WEBVTT - What to stash in your car

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is about some smart things to stash in

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<v Speaker 1>your car so that all trips or weights are more comfortable.

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<v Speaker 1>Unless you've lived in a few big cities, if you've

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<v Speaker 1>got to commute, or kids or both, you probably spend

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<v Speaker 1>a fair amount of time in your car. I used

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<v Speaker 1>to think I didn't. I work from home and my

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<v Speaker 1>kids schools are less than ten minutes away. But then

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<v Speaker 1>I started tracking my time and realized, Wow, all those

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<v Speaker 1>short trips add up. That's one reason I started the

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<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast podcast. I wanted to give people something they

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<v Speaker 1>could get through on a short trip. Anyway, after my

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<v Speaker 1>recent episode on using up gift cards, I got a

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<v Speaker 1>note from a listener named April. She wrote that I

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<v Speaker 1>kept ending up at Target or CBS or some other

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<v Speaker 1>store on an errand and realizing I didn't have the

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<v Speaker 1>gift card, or running home for an in an out

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<v Speaker 1>gift card before we made a rare impromptu gift card

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<v Speaker 1>stop for dinner. So one day last summer, I grabbed

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<v Speaker 1>a credit card wallet I had and put all of

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<v Speaker 1>the gift cards I might use outside the house in it,

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<v Speaker 1>then put it in my glove compartment. Now, if April

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<v Speaker 1>needs to stop by Target Chicken, just reach in there

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<v Speaker 1>and grab the card. This got me thinking of all

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<v Speaker 1>the other things that it's wise to keep in the car.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think it's a coincidence that my family has

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<v Speaker 1>gotten sick less frequently since we started keeping bottles of

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<v Speaker 1>hand sanitizer in the cup holders of our cars. We

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<v Speaker 1>also keep some paper towels for the inevitable messes, and

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<v Speaker 1>a small garbage container. In our family minivan, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>bottle of water or two for hydration emergencies, usually some

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<v Speaker 1>granola bars, sunscreen for sunny days, and an umbrella for

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<v Speaker 1>rainy ones. I keep a handful of quarters in case

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<v Speaker 1>I'm somewhere with old fashioned parking meters. I thought these

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<v Speaker 1>were pretty smart ideas. Then I asked by Twitter followers

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<v Speaker 1>about their car stashes, and I realized I'm pretty much

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<v Speaker 1>rookie level when it comes to preparedness. The most common

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<v Speaker 1>out of the box idea people mentioned a big towel.

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<v Speaker 1>This is as useful for messages as paper towels, but

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<v Speaker 1>can also be used for drawing off. Anyone who is wet,

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<v Speaker 1>or putting under anyone who is wet for whatever reason

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<v Speaker 1>that wetness has happened. A large towel also enables an

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<v Speaker 1>impromptu picnic, or if you need to be outside, can

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<v Speaker 1>be wrapped around someone who is cold. A few people

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned garbage bags. These are useful for the inevitable garbage

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<v Speaker 1>that builds up and that people forget to cut out

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<v Speaker 1>of the car, but can also make reasonable ponchos for

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<v Speaker 1>a sudden downpour. That said, actual ponchos aren't that expensive either,

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<v Speaker 1>and might be worth keeping around. A first aid kit

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<v Speaker 1>or at least band aids is never a bad idea. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>people with teenagers mentioned the importance of extra phone chargers.

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<v Speaker 1>Your young passengers might desperately need to restore their batteries

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<v Speaker 1>so they can text each other across the back seat.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, not all entertainment must be electronic. One person

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned a book of mad libs. Another suggested a book

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<v Speaker 1>of crossword puzzles. Both require a pen, so be sure

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<v Speaker 1>to have that too. Either of those are a sticker

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<v Speaker 1>book for little kids can provide a lot of entertainment

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<v Speaker 1>for a small amount of car volume. A few people

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<v Speaker 1>mentioned Frisbees and April, who wrote in with the gift

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<v Speaker 1>card Hack, mentioned that she kept a deflated beach ball

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<v Speaker 1>in the car so she and her family could bat

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<v Speaker 1>a ball around if they found themselves waiting somewhere like

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<v Speaker 1>a sibling sports event with time to kill. Now that

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<v Speaker 1>I'm back in the newborn stage, people reminded me of

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<v Speaker 1>the importance of extra clothes. An extra sweatshirt should suffice

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<v Speaker 1>and helps with unexpected cold and find extra socks. Cold

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<v Speaker 1>feet make people miserable, and that's the last thing you

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<v Speaker 1>need on a car trip. As I read through this list,

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<v Speaker 1>I realized that it sounds like a lot of stuff.

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<v Speaker 1>But the good news is that none of it takes

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<v Speaker 1>up that much space. A small crate in the trunk

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<v Speaker 1>could corral it all and then you'll be ready for

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<v Speaker 1>whatever life on the road throws at you. So what

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<v Speaker 1>do you keep it in your car? I'm sure I'm

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<v Speaker 1>forgetting something brilliant, so let me know what it is

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<v Speaker 1>at before Breakfast podcast and I hurt media dot Com.

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<v Speaker 1>In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

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<v Speaker 1>here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod.

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<v Speaker 1>That's b the number four than breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>At i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my

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<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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