by Rachel Paxton

Do you ever find yourself on-the-go and not prepared for emergencies? Sometimes it's not even your emergency...it might be your children's or co-worker's.

I am always finding myself without things I could really use, like a safety pin or even spare change. I finally resolved to put together a little kit with what I consider necessities when traveling or at the office.

You can store your supplies in any small container or cosmetics bag. Use your imagination and find something you already have around the house. You can keep your supplies in your car, purse, or in your office desk. Where you keep them will determine how much you can store in one place. You could maybe have different kits stored in different locations, depending on the anticipated need. If you shop around you will find lots of travel sizes of common everyday products. Once you buy them, you can often refill them (like ibuprofen bottles). Here are the things I've found indispensable:

Small bottle ibuprofen
Allergy medicine
Needle, thread
Embroidery scissors
Safety pins
Feminine hygiene products
Band-aids
Kleenex
Spare change
Phone card
Pocket knife
Small package baby wipes
Spare buttons
Dental floss
Small toothbrush, toothpaste
Small flashlight
Comb or brush
Hairspray
Cosmetics/perfume
Antiperspirant/deodorant
Spare stockings/pantyhose

The list goes on and on. Of course you won't want to necessarily store this all in one place, but just think about where you normally are and what you might need while you're there. You can't ever be too prepared, and everyone will be impressed with how organized you are.

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Copyright 2002. Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of the Creative Homemaking Recipe of the Week Club Cookbook, a cookbook containing more than 250 quick easy dinner ideas. For recipes, tips to organize your home, home decorating, crafts, and frugal family fun, visit Creative Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.