Emergency Car Kits

With all our sleet and snow this past winter, it prompted me to put together some emergency car kits for everyone in my family. 

 This is pretty much everything I included, minus the snacks. It's hard here because the interior of our cars can reach upwards of 120º in the summer, and any food items will melt. But in the fall, winter and early spring, things like peanut butter crackers, nuts, beef jerky, and granola bars would probably be safe. We also have AAA, which provides peace of mind. Oh, and don't forget car chargers, an umbrella and hand sanitizer, but most people already have those in their cars. 

Hand warmers, emergency glass breaker/seatbelt cutter, bandana (which can be used in a multitude of ways) a blanket, some bottled water, space blanket, rain poncho, ibuprofen, first aid kit, light sticks, kleenex, scissors, and flashlight with extra batteries. Don't forget the extra batteries! (Not pictured here is Fix a Flat) Emergency flares would also be a good thing to add. 

The first aid kit was only a couple of dollars at HEB (in the travel item section) and the emergency glass breaker/seat belt cutter was only $7 on Amazon. 

Everything was relatively inexpensive. Even the flashlights were only $12.99 for a TWO pack on Amazon. Just be sure to include one item for each person. For example, if you have kids, make sure there's enough water, space blankets, hand warmers, flashlights, rain ponchos, etc. so everyone can have their own. 

Here's the Fix a Flat I mentioned...

Be sure to keep the emergency glass breaker/seat belt cutter and flashlight in the center console where mostly anyone in the car could reach it. You don't want it in the glove compartment or trunk where it's not accessible. 

What I did was put the scissors, (which could be used as a weapon in a pinch ~ ha!) flashlight and glass breaker/seat belt cutter, in the center console. 

Then I put the regular blanket and water bottles in the trunk. 

I put everything else in a gallon ziplock and stored it in the glove compartment, so it would be up front. 

This is just a starter list, but you could certainly include a full change of clothes for everyone, toiletries, a swiss army knife, Wet ones wipes, etc. Speaking of Wet Ones, I always keep these in my purse...

I'm a stickler when it comes to cleaning my grocery cart handle. I used to rely on the stores providing those little containers by the cart return to clean it with. But more often than not, they were empty and I secretly think those are no more than a glorified baby wipe anyway with no real germ fighting power. So now I keep these in my purse. (I'm pretty sure my friend Kim At Exquisitely Unremarkable gave me this tip ~ thanks, Kim!) Now I don't have to worry about the stores running out and I feel like I'm actually cleaning the cart handle. 

When my boys were little, you should have seen the get up I had. I had those seat covers that covered the entire grocery cart seat and handle. That may seem a little extreme, but if you think about it, there are all kinds of not so nice things that come in contact with that seat and handle. Just picture a baby sitting there with a leaky diaper, then your little darling is the next one to occupy that seat. The horror! Or someone putting their package of raw hamburger meat on the handle and then it leaks a little. Then the next occupant of that seat is a baby and they start teething on that handle? Yuck, right? 

So what do y'all think? Is there anything else you would add to an emergency car kit? 

Thanks for stopping by!

~Lisa