Many people have the good sense to carry cash in their wallet at all times for an emergency. But what happens if you are without your wallet, just had it stolen, or some other emergency which prevents you from using cash kept in your wallet? One of the reasons I always walk with my keys in my hand (and not my purse) is for 1) self-defense and 2) in case someone does snatch my purse, they don’t have the keys to my house or car.

I keep cash in my car, at least 40 dollars or enough to fill a tank of gas. Put the cash in the glove compartment and make that a sacred stash for when you really need it. Many people try to never let their tank go below ¼ full. But the cash you keep in your car would not just be for gas. As we continually move towards a cashless society, this article might end up obsolete. But for the time being, there could be times when cash will be the only way to get something in an emergency when no one accepts credit cards or checks.

The other things you may keep in your car would be dictated by your lifestyle and whomever you would also want to provide for in an emergency. For example, I have pets so I keep water in the car not just for myself, but also for them. I also keep pet food in the trunk and poop bags.

Aside from keeping an earthquake kit in the trunk of a car, I think that everyone—whether you live in earthquake territory or not—should keep some walking shoes in the trunk. This is more critical for women who are otherwise inclined to wear high heels. In Southern California, summer of 2015 a fire broke out on a major freeway and for the first time I can ever remember, drivers were ordered to evacuate from their cars right on the freeway and walk/run to safety.

I have a storage box in the trunk of my car that is packed with a number of things, which include travel maps, band-aids, protein bars and even reading material. You never know when you are going to get stuck somewhere of have to pull off the road. Of course, I know many people think they can just play with their cell phones, but you might not even have cell phone service in some far flung mountainous areas.

By placing some of these emergency items in a storage box, they can be neatly contained and out of sight in case you have an SUV with no private trunk space. Someone looking into the back of my car will just see a black box and not know what is in it. A flash light, batteries, swiss army knife, toilet paper, a hand-held fan and a towel are just a few of the things I have which could be handy in an emergency, not to mention water.

I also keep in my car a can opener and a small bottle of Windex to clean my windows sooner than later if some bird decides to gift me something on the windshield. And on that note, I also have a medium sized Tupperware container in the trunk, in case I need to tinkle in the car. Crazy, I know.

Non-emergency, but convenient items always in the car include a large umbrella and some plastic grocery bags for carrying anything, lighters and an extra pair of reading glasses. For many people, their car is their mobile office and it is smart to keep some work-related items in the trunk or glove compartment. I also keep in the car a dual-headed power outlet charger that can charge both a cell phone and a lap top at the same time.

Author: Kartar Diamond
Company: Feng Shui Solutions ® Since 1992
From the Tao of Organizing Blog Series