I recently found this article off of one of my favorite websites, LifeHacker, which called readers to list some of the things that they always keep in their car. It was based off of this article from Budgets Are Sexy.com which discusses the 5 things that the writer always carries around with them in their car.
That got me thinking about myself and what I carry around. Until the end of last year or the beginning of this year I had the bad habit of not carrying a emergency roadside kit with me, especially considering the amount of trans-state traveling I do throughout the year, this was a disaster waiting to happen. I now carrying a roadside kit, albeit a very cheap one, which contains a set of jumper cables, a bunch of tools and wrench pieces, and flares. My car is small and the battery isn’t huge so I think the small jumper cables will be enough but I found earlier this year when a friend’s battery died that they were no match for her gigantic SUV (oh, the joys and benefits of having a super-compact car…! ๐ Have I mentioned enough about how much I love my car?)
I realized that I have been doing some things right. I always carry a sleeping bag with me in the off chance I will have to do some dirty work underneath the car or, heaven forbid, if I need to sleep in the car for some reason. My car seats are reasonably comfortable (for me, some relatives and friends hate them) and if I’ve had to nap in the car I’ve done so successfully. Then again, I take after my father who is capable of nearly sleeping anywhere save for sleeping standing up.
The article did bring up something I haven’t thought about. I should probably keep an extra set of clothes and maybe even shoes, just in case I find my travels taking me someplace that I can’t get home to change or I messy them with bad weather or car trouble. I also don’t have a first aid kit which seems horribly overlooked considering how accident-prone I am.I’ve also been meaning to get a travel sized flashlight but have yet to stumble upon one. It also seems like it would be a good idea to keep some sort of energy or granola bar in the car since I’m hypoglycemic and I’m intolerable in that state.
Here’s a broken down list of things I usually keep in my car:
- Sleeping bag
- Roadside kit & Tire fixing tools
- Portable dog crate
- Reusable grocery bags
- Napkins
- Umbrella
- iPod/iPhone charger/axillary connector kit.
- Backseat cover for dog and dog harness
- Things to donate/return
- GPS
Here’s some things I should think about keeping in the car:
- Extra set of clothes/shoes
- Sweater
- First Aid Kit
- Energy or granola bars
- Flashlight
- Coupons