Post by georgeharrison on Jun 12, 2017 11:47:31 GMT -5
Mine doesn't change by season. I keep the same stuff in there all the time, but go through it occasionally to get rid of expired things or clothing that's too small.
I have a bag and a bin in my trunk. In the bin, I have things like a gas can, a flashlight, water and a dish for the dogs. In the bag, I have canned food, bottled water, blankets, first aid kit, extra clothes for me and my kid, rags, rope, a lighter, scissors...pretty much an emergency or "go" bag.
kooshball, do you remember a few years ago a family was driving home from WA to CA around Christmas time and they turned onto a road in OR that wasn't maintained during the snow, got stuck, and the dad ended up freezing to death trying to get help for them? That was when I made the emergency bag.
I keep an umbrella year round. During winter, I keep an ice/snow scraper. I also have a charging cord for my phone/iPad. I need to remember to keep a visor in my car for when it's sunny out. I don't have an emergency kit with water or anything though. I probably should.
I just got a new car, so right now, just a picnic blanket. I need to get a little box for summer stuff. Usually I keep sunscreen, cups for splash pads and sand toys. A dry set of clothes is probably a good idea for the kids so they can play in the water at the last minute.
In the winter, it seems every single coat we own for the kids ends up in there. They don't wear them in the car seats, so they take them off when they get in the car & then leave them in there.
I usually keep an umbrella and a cereal container that I use for a trash can (dry stuff only).
I just got new car, so I've spent some time thinking about this! I'm trying to keep less, since my kids are a little older and don't need quite so much in the way of emergency snacks, change of clothes and stuff.
The only things that I moved from my old car to the new one are:
A roll of paper towels A hair brush A little flashlight kit A cord to charge my phone EZ pass
It's not quite as intentional, but I almost always have a bottle of water in the car as well.
Post by followyourarrow on Jun 12, 2017 11:56:44 GMT -5
An emergency kit with some extra clothes, first aid kit, flashlight, water, and granola bars. A picnic blanket. Dog towel because Arrow finds every muddle puddle that exists when we go to the dog park. An extra dog leash. Dog bowl for water because she refuses to use the communal bowl at the dog park. A hair brush in the glove box. Paper towels and grocery bags for any grossness. An old school paper map, learned to do this after a bad thunderstorm made my gps not work for awhile.
I have a bin the back with a bunch of tools, jumper cables, tire pressure gauge, tire chains, a few bottles of water, paper towels, picnic blankets, snow scraper/brush, de-icer spray. We usually have a few snacks and extra clothes in there (not intentional! LOL). Phone & ipod cables, baby wipes, small garbage container.
In the trunk: blanket, water bottles, jumper cables, ice scraper, and paper/pencil (idk why).
Inside: seatbelt cutter/windshield breaker, umbrella, small trash bin (I use one of those sealable cereal containers with a target bag as a liner), and tape.
In my purse I keep hand sanitizer, chopstick, a small snack.
Reusable shopping bags, dog leash, poop bags, dog biscuits, iPhone charging cord, old towels, jumper cables, caution lights, cash (hidden), GPS, book of maps, ice scraper, BB&B coupons, take out menus.
It doesn't really change because I just keep it in there all year.
In the trunk there's an ice scraper, umbrella (not sure why, as I've never actually remembered it's there lol), jumper cables, etc. Also reusable grocery bags.
Under front passenger seat is a first aid kit and I have those body heat retaining blankets in the dashboard compartment.
In the center console is one of those window breaking tools, a flashlight, extra sunnies and other random stuff -- mints, change, a few dollars, microfiber cloth, granola bar, hair thing, chapstick, pen and I'm sure other random items 😀
I also keep a phone charger plugged in up front. DH pretty much always has extra ties in the backseat. No kids.
Post by amandakisser on Jun 12, 2017 12:13:02 GMT -5
umbrella, emergency kit (like a glass breaker and a lock-out kit), spare change, napkins, a package of wipes and a diaper for the baby, various toys and books to keep the girls occupied, a couple pillows and a blanket, and a bunch of ground up gold fish and cheerios (but that gets vacuumed up when I get my car washed). You can also usually find at least two coats or sweatshirts and random socks my kids take off when they're in the car and really want to annoy me.
I don't keep a ton in the car. Umbrella, a few bills and change for tolls or meters, a pack of gum or mints, a cosmetic bag containing hand lotion, lip balm, and a nail file, a packet of tissues, the car manual, tire pressure gauge, phone charger and the cable I use to play my phone through the car speakers, a few napkins and a couple Target bags in case I need to clean up or dispose of anything (usually food related, lol). In the back I have a towel in case of wet or muddy dogs, a car safety and first aid kit that I should probably open and update in case anything needs to be replaced, a roll of paper towels, Windex wipes, and a couple canvas shopping bags.
It doesn't really change by season. Even my snow scraper stays in year round because I've been caught unprepared with surprise early or late snowfalls. I don't keep coats in the car; I put one on before I leave the house and it goes back into the house with me. I also don't keep sunscreen in the car because I read that the heat can damage the effectiveness. I keep a travel size in my bag instead.
ETA: Organizing is just keeping things in various compartments. The tissues, phone chargers, and napkins are in the console between the seats. Gum and money are in a little compartment below the radio. Cosmetic case, Target bags, tire gauge, car manual, and car registration and insurance info are in the glove compartment. Umbrella is in a little slot in the drivers' side door. I have a Subaru Outback so no trunk, but the stuff in the back is in one side of an organizer that looks sort of like this. I use the other side for grocery bags so they don't tip over.
Ice scraper in the door Umbrella in the back seat Hair tie, 2 bobby pins, fingernail clippers, nail file, and a phone charger in the center console A million Clorox wipes in the glove box and 1 tub of Clorox wipes in the cup holder A trash can that sits in the floor of the back seat, directly behind the center console
Post by FrozenSunshine on Jun 12, 2017 12:28:56 GMT -5
I have a single cab truck, so I don't have space for much. Behind the seats, jumper cables, ice/snow scrapper and windshield washer fluid. In the glove box my insurance card, any paperwork related to car repairs and napkins. Center console is my phone charger, change and lip gloss.
I have a phone charger and a cable for the AUX input. An umbrella tucked under the passenger seat, tissues in the center console, blankets for the boys between their car seats and an ice scraper/snow brush in my trunk. That's it. I don't move stuff seasonally and my boys take everything with them when they leave the car. I get anxious if my car is dirty or cluttered.
ETA: I have a tire pressure gauge, little flashlight, paper towels and barf bags in the glove compartment (DS1 gets car sick. yuck).
Ice scraper Emergency bag few toys for DS extra charger napkins grocery bag for garbage
I hate having lots of stuff in the car. We left our main car for my parents this weekend as they were watching DS overnight. We took our commuter car that H drives. Ugh, it was disgusting. So much garbage and who knows what else in there! And that was after he cleaned up a bit!
Post by textbookcase on Jun 12, 2017 12:57:31 GMT -5
Little to nothing, it's 110-125 degrees here most of the summer (which means interior of car is close to 200 deg) so I don't leave anything in there that could get ruined by heat, like wipes, sunblock, drinks, etc. I leave my car charger, jumper cables, a "puke bucket", reusable shopping bags, and a picnic blanket always. During soccer season I keep our folding/camp chairs in the back.