On finding money in the park

Dear Miss Manners: My friend and I found $4 folded on the ground. No one was around. I said, “Oh! Coffee money!”

She picked it up and put it on a nearby picnic table. It was a small amount, no wallet or ID, so why did I feel guilty for wanting it?

Gentle Reader: The only fault here was innocence. Miss Manners finds your friend’s action sweet, but naive. The reality is that you are only leaving it for the next passerby.

Dear Miss Manners: My husband and I own a one-bedroom, one-bathroom place in a popular resort city. Every summer, our relatives stay with us for periods ranging from one weekend to a whole week.

On the bathroom sink, there is a bar of soap, my husband’s and my toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream and various facial and skin care products. In the shower stall, there is shower gel and various hair care products. There is a guest hand-towel in the bathroom, and I give each guest a set of fresh towels for personal use.

Some of the guests bring their own.

My husband is of the opinion that the shower gel, like the bar of soap and guest hand-towel, are for common use, while the skin and facial products and hair products are for personal use. I argue that if we don’t want the guests to use those products, then we should at least put them in the bathroom cabinet out of sight.

What should the guests/hosts do?

Gentle Reader: You husband is relying on a Newtonian level of deductive reasoning from your guests to figure out what is for public use.

Miss Manners agrees with the principle: that guests should bring their own toiletries. However, if they cannot be trusted and you want to keep your personal items, well, personal, Miss Manners suggests a compromise: Put your own things away and then purchase economysize versions of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel, so that it is very clear what is to be shared.