that I can get out of it. If I take my time, start at the bottom and work towards the top, and then kind of bend the neck just right to get past the squeeze lid, I can eek out enough toothpaste for another brush.
I don’t travel as often as I used to, so I’ve been doing this dance for probably two years now, each time thinking that I’m at the final squeeze. But there’s always just a little more toothpaste in the tube. So it sticks around for another trip.
I don’t even really like this toothpaste all that much. We’ve been trying for years to find a good natural toothpaste that’s effective, has safer ingredients, and ideally isn’t owned by some giant conglomerate who may change the formula at any point on a whim and generally isn’t great for the world.
We tried this Burt’s Bees toothpaste for a while years ago, but it always missed the mark. It’s supposed to be mint flavored, but doesn’t taste all that great. Since 2007, Burt’s Bees has been owned by Clorox, parent company of Liquid-Plumr, Pine-Sol, Purell, Hidden Valley Ranch, and of course Clorox bleaches.
But worst of all, I don’t find the toothpaste to be that effective. Within an hour of brushing, my mouth starts to feel less fresh, something that I don’t find with other brands. We stopped using Burt’s Bees at home years ago, but somehow, it’s still in my travel bag.
So here I am, using a tube of ineffective toothpaste that’s probably expired at this point because it would be a waste to throw it away.
I have a backup tube of toothpaste in my toiletry bag (Hello brand, which was acquired by Colgate-Palmolive in 2020, the same parent company as Tom’s of Maine) which I like better but don’t use because there are still a few drops left in the Burt’s Bees tube.
Every time I travel, I use toothpaste I don’t like, secretly hoping it will finally run out. It never does.
Because to throw out even a few drops of years old toothpaste is a waste. A waste of money. A waste of resources. A waste of something perfectly good, or at least relatively good.
I consider and fret about this, while Taylor Swift has burned 60,000 gallons of fuel flying her private jet around planning for her upcoming wedding. I worry about the ingredients in my toothpaste while nearly half of the drinking water in the U.S. is contaminated with PFAS forever chemicals. I think about which parent company owns a brand as everything in our economy consolidates, from media companies to food companies.
Elon Musk is a trillionaire, while I’m here just trying to squeeze a little bit more toothpaste out of the tube.
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My parents were young adults in the Great Depression. I have spent a lifetime making up for their frugality, but I still squeeze the last little glob out of the tube.
Did not know Colgate owned Tom's of Maine. Thanks a lot, Heath. Not. First Ben and Jerry's ice cream and Unilever and now Tom's of Maine? :(
There are probably more than a few of us micro-conscientious savers around; can totally relate to that last squeeze. Burt's Bees owned by Clorox?! Boo. Elon not using his money to help humanity? Double boo.
Just a suggestion: take the BB out of your travel bag. Put it with your cleaning supplies. Apparently it can be used for all kinds of things, like filling little nail holes and polishing some stuff.