How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you wished you didn’t skimp on something or wished you knew better and prepared in advance? Probably a lot. The famous quote goes, “It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” However, let’s not confuse owning too much stuff and hoarding possessions at a storage unit with keeping certain items “just in case.” Do you really think you’ll need all those leftover cables and old chargers with ports that don’t fit any of the electronics you own? You probably don’t.
For certain life situations and emergencies of all sorts, some things are better held close at hand or somewhere nearby. Keeping emergency items, whether at home or in your car, is a good practice. However, aside from the obvious, such as the first-aid kit, self-defense tools, or flashlight, there are quite a few useful buys and good things to have in your car, home, or purse that one should always have. To explore the options of good things to buy and the best items to have in an emergency, we looked at this thread on AskReddit, which asked fellow community members, “What is your best example of ‘buy it before you need it’?” In the comments section, Redditors left an overwhelming amount of items they prefer to own in case of an unforeseen situation. To optimize the thread and make it more useful, we’ve selected the most upvoted answers to compile a list of things to have just in case.
Below, you’ll find the most popular ‘just in case’ items that Redditors recommend buying and owning to be safe rather than sorry. Do you agree with Redditors’ selections? If you do, give those entries you agree with an upvote. Also, are there any good things to buy and keep close at hand just in case that haven’t been mentioned? If so, share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.
#1
"Carbon monoxide detector."
WorshipNickOfferman said: "Lawyer here. Had a case a few years ago where the roommate came home drunk and left her car running in the garage. A running engine filled the house with CO and killed her and her roommate. House had a design flaw where the garage was connected to the HVAC system. House did not have dual-band smoke detectors. We caught the landlord swapping out the smoke detectors the week after the tenants died. Really sad case."
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29points
#2
"Dashcam can easily prove you innocent in an auto collision - some insurance even offers discounted rates if the insured vehicle has a dash cam. I personally recommend a front and rear cam setup."
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28points
#3
"Physical therapist here. Single-story home. Buy a house you can age into. Can’t tell you how many times I see older people hospitalized that can’t safely return home. Whether they have their bedroom upstairs, multiple stairs to get in, or whatever else they just don’t think ahead.
Yeah, it’s really cool when you can afford your dream home when you’re in your mid 50’s. But once 20 years pass and you break a leg or are down with pneumonia or something for a few days you’re going to struggle to get around like you once did."
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27points
#5
"Fire extinguisher."
likethefish33 comments: "The only annoying this is they expire. Usually, before you need them!"
BeefInspector replied: "Just schedule your fires to happen a few days before the extinguisher expires, that way you never waste one."
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22points
#7
"Leatherman multitool I have used every single one of the tools that are on it many many times over again. I also use it at least once a day usually 5-6 times a day. It is invaluable and if I should ever lose it or it breaks beyond its 25-year warranty then I would buy a new one that very day. Maybe it's just my lifestyle but I consider it to be more important than my mobile phone."
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20points
#8
"It might sound a bit morbid, but… an outfit you can wear to a funeral hung in the closet with a hose/tie, etc.
There’s nothing worse than going shopping for such an outfit while grieving. Think of it as giving your future self a hug and saying, 'Here, I’ll take care of this for you.'"
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20points
#11
"Toilet plunger."
MasuMora comments: "Back in college my roommate lent his plunger to the girls next door. It was more than an hour later till they came back with a brand new plunger. We asked what happened and she said they broke the plunger. We were surprised at the idea of breaking a plunger but we happily took the new plunger they bought for us.
They also told us that the cashier was very confused when they were at checkout with 2 plungers."
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18points
#12
"Bought a bunch of bags of road salt from Walmart recently. Only 97 cents per bag.
My girlfriend asked why, it's not even cold out, and I just said these same bags will be probably 3 bucks a pop when it's storming."
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18points
#13
"Car emergency kit. Jumper cables, fix a flat, spare tire, Jack, basic first aid kit, road reflectors.
A fire extinguisher is a good idea to add, as well as the rechargeable 'jump-start yourself' pack. And a plug kit vs fix-a-flat is a good idea. I've never done a plug, so I'd have to catch up there myself. Air compressor for refilling the tire also. Some food/heat if you live somewhere where it could logically be a problem. A box of protein bars and some way to make a fire, blankets, etc. I'm never that far off the beaten path that it would be an issue for me, but for anyone who is, it makes sense.
And, damn, how many people have had dads who used jumper cables as a belt?"
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17points
#14
"My wife is a nurse and comes from a family of preppers. In 2018 she bought a whole lot of N95 masks for 'just in case.'"
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17points
#15
"A case of bottled drinking water."
Kyanche comments: "I get those 5-gallon bottles delivered. After a couple of earthquakes scared me, I asked them to just bring 4 extra bottles. So now instead of having 2 in my kitchen, I've got 6. That way I always have at least a couple of weeks of extra water on hand, but we regularly cycle through it."
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17points
#16
"Flashlight for when the power goes out."
EmeraldMoose12 replied: "And candles."
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17points
#18
"Insurance."
Inle-rah replied: "That’s exactly what I was thinking. Auto liability insurance, homeowners insurance, hell I even have gap insurance."
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16points
#19
"Canned soup, because it’s good. I would say cause of hurricanes and disasters but it’s just good."
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15points
#20
"Cold/flu medicine. Not fun stumbling to the drugstore when you feel like death."
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13points