The other day I went for a band-aid from my stash in my purse and
discovered them all twisted and mangled. I decided my little zippered bag just wasn't up to the rigors of my purse anymore. I needed something sturdier. Commercial 1st aid kits always have stuff we never use, and run out of other things almost instantly.

Step 1: Little and Large

The boys have been getting a couple of Tic-Tacs as a treat for not fighting in the car this summer and I have been saving the boxes for small parts and thought one would fit in my smaller "Summer" purse just fine. I have switched to the great big bulk Tic-Tac packages since I wised up and priced the difference. These bigger boxes are great for stuff like ribbon and paper clips, etc. They have the tab lid like the smaller containers and a hinge and snap so the whole white part of the lid opens as well.

Step 2: The Guts

I've been meaning to make up car first aid kits for a while now, and I
wanted something a little bigger than an typical Altoid tin kit .I thought the bigger plastic box would be perfect for a few, most often needed supplies and still fit into the car/truck consoles easily.

Here's my Giant Tic-Tac First Aid Kit!

I have various self-stick bandages, a few butterfly tapes if things get serious, antibiotic cream, a roll of antacids, a disposable towel, a mini-pad, nail clippers, cotton pads, lip balm, and a few cotton ear buds. I also keep a travel sized bottle of hand sanitizer already in the car and we usually have bottled water too.

Step 3: Towels and Wipes

I really like the towels.

They start out the size of a peppermint candy, but when you add water, you get something about the size of a paper towel but sturdier. I found them in a camping supply catalog, but I've seen them in sporting goods stores too.

Step 4: More Useful Stuff

The round cotton pads are make-up pads for wiping dirt and cleaning scrapes.

The nail clippers can double as tweezers if needed. This should get us through minor booboos, splinters, and scrapes.

Step 5: Stuffed and Ready to Go

I wrapped the whole container with cloth tape to secure the cotton pads
if needed since we are going crystal digging in Arkansas with three rambunctious kids for vacation and knees and elbows do get skinned when you're up in the hills. I still want to add a single edged razor blade or possibly folding scissors, a couple of antihistamines, and a few ibuprofen tabs. I need to get the pills in the individual pill blister packs rather than just letting them rattle around in the bottom of the kit. That way I can just add two or three of each and replenish the stash as needed. I know from experience that it's the bandages that will get used more than anything. In hindsight, I could have added a plastic produce bag or an un-lubricated condom to make waterproofing for a bandage, but that didn't occur to me at the time.

This kit fits in the glove box or console cubby with no problem. It could even go in a larger purse or bag with little trouble.

Hopefully this little kit will fill the gap for day trips.