Her name is Lilly. She has been in our lives for about 13 months, and we couldn’t be happier to have her. She is my Chrysler Town and Country minivan. We bought her when she was two, and she seems to adjust beautifully to our family.
I am grateful to have her, so it is important to me that I keep her neat, clean, and organized, as I plan to have her for many (MANY) years to come. I have said it before, and I will go ahead and repeat myself here. Organization saves money. It does. I believe this down to my toes. Let me show you how to organize your car and what supplies you should keep. This is how Lilly and I stay organized!
Small Town Living
Just like many of us, I am in my car a lot. Most things that I need to get to are at least a 20-minute drive. Groceries, Target, BJ’s, the bookstore, and any kind of entertainment like movies and restaurants are all in neighboring towns. Our little town has the important stuff. A small market that is too expensive (but has some excellent sales) resides in the town center, with a drugstore, two discount stores, a pizza place, and a fantastic bakery. You need to travel to the neighboring towns for everything else you might need.
It is a great place to live. You get that small-town community feel where everyone knows everyone, and if there is a family struggling, the entire town comes together for pancake breakfasts, car washes, and any other fundraiser that we can think of to help. But we are just a short ride to larger communities for shopping, movies, date nights, museums, and concerts.
If you travel a little further, you will encounter the capital city of NY just an hour away. Here, you will find bigger malls, bigger museums, more shopping, and the airport.
Because of our location, I wanted a car that could fit all the things that I might need when I am traveling to these destinations. Let’s face it: If you are 30 minutes from home and you get a headache, the last thing you would want to do is drive back to grab some Advil. More than likely, you are going to run into Target to buy some. And we all know what happens when you run into Target for JUST ONE THING!!!
Organize Your Car
I have organized three storage places in my van that I will focus on in this post: the way back (as we call it) behind the third seat, the glove boxes, and the center console. I have laid them out so that they not only look tidy but also serve a purpose. Other places in Lilly have valuable storage spots, like under the seat that stays above the floor. This area holds supplies for my son with special needs.
Lilly has two bucket seats and a bench seat. One bucket seat stays up, and the other is stored. If the four of us are in the van, my oldest sits in the bucket seat, and the youngest sits in the bench seat to stretch his long legs out and plug in his phone. I know…go ahead and roll your eyes. I am as I type this! This gives me much floor space behind the driver’s seat to put my Aldi hauls, Target treasures, and any other treats I may pick up.
By the way, the back-to-school stuff is out! I love back-to-school stuff. Yesterday, I spent a good chunk of my fun money at Staples. They had my favorite pens on sale, and I needed smaller Post-it notes. I was also there for supplies for a gift basket I am putting together for the Youth Theater Group here in town to raffle off.
The Glove Boxes
We have two—one on the top and one on the bottom. The one on the top holds two pairs of fuzzy gloves to use when I pump gas in the winter. My favorite gloves are white, and I don’t like wearing them to pump gas. They also come in handy in the summer to hold the ice cream when you and your husband go out on date night and buy Ben and Jerry’s ice cream at Target and eat it sitting in the van with the air running in the parking lot because it is too dang hot to eat it outside!!
I also keep a roll of travel garbage bags in there. I think they are intended for pet poop, but they are perfect for the car, and they came in this cute aqua polka dot case. Napkins from drive-through coffee places are kept in a semi-transparent plastic envelope to keep them clean and neat. There is also a glass case. My sunglasses have a special place above the rearview mirror, but if I am walking around outside, I may want to bring them with me. And they are prescription.
The lower glove box holds two umbrellas, a safety tool, a flashlight, and my husband’s sunglasses.
The Way Back
Back behind the third set of seats is a smaller space. My oldest uses a wheelchair most of the time for outings as he gets tired fast if he is walking around. I found this excellent transport chair lightweight and folds up nicely for the back of the van. My reusable shopping bags and thirty-one large utility totes live there, also. I have a basket with travel coffee mugs, car wipes, and grocery bags. I have a blanket rolled up, just in case! I also keep a shawl folded on the side if I feel chilly!
It is important to me to think of the environment and save money. There are stores in my area that charge for grocery bags, so I make sure I have my own. And most places will charge you less if you bring your coffee mug!
My Favorite Place
This may be the entire reason I bought this minivan: the center console. My last SUV had a very small compartment and one (YES…ONE!!!) cup holder! This center console has two compartments and FOUR cup holders! There are also two more in a slide-out. It’s the total selling point. Bravo, Chrysler Marketing!
In the small top storage, I keep a little makeup bag filled with dental floss, a hairbrush, emery board, lotion, migraine meds, nail clippers, and tweezers. On the side are my business cards, Advil, deodorant, a plastic box with bobby pins, hair ties, and safety pins.
This way, I know I won’t have to stop somewhere to buy these things if I need them.
The basement level holds a lot of stuff! Pens, scissors, markers, a spoon (I know. Is that odd?), tums, gum, a small bottle of water, some travel-size Norwex cloths, a reusable shopping bag, emergency coffee money, oil for my diffuser with some spare change, and my phone charger. Another makeup bag holds a small bottle of hairspray, hand wipes, shout wipes, post-it notes, and a measuring tape. Organizing your car with these great nooks and crannies makes me happy!
I need water to take an Advil or wet cloth to wipe up a spill. Most of these things are here “just in case.” I would rather not spend money on something if I do not have to!
Saving Money
Having all these things in my car allows me to be prepared for many opportunities and minor disasters that might arise during my travels. Whether it be a quick jot over the mountain to Hobby Lobby or a road trip with the family, if it happens, I may have a solution within arms reach. It is important to me to show you how to organize your car so you are prepared for situations that may come up. It has saved embarrassment, uncomfortable moments, frustration, and, most importantly, money. Organization saves money!
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Jaime
I wish my car was this organized Sara. Thank you for some tips that I am going to try and implement myself!
frozenpennies
You can do it, Jamie!!!! I would be happy to help any way I can!