My friends laugh at me because I carry what they think is an odd collection of stuff in my purse. But when they have an emergency need for scotch tape, a stapler, anti-bacterial wipes, aspirin, organic sweetener, or a cookie, who do they turn to?

The secret to my portable drugstore-deli is miniatures. I buy everything in tiny sizes and really stock up when I'm traveling. You never know what you're going to need or what might be useful if you get stranded somewhere. I would have died of boredom during jury duty -- or, more correctly, jury-wait-forever-then-go-home-duty -- if not for the snacks and miniature jigsaw puzzle I had with me (they wouldn't let me turn on my Treo).

Thanks to my friend Heather, who just emailed me with this tip, I can buy all sorts of miniature edibles and travel items from Minimus.biz. The mini-sized maple syrup, tabasco sauce, anti-wrinkle spray, and cheddar cheese above are just enough for one use/snack. These are the kinds of things I'd take on a plane with me just in case. In addition to food and pharmacy items, Minimus carries domestic and personal care products. And today, the Minimus.biz blog announced the arrival of four new items, including XtraGreen Tea To Go Lemon Beverage Mix.

For the record, I don't usually carry cheese in my purse.