What’s in your car?

I'm reading Slow Love by Dominique Browning, who was the editor-in-chief of the sadly defunct House & Garden (the book is definitely worth the read btw-it's a bittersweet story of how she lost her job, sank into an unemployed abyss, and eventually found happiness, but it's also funny and poignant and beautifully written), and one of the many passages I was struck by was the part where she describes all the stuff she stashes in her car. It's a really long list, and as someone who really only keeps insurance papers in my glove compartment, plus a book of CDs and some loose change for parking meters, I got to wondering if the rest of you have the same just-in-case Girl Scout-esque tendencies that Browning does.

Here's are re-cap of what Browning has in her station wagon:

Flashlight

Patching Spray for tires

Maps

Magnifying Glass (for reading the aforementioned maps)

String Bags for the grocery store

Trowel and Garden Clippers (Browning, a passionate gardener, keeps them there for times she sees something on the side of the road she can't resist snipping!)

Umbrellas

Rocks, Shells, and Bits of Sea Glass from the beach (which she refers to as her "car collection")

Bathing Suit (at this point in the story she was living in a seaside town in Rhode Island)

Flip-Flops

Sneakers (in case of being stranded somewhere and needing to walk)

Baggie of Loose Change

Straps (for her son's surfboard)

While the bathing suit and shell collection are superfluous for me at least, I'll be taking cues from the above list and adding an umbrella and flashlight to my auto arsenal. So now it's your turn: what do you keep in your car?