Things that are always in your car/purse.

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have been teased unmercifully for my ‘Always Be Prepared’ mentality. It does not bother me in the least because even if I don’t use it, I have shared with others.

Depending on the season, I will always have in my car:

Summer
Sun block
towel
sandals
bathing suits (for kids and myself)
non-perishable snack
Water container
cooler
bug spray

Winter
Salt for the water softener ( couple hundred pounds to weigh down the back of my van)
shovel
snow brush/ice scraper
blanket(s)
Windsheild washer stuff
a variety of mittens and gloves ( non matching)
**Always in my Van **
A book to read
Writing material and a few pens & pencils.
Jumper Cables
Spare Tire & equipment for it.
a small tool set that is a duplicate of the one in the garage *
a knot of tie-downs for our trailer
two kids fishing poles and small tackle box ( never used, but must be ready)
Paper towels
funnel
one quart of oil
handi wipes
medical first aid kit
umbrella ( large golf kind)
books & toys for kids (usually scattered about)
neck pillow
lip balm
**My Purse Will Always Have **
lip balm
hand lotion
my memorandum
measuring tape (Yeah, laugh while you can. One day you’ll need it.)
My wallet which is a Franklin Planner. It is the most organized part of me
Assorted lollipops for a quick distraction for kids.
diapers/wipes (tho’ the diaper part is slowly winding down.)
snacks

*The tool kit is a duplicate because our van suffered a major repair whilst on a driving vacation. Mr. Ujest had to buy all the tools he needed to replace the battery and alternator in the parking lot of the auto supply store, which the purchase of these tools just killed him, as we had them already. So, now that we have it in the van, we will never need it again.

2

The funnel and quart of oil comes from an old car of mine ( '81 Regal) that leaked about a quart of oil a week. I have always carried this since and it has come in handy.

3

I keep my katana in my car at all times. Never know when a sharp piece of metal will come in handy.

4

I always have a sleeping bag/pillow in my car. Never know when I might stay over somewhere, get invited camping, or get stranded somewhere.

5

In my car there’s a towel, so my sweaty butt doesn’t hit the seat after a workout.

In my purse there’s always Chapstick and my inhaler.

6

Our van has quite a few blankets, emergency kit, winter gear, and most of my tools. If we got stranded or something needed repair we’d be ready.

My purse or “man bag” presently has a dozen fountain pens of various makes filled with a variety of inks and sporting different nibs, one all purpose Fisher space pen, my wallet, medications, spare ink cartridges, 2 pen convertors, day-planner, notebook, gum, 1 razor blade, 1 jewelers loupe, 1 magnifying card, my chequebook, and an envelope for storing receipts. The bag itself actually isn’t that large but exceptionally well designed and organized.

7

Junk, pieces of paper, dust, used coffee cups. In the glove compartment are very important papers that I’d never be able to sort out enough to find the one the cop wanted. I personally never want any of them. Then in the back end are twigs and leaves. I very seldom go of survival expeditions. :wink:

8

In my backpack, I always have:

white out
scissors
glue
a stapler
a calculator
a ruler
a compass
paper
a highlighter

You would think that my classmates would carry these things themselves. Nope. It’s like “Lindsay’s Office Supply” at school, I tell ya. I should be charging a quarter to borrow stuff.

9

In my glovebox there are more pens than I could ever need, a bottle of sunblock, sunglasses, a comb, a tire air-pressure guage, and a flashlight. There is also an envelope with various vehicle related receipts/paperwork which is all out of date except for the current insurance card.

In a little niche on the dash is a jar of Carmex, some business cards, and a few coins.

Behind the seat of my truck I keep a way-too-big floor jack because it is easier to use than the standard bottle jack (which is also there), a small tool box with all the standard hand tools including sockets, a box of road flares, a quart of oil, and an air compressor that plugs into the cigarette lighter.

Because I never pass up an opportunity to go fishing I also keep a rod and reel, and a small “emergency” tackle box with a spool of line, needlenose pliers, fillet knife, and miscellaneous terminal tackle, hooks and lures.

10

I’m a volunteer EMT on a rescue squad (officially on call 24/7), so I carry a small jump kit with a bottle of oxygen, a nonrebreather, BP cuff and stethescope, assorted trauma dressings, airway adjuncts, various barrier devices for CPR (one on my keychain), and various types of body substance isolation including gloves, masks, goggles and an OB kit I swiped off the rig…if something gets particularly messy it might come in handy. The jump kit, along with a couple wool blankets, my cell phone and paging radio is about the only thing that is with me all the time. My husband is also a member of the squad and carries an exact duplicate of my gear in his car. The only time I carry my purse is for an all day family expedition, most of the time I just grab my wallet that holds the checkbook, drivers license and a few credit cards and I’m good to go.

11

In my purse, I always carry lip gloss, a swiss army knife-type bottle opener, a stick of sunscreen, a tea bag and sugar packets, gum or mints, and a book. (It’s a big bag.) I always try to have at least $20 in cash, because my mother once told me that without it, I could be arrested as “indigent.” (I don’t know where she got this idea, or why it has stuck with me.)

My car is woefully short of “survival” supplies, though I try to remember to put a blanket in it in the winter. Right now, all that I have in my car is a windbreaker in the back seat and a half-empty jug of washer fluid.

12

I don’t carry a purse/pocketbook unless there are no pockets on what I’m wearing, if the Hubby is carrying a small shoulder bag and I throw my wallet and stuff in it.

In the car I always have:
my car papers
a pen
coins for meters
a small trash can (a small wicker basket behind my seat)
a beanbag fish in the back window
a small first-aid kit
CD cases
directions to my brother’s house and old directions to friend’s houses in Naples
napkins
hand lotion
toothpicks
a small hairbrush
Wet Ones
a miniature Krispy Kreme delivery truck still in it’s box

In the trunk:
jumper cables
a pair of flip-flops (because I never bothered to take them out)
sun-screen (ditto)
a vinyl zippered cooler (good for a few frozen items from grocery on hot days)

13

A compass.

14

Me and Shirley Ujest - Girl Scouts extraordinaire.

In my purse:

cell phone, wallet, Palm Pilot, pen, memopad, checkbook(s), business cards, preferred customer/frequent buyer cards, feminine hygeine products, wet-wipes and antibacterial handwashing stuff, small sewing kit (with pre-threaded needles, safety pins, extra buttons and some useless scissors), barrettes and ponytail holders, medicine box with aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen and Excedrin Migraine, pocket pack of Kleenex, an extra pair of contact lenses and a tiny bottle of saline solution, small first aid kit with Bandaids, triple-antibiotic creme, latex gloves, Alka-Seltzer and cold medicine, a tape measure, hand lotion, chapstick, dental floss, Swiss army knife and flashlight. Surprisingly, I weighed the whole thing and it’s only 4 pounds.

In my glovebox: car manual, flashlight, windowscraper, Maeve Binchy book, cinnamon Altoids, insurance papers, sunglasses, loose change. Several CDs are in the door pocket.

In my trunk: a smallish Rubbermaid box with (for each member of my family) 1 pair clean skitters, a T-shirt and a pair of socks. Travel sized shampoo, conditioner, saline solution, a contact lens case, toothpaste and 3 toothbrushes. Jumper cables and this plug-it-into-your lighter battery charger. A blanket and a pillow, a bigger snowscraper/brush thingie, a deck of cards, a bottle of bubbles and a pack of Pla-Doh, a frisbee, a rubber ball and a dog rawhide. Oh, also a gallon of drinking water and some plastic cups.

I gotta remember to throw an umbrella in there somewhere.

15

**LifeonWry ** You and me could survive anywheres with our stash. Were we seperated at birth?
(I forgot to mention I always have Excedrin Migraine stuff on me and latex gloves, too. Sheee-it. We could do surgery and read romance novels and never have chapped lips.)

Heh.

16

My car doesn’t have any emergency equipment because it’s a Civic, and if I put all that emergency stuff in there, there would be no room for me. But I figure as long as I’ve got my USAA card then a tow truck is always but a phone call away. And, little chance of getting stranded in snow.

No chapstick as it would melt. How do y’all keep your chapstick from melting in the car?

Always have a pen, pencil, eraser stick, clipboard and at least one Cross Sums book.

In my purse/pocket/bag I always have my drivers license, my ATM card, a kleenex, an inhaler, chapstick and some hard, unmeltable candy.

17

currently in my truck i have Midol and Camel Lights…along with insurance papers, of course…rarely carry a purse…i don’t even wanna get into what’s in my school bag…waaaaay to much to get into

18

Sadly, I am a packrat of notorious repute…

occupying my bag at any given time:

My notebook
My Book-o-the-week
My cosmetic/misc. bag that I’m not even going to start on
my keys(of which there are three rings, with 6 keys each)
Anything that makes its way in, which this morning included a bottle of pipe cleaner and some tide detergent.

Those last items bother me, because I was going to classes, not my house or a laundromat…

19

Man, you people carry around too much stuff! :eek: I read that OP and thought…a pen. But…now I think I’m going to start carrying around a compass too…just in case. Thanks for the idea, Violet.

20

There is one thing that I have carried in whatever car I’ve had for ten years now. In its own little pouch in the console you will find a 1993 silver dollar. I carry it because of the Allman Brothers’
Midnight Rider which has this line:

“I’ve got one more silver dollar and I’m not gonna let them catch me – no, I’m not gonna let them catch the Midnight Rider.”