The best way to save money is to prepare for emergencies. A couple years ago I went to visit my mother and my tire blew out on the road in the middle of the night. We didn’t have flashlights, so we ended up using our cell phones and Nintendo DS Lite to gain some light.
I had a spare tire to put on, but it was a little flat, so we took it to the nearest gas station to fill it up. Now I try to check on the spare tire to make sure it is properly inflated to avoid that scenario.
Take care of yourself and your car - be prepared.
Emergency Kit Shopping List
What should you grab for your emergency kit? Edmunds has a comprehensive list to get you started. Some items that I think everyone should have:
- Milk crate or box to contain your kit
- First aid kit
- Bandages/ gauze
- Ice and heat compresses
- Scissors
- Pain reliever
- Blanket
- Flashlight and Batteries
- Fix-a-Flat
- Jumper Cables
- Rags/Old T-shirts/Paper Towels
- 2-4 15 min. Road Flares
- 1 or 2 Qts of Oil
- Antifreeze
- Screwdrivers, pliers, wrench
- Duct tape
- Ice scraper
- Car Jack
With some time in an afternoon, you can grab most of these items in a couple of shopping trips. To make it easier to prepare for road problems, there are some pre-made emergency car kits to get you started. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have everything, we’re still working on assembling these kits ourselves.
Don’t forget to also be consistent in checking your car’s oil level, tire pressure and wear, washer and brake fluids, and your spare tire. It’ll save you a headache or worse.
How Ready Are We?
The question is, how ready are we right now with our cars?
Here’s what we do have:
- Milk crate or box to contain your kit
- Bandages/ gauze
- Pain reliever
- Flashlight and Batteries
- Fix-a-Flat
- Jumper Cables
- Rags/Old T-shirts/Paper Towels
- 1 or 2 Qts of Oil
- Antifreeze
- Car Jack
So as you see, we have some shopping to do ourselves.
Your Take
How prepared are you with an emergency kit?
Photo Credit: The Pug Father
