$3 DIY Middle Console Organizer
Today’s post is the first in a 2-part series for being more prepared: for life’s every-day emergencies, all the way down to the worst-case scenario. Today, we’ll start with an idea that can keep your car more organized so that you can access things you need, right when you need them!
Recently, my mini-van had a recall for the automatic doors. Our local Toyota dealership called me up and said that they would fix my Sienna’s doors- I just needed to get my car down to them for a few hours. Oh, and the floors, seats and middle console needed to be clear so they could remove them. No big deal, right? Right…
Well, I got out my laundry basket and cleared everything out of my minivan. There were lots of little items that accumulated in my minivan’s middle console. Things I forgot were in there! Or things I knew where there, but could never find when I needed them. Later, when I got my mini-van back from the dealership I had an idea!
Instead of dumping all the “useful junk” back in my mini-van I created an organizer. The cost was $3 and took about thirty minutes from start to finish to create. Now, every time I look in my middle console, I get a feeling I can do this “mom life thing”. Totally worth it!
Simple Car Hack To Keep Your Middle Console Organized Forever
Materials needed:
*3 different colored pencil pouches from the dollar store
*2 keychains (or loose binder rings)
Pouch 1: The Necessities Pouch
Contents:
- cash
- blank greeting cards
- pen and pencil
- matches
- phone charging cord
- carwash cards
Pouch 2: The “Looking Good” Pouch
Contents:
- sunscreen
- lips gloss
- mascara
- hair ties
- scented lotion
- nail clippers
- comb
- hairspray
- bow for daughters
Pouch 3: The Food Pouch
Contents:
Number three pouch- important because it’s food! We all notice a little snack can make the difference between a “cranky-pants” mood, and a “hey, things are going great today” mood! It’s so nice to have a snack RIGHT when you need it and not have to go out of your way to figure something out to eat. I also have a protein shake and a water bottle in the middle console. This is handy!
Second pouch is just as important as the first. I often leave the house without make-up and regret not looking in the mirror as I’m getting to my destination. When I choose not to wear make up, it isn’t a big deal especially with my second pouch. I can touch-up my makeup and can quickly pull myself or my girls together to look a little less homeless.
Lastly, the necessity pouch- the name speaks for itself. I love having multiple tools all accessible in one pouch. Also, phone charging cord gets lost. It’s nice to be able to leave a note for someone to brighten their day. Every item in this pouch is a tool for good 🙂
Here’s the mess that was in my middle console before I cleaned it out…
Have everything you need on-the-go, organized forever!
If you already read my article: Cut Packing Time and Stress in HALF with These 5 Tips, then you saw my other favorite organizer I keep with me in my purse or wherever I go. My “pikle” has a lot more items I keep on hand. You may want to get yourself one of those ’cause it saves the day for me on a regular basis, but if you don’t plan on getting an In-A-Pikle organizer, you may want to add a few things to your pouches like:
- medicine: pain reliever, allergy, tummy/gas medicine etc.
- hand sanitizer, bandages
- sewing kit with scissors
- mirror, floss (the inapikle “necessities pak” comes with a mirror and floss in one cool credit-card-sized device, plus like ten other cool items I have actually used, but probably wouldn’t want to go track down to put in a kit.)
Here is the inside of my in-a-pikle 🙂
*Note: I would suggest getting 3 DIFFERENT colored pouches so that you can flip right to the pouch you are looking for. I chose Red for “emergency”, Clear for “flawless look”, and Blue to stay “hydrated?…” Hmmm… that one is a stretch, but it’s got the polar ice gum in there, and it will keep us fueled and keeping our cool ’cause we are fed 😉 Clip them all together with extra key-rings from your car keys, or buy a keyring that has a little flashlight on it!
Well there you have it! An easy, cheap way to permanently organize your middle console. For Part Two of my preparedness posts this month, I will talk about the 9 Emergency Prep Items I Use Regularly!
Let’s take some steps to be more prepared so that we can feel peaceful knowing we’ve done what we can to be prepared for the worst! What actions have you taken lately to help your family be more prepared for little (and bigger) emergencies?
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Great Idea!! What Toyota van do you have? We have been having trouble with our automatic door and have actually had it fixed years ago. I wonder if ours has a recall as well. They are so expensive to fix.
It’s a 2011. I’d call your local dealer and see if yours was affected? Glad you enjoyed the post! #siennasunite!