What do you keep in your car?

[justjulia]

Date: 8/26/2008 9:10:34 PM
Author: Haven
In the front and back seats:
A pad of paper and a pen, an umbrella, ice scrapers (two, JUST IN CASE! You can''t go anywhere here in the winter without an ice scraper), book bag for work filled with ungraded papers (another teacher here), an extra jacket, loose change, and various perfumes and cosmetics in the console for touch-ups.
It looks pretty clean.

In the trunk:
Lawn seats and a blanket for summer concerts, ball and toys for the doggies, emergency tool kit, roller blades, bike rack (folded down).

My ice scraper = library card (I guess you could say it doesn''t snow much here..) We actually had a tornado today...

 

[Lynnie]

I keep my laundry soap and dryer sheets in the backseat. I don''t have a washer/dryer in my apartment so we go to the laundrymat. I never want to lug a huge bottle of Tide up to the third floor after lugging two weeks worth of clothes, just to do it all over again two weeks later! At least the dryer sheets make the car smell nice! I also keep extra quarters in there in case I luck out and find a meter spot by work (cheaper than the garage rate). And I keep my work bag (a little tote) for my stethoscope and other work-related stuff (I''m a nurse). Other than that, I keep some cd''s, napkins, extra tree-fresheners (I have a little obsession with smelly-good things!), and a sweatshirt. Oh, and always oil. My car has 190,000 miles on it and I need to put a quart of oil in every 2-3 weeks. Geez, I never realized how much crap I keep in my car!! *runs away*

 

[Delster]

In the glove compartment:
The car manual
Spare lightbulbs for the headlamps, indicators etc
Spare sachet of screenwash
Torch
Transparent pencil case with basic cosmetics (tinted moisturiser, mascara) and painkillers
Mobile phone car charger
FM transmitter/holder/charger thing for my iPod

Between the centre console and door storage:
St. Christopher''s medal and prayer for motorists
Handcream with sunblock
Hair sticks
Sunglasses
Maps

On the back seat:
Very very very large blanket
Tissues
Steering wheel lock

In the boot:
Equipment for changing a tyre
Empty canvas shopping bags (you have to pay for plastic bags in Ireland)
Oftentimes there''s an empty plastic tub in there, in case I have to carry anything delicate and I don''t want it sloshing around in the boot

I don''t carry the vehicle registration or insurance details on me as some insurance companies here can decline your claim if your car is stolen and you had those in the vehicle (cos it makes it easier for the thief to move the car on). We have paper discs for tax and insurance that we have to display on our windscreens and those suffice if we''re stopped by the police.

I used to carry a 1l bottle of water that I''d use to fill up the tank used for the screenwash (driving without screenwash is miserable in Ireland!), but now that petrol''s so expensive I''d ditched that as it''s heavy. I try not to carry any unnecessary stuff in my car as it affects fuel economy so much.

 

[vespergirl]

Not a whole lot - I hate a cluttered car. I''ve got an umbrella, tissues, and a stroller (for my son), and I usually keep my iPod in there.

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 8/25/2008 8:03:25 PM
Author: Richard Sherwood
Colt .45

I used to live in Sarasota, so I''m not surprised

 

[jcarlylew]

i am such a junker too - i hate it! i try to clean it out every week though.
for me i pretty much always have (besides registration stuff)

Camera
notepad & pen
spare parking change
oil (what can i say, i was a bad car owner previously)
Case of bottled water (when i had a jeep it was a JUG of water...just in case!)
Change of clothes
pair of sandels/shoes
magazine/book/puzzles
hairbrush
extra makeup kit (i have a PERFECT spot in my car for a makeup bag..it was meant to be)
Grocery Bag
last but not least (thanks to the new law) ear peice for my phone

 

[justjulia]

Lynnie- I really like the idea of dryer sheets kept in there (regardless of laundry trips--they are nice, aren''t they?) I put them at the bottom of my laundry hamper..
Delster-Interesting info about carrying the registration and ins---wow, guess that makes sense. Is screenwash like windshiled wash?
vespergirl-since my kids have grown, my "stuff" gets lighter and lighter...
jcarleylew-I usually have a camera in my car, too...

 

[ladypirate]

I keep emergency reflectors, an old cell phone in case I ever need to call 911 and can't use mine, a leatherman tool, hair ties, a hair brush, pen and pad of paper, sunglasses, cds, canvas shopping bags, auxiliary cable for ipod, chapstick, tire chains, and my car registration, insurance information, manual, etc. The emergency reflectors, tire chains and shopping bags live in the trunk, the cds are under the passenger seat and everything else is either in the glovebox or center console. I like to have my car clean/organized. My house is pretty much like that too, though...clutter drives me up the wall!

 

[ahappygirl]

Bottled water, box of baby wipes, anti-germ wipes, backpack full of toys/craft supplies and change of clothes for my 4 yr old, also sunscreen and extra hats. Beach towel or blanket, depending upon the season. Suped-up first aid kit (medical professionals). Jumper cables. Phone charger. Box of ziplocs. Binoculars, matches (don''t smoke) and disposable camera in glove compartment. Everythings is very organized. I hate trash or crumbs in my car!

My four yr old only gets in the car with his plastic key on a key chain, sunglasses and paper plate he uses as a steering wheel in his carseat. Can''t leave the house without the snowman paperplate!