Roadside emergency kit can be stored in car trunk
When I was young and my father provided a car for me to use, he handed me a star wrench (for changing tires) and told me that this was my emergency kit. Now, as the father of two teenage driving daughters, I have provided each with a kit that hopefully will come in handy if needed. In the kit are:
Flashlight with spare batteries
First-aid kit
Mini umbrella
Small tool kit
Tire-pressure gauge
Original car owner’s manual
Battery cables
Small fire extinguisher
Blanket
Plastic poncho
Roadside reflectors
Most of this can be obtained inexpensively at discount stores, and all can be fitted in a small, inexpensive bag and stored in the trunk. The list can be expanded as needed. In my early driving career, I needed each item at one point or another and didn’t have them. — Morris Tarleton, Houston
Dear Heloise: I appreciated your recent advice regarding the shelf life of sandwich meat once a package is opened. As a finicky eater, I’ve often thrown good meat away after two days for fear that it might have gotten a bit edgy in the refrigerator.
It reminded me of a great sandwich tip from my school days. We used to complain that the meat in our sandwiches tasted funny by the time we got around to eating them. (Mom would make them at 6:30 in the morning, then they’d be kept at room temperature in our lunch boxes for about five to six hours before we ate them.)
She solved the problem simply and gave us the freshest sandwiches in the classroom. She kept a loaf of bread in the freezer and would make our sandwiches on frozen slices of bread. The cold bread helped keep everything fresher until it was time to eat, and the sandwiches were always thawed by then. — Jack Burke, Thousand Oaks, Calif.