Okay, random thought popped into my head today when I was digging through my bag for like the millionth time trying to find my Altoids tin. I swear, no matter how organized I try to be, breath mints and gum always end up buried under receipts, keys, or random junk. Curious if I'm alone in this struggle, lol.
Quick poll: Where do you usually keep your breath fresheners?
- Loose in pockets or purse/bag chaos
- Dedicated small pouch or container
- Desk drawer/car console compartment
- Um...I don't really carry any?
I used to toss gum and mints loose into my bag, but after losing countless packs to the dark depths of receipts and random junk, I finally gave up. Now I stash a pack in the car console compartment—at least there I know exactly where to find it. But honestly, I rarely buy gum anymore. It gets pricey when you're constantly replacing packs that vanish into thin air (or bag chaos). Plus, I always worry about accidentally leaving gum in pockets when doing laundry...ever had to scrape melted gum out of a dryer? Not a fun afternoon. Anyone else paranoid about that, or is it just me being overly cautious?
I totally get the paranoia about gum in laundry—been there, done that, and yes, scraping gum out of a dryer drum is a nightmare I'd rather not relive. But honestly, I think you're being a bit too cautious by giving up gum altogether. There's an easy fix: just designate one specific pocket or compartment in your bag exclusively for gum and mints. I started doing this after losing countless packs myself, and it works surprisingly well.
I use one of those small zippered pouches (the kind you'd normally use for coins or earbuds) and toss my gum packs in there. It keeps them clean, organized, and most importantly, visible. No more fishing around blindly through receipts and random junk. Plus, since it's zipped shut, there's zero chance of stray sticks ending up in my pockets before laundry day.
Also, keeping gum in the car console sounds convenient at first glance—but doesn't it get melty or weirdly soft on hot days? I tried that once during summer months and ended up with a sticky mess that was almost as bad as the dryer incident. Maybe your climate is cooler than mine though...
Anyway, I wouldn't completely abandon gum just because of these mishaps. It's handy to have around for freshening up after coffee or lunch meetings. Just find a simple system that works for you—no need to overthink it too much.
