Pretty much every job I’ve had since the early 1990s came with a free mug. One day I decided to line up my job mugs and take a picture.
The one on the far left is from a Yankee Swap at either Harte-Hanks or Charlesbridge. I can’t remember which. The second is a stand-in for Harvard Business Review. I broke my HBR mug and didn’t love the job enough to replace the free one with a paid one.
The next two are from jobs I had in Minnesota. My husband was running a company in Maple Grove, so I moved to Minneapolis for a few years.
The two mugs after Minnesota represent 15 years of my life and two small pensions. My final paid job (the cute mug with attached spoon) lasted eight months before I decided all I wanted to do now was volunteer in ESL classes for immigrants.
If you have photos of your own job mugs, I’d love to share them.
I’m laughing at myself here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
I like your last mug with the spoon.🙂
It’s definitely cute but awkward to drink from unless you remove the spoon. 🙂
I love your photo and your mugs. I don’t have one to show, because where I worked, you had to take the coffee that was served — or no coffee.
US organizations give out mugs to guests and employees all the time. I didn’t necessarily use mine in the office although I did make tea there. The mugs accumulated at home.
Ah, yes, the job mugs. I haven’t kept any, except one insulated go-cup for coffee that was from a tech vendor that serviced my college–it is the world’s most perfect go-cup and I panic when I can’t find it! I didn’t know you retired from paid work–I hope you’re pleased!
I retired completely about a year ago, and that has enabled me to volunteer several days a week at three nonprofits that teach English. I like it very much. It suits me well.
Ah yes, the job swag. I no longer have any! The last piece I remember keeping was a beach towel from my final job in Cambridge. But mostly it’s nice to get a little update on your life!
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