Organizing Your Home on Wheels

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If you are like most Americans, you spend a great deal of time in your car.

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You commute to and from work. You run errands. You take the kids to school, to the orthodontists, to soccer, to playdates, to the mall, etc. So it stands to reason that your car should be fully functional. After all, it's your home away from home.

How many times have you gone for an outing that turned out to be a lot chillier than you expected? How many times has your kid spilled soda all over her outfit? How many times have you desperately needed to call another mom in your carpool but didn't have her phone number with you?

Parents obviously need a lot more backup supplies in their cars than single people. But everyone should have basics in case of emergency.

Paperwork

You should always carry certain legal documents in your glove compartment:

Insurance information
Registration
Auto manual
Automobile club membership card and phone number

(One word of caution: Take all identifying papers out of your glove compartment whenever you valet park.)

Those are the only essential documents. But other paper goods can also come in handy, such as:

Last year's phone directory: Need to know the address of that garage? Don't count on finding a pay phone with a directory. Your old phone book is current enough to meet most of your needs.
Personal phone directory: Make a phone list just for your car with numbers for fellow carpoolers, the school, cell phone numbers, unlisted numbers, etc. Put the master list on your computer so you can edit occasionally.
Pen and paper: How often do you think of something while driving and forget it before you get home? You can even buy pads that attach to your dashboard. Wait for a stoplight, though — don't write while in motion.
Notebook for mileage: Keep up with gas usage or record mileage for business trips or volunteer activities.
Envelope for receipts: Put business receipts here. Take them out of your car regularly and file them inside.
Coupons: You're not going to use coupons if they're sitting at home. Update them each month and toss out the ones that have expired.
Maps and directions: Keep maps of your county in the car. Keep state and national maps in a file in your study and retrieve them as needed.

Tools

You will also need a few essentials for your car. In the pocket, keep:

Cell phone
Flashlight
Ice scraper
Rubber squeegee
Change for parking meters
Toll booth tokens or tickets

In the trunk, keep:

Sign that says "Send Help"
First-aid kit
Flares
Tools for changing tire and a spare
Jumper cables

Cleanliness

Is a clean family car an oxymoron? If you have kids, know that they will eat in the car and they will trash the car, if allowed. The following will cut down on grime:

Trash bags
Tissues
Paper towels
Napkins

Grooming

Everyone needs some emergency help at times. Consider packing:

A lint brush: How often have you rushed into a meeting just to notice that the cat gave you a love rub before you left home?
Cosmetic kit: Include a fingernail file, Chap Stick®, lipstick, a hairbrush, ponytail holders. That keeps you from having to lug it all in your purse.

Entertainment

Activity kits (preferably one per child unless you like arguments): Kids can amuse themselves in the car with their games, coloring books or drawing, and they can take the kit into restaurants as well. In a little case pack books, coloring books, crayons, sketchbook, activity books, pencils, markers, pencil sharpener, crayons, tape and scissors.
Older kids may prefer portable music players or hand-held electronic games.
Novels, books and short stories are available on tape — for both children and adults. Buy an organizer — don't let them spill all over the floor.
If you're planning a road trip, you can rent or buy small DVD players for the backseat bunch.

Extra Clothing

Pack:

Sneakers and extra coats for you and your kids. You never know when the weather will turn nasty or when you might want to take an unscheduled hike.
A change of clothing for small children. Spills can ruin any event.
Foul weather gear: Be ready for the worst; take a bag or basket filled with gloves, coats, sweaters, boots and an umbrella.
Athletic gear: If you or your kids have regular athletic activities that require specific clothes, pack a gym bag with the essential clothing and grooming items and leave it in your car. You may want to travel with some seasonal sports equipment as well. If you're waiting for someone, the kids can amuse themselves in the parking lot by swatting tennis balls or riding their scooters.

Other Necessities

Additional items that might come in handy are:

Food: Always have gum, crackers, chips and bottled water on hand to soothe whiners.
Pets: If traveling with pets, always have pooper scoopers and a water dish

Seem like a lot? It is. But as long as you live in your car, you may as well live comfortably and enjoyably. The first time you're stuck in traffic and you're able to appease a wailing child with a piece of bubble gum, all your efforts will seem worthwhile.

Happy travels!