Hey everybody! Today I’m starting a new series called What’s in my ______? I’ll be doing posts once or twice per month for this organizing series. I’m choosing areas of my life that seem to get disorganized easily and showing you how I’m fixing the problem. I wanted to start with my car because 1. It was a royal mess from our last trip to Indiana and 2. It seems most people who have kids have a hard time keeping their cars organized!
Here is the state my car was in before organizing it (not pictured: stroller and pack n’ play that was just removed):
Not THAT bad other than the trunk, right? WRONG! It bugs me really bad when my car isn’t clean. This doesn’t even show all the dust, hand prints, dirty windshield, dog hair and saw dust that has accumulated throughout the car. I also get frustrated with hearing all the change in the center console shifting around. First step: Empty everything that does not belong in the car.
I like to keep my trunk empty so I don’t have to worry about the stroller getting caught/breaking things and so there is always room if I decide to go grocery shopping on a whim. I’ve left my re-usable bags and umbrella so they’re easily accessible. We LOVE these liners for our floors as well. I carry a lot of flowers in our trunk that always spill and get top soil everywhere. This mat can easily be taken out, shook off, vacuumed and hosed down if needed.
I’d originally made a car kit to keep in my car with safety equipment for winter and one for random ‘you might need one of those someday’ type situations. This car has this nifty tray in the trunk that holds everything I need.
Items in said car kit:
- Lint Roller
- Emergency Food Bar
- Fix-A-Flat
- Emergency Shovel/Pick/Compass
- Deck of Cards
- Baby Wipes
- Kleenex
- Hand Sanitizer
- Handheld Light
- Flares
- Flash Light
- Band-Aids
- Nail Clippers
- Tweezers
- Notebook & Pen
- Collapsible Dog Water Bowl
- Screwdriver
- Large Ziplock Bag
- Socket Wrench for Wheels
- Diaper
- Tampon
- Bungee Cord
- Ponchos
- Jumper Cables
- Hand Warmers
- Hand Held Ice Scraper
- Mini Sewing Kit
This may be a bit much but I had everything on hand, it fit in my car and I’m a Girl Scout- Always Be Prepared!
My next messy space was my center console:
I kept everything in there but organized it better. I used a mini M&M container to hold all my quarters for parking downtown. I also put a $20 in there in case I’m ever stranded for gas or need taxi money. I also have a second flashlight, hand lotion, tire gauge, pen and my local discount cards. I don’t like filling my wallet with punch/rewards cards so I keep them in my car since we almost always drive my car. The bottom portion has plenty of room to grow but holds hand sanitizer, a few CDs, AUX cables and phone chargers. My glove box is also empty which I love because I’m sure I’ll want that easy access space as Sophie gets older.
Do I have entirely too much stuff in my car?? I feel it’s better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately we can’t access the trunk tray if our car is packed for a road trip. How do you keep things organized in your car? What else is a must-have for your ride?
Maybe I need to go clean my car. It is so disorganized, but after seeing this I want to go organize it. Thanks for inspiring me!
Glad you’ve been inspired! I always feel like I need to clean my car once I see ONE clean car in a parking lot…it doesn’t help that I’m obsessed with car washes! I hope Sophie inherits that from me. 🙂
My car is a mess behind the front seat, because that’s my kids’ territory. I keep a box with reusable shopping bags in the truck, and that’s it. In the front within my reach, I keep chapstick, floss, pen/paper, tissues and a phone charger. One thing I highly suggest when you’ve given up the diaper bag is a full change of clothes for your daughter. I had to use our spare outfits when the kids were young, and I was so glad I had them!
Great idea! I’ll bet the back seat will get pretty crazy as the years go on. We had my 4year old niece visit us for a few days and there was a LOT of spillage. 😉
I’m impressed. My console looks like that – right after I cash my paycheck.
Your emergency kit is better equipped than … my house.
I feel best when I have a box of store-brand animal cookies within arms length at all times in my car.
*glad I found you through Hump Day Happenings linkup.
Haha! At least you have a paycheck. 😉 You’re off the hook, you’re not a Girl Scout…but you might want to look into getting at least a few of those items for your home. I’ve heard that close snacks and kids clothes are must-haves! We do carry those things in the diaper bag but I’ll have to remember that for when we stop carrying it!
We kinda depend on my mother’s car right now and she doesn’t have anything actually useful in there, just a bunch of CD’s and the first aid kit. When we had our car in FL we had useful stuff in it, but it was pretty much my hubby’s territory since I haven’t driven a car in 12 years. I think I am not fit for driving, it requires some focused multi-tasking and I tend to get a panic attack if I have multiple things going on at once. (like hitting the gas pedal instead of breaks >.>) I do love how you organized everything!
I didn’t get my drivers license for a few years after the normal driving age because I would get too anxious as well. It becomes second nature with practice. I even bought a stick shift without knowing anything about manual cars and was, again, anxious but learned quickly. At least your Mom has a first aid kit!!
Oooh, interesting series!!! I feel inspired to be organized, not only in my life but also in blogging!!! You’re doing some great posts lately! As for your car, I just love that tray in the back. Yes, it’s hard to get to but can be gotten to! I have been meaning to pack an emergency kit in the car because it really is good to be prepared! I just have a box of Lysol wipes, a bag of extra kids’ clothes, a baby blanket, and the kids’ jackets in there (for cold restaurants & such). I’d really like to have a first-aid kit, flashlight, water, food, and large blanket (in case we are ever stuck in the cold). We have a large seat cover to spread over the backseat for our dogs when we travel. As for the rest of my car, I’d say it’s pretty neat already because I throw trash out right away and if our son eats snacks in the car, he’s learned to eat very neatly.
Awwwe! I can just picture J being so careful when he eats! Thank you for the wonderful blogging compliment! I needed to hear that. I have heard to not carry water in your car because the BPAs react with the sun. Some people carry water but switch it out after a month but I feel that would be exhausting and wasteful because you can’t drink that water once it’s been a month. It sounds like you are quite prepared though! We only got the winter safety stuff once I got pregnant with Soph hoping that if we have all this stuff, nothing will ever happen. 🙂
I agree about the BPAs but hey, if we’re stranded for 3 days, you bet I’ll drink BPA.
OMG! Too true!!! 😀 Cancer or death…well…maybe we won’t get cancer. 😉