Do you want to be better prepared for the ins and outs of daily life?

Are you looking for an easy way to create a customized kit for yourself?

A personal care kit can be quite handy when you’re commuting, traveling, or running errands.

It’s like having a mini-convenience store on hand for all those little things that come up over the course of a day.

The best part about making your own personal care kit is that you can customize and update your kit to your heart’s content.

In this post, I offer a few steps to organize a personal care kit for home, work, or school.

Make a list of regularly used personal care items.

Begin by thinking about your daily, weekly, and monthly routines. What personal care items do you use on a regular basis?

It’s worth considering must-have items, such as medication, as well as small creature comforts, such as hand sanitizer. Go ahead and make a list of items that come to mind.

Another way to create your list is to think about past experiences when a certain item, or items, would have really come in handy.

For example, moleskin or adhesive bandages can be lifesavers when a blister appears on your foot when you’re walking around town. Likewise, a roll of mini-floss can be quite handy after lunch at the office.

Below are a few personal care item ideas to get you started. Remember, you don’t have to include all of these items in your kit; just choose the ones that resonate most with you and your needs:

• Travel toothpaste
• Travel toothbrush
• Toothpicks
• Mini-floss or mini-flossers
• Pain reliever
• Medication
• Mini-sewing kit
• Adhesive bandages
• Moleskine
• Safety pins
• Bobby pins
• Small comb
• Small hairbrush
• Hand sanitizer
• Baby wipes
• Antacid tablets
• Cough drops
• Small mirror
• Tweezers
• Facial tissues
• Eye drops
• Lip balm
• Hand lotion

Locate a suitable container.

Chances are, you’ve probably got at least one container in your home or office that could be used to store personal care items. It’s worth taking a good look through your personal belongings to see what you can come up with.

Check out all the rooms of your home, from the bedroom, bathroom, living room, to the hallway; you never know what you’ll find…and where!

For example, you might have a spare toiletry bag or travel bag in your bedroom or bathroom that you could use. Maybe you have several brand-new cosmetics bags tucked away in your clothes closet.

You might even have an unused, clean, sturdy pencil or pen pouch sitting at your desk. Looking for a truly no-frills solution? In a pinch, you can head to your kitchen for a sturdy zippered kitchen plastic bag.

Go shopping for items.

Think you have to hit to the stores first in order to pick up personal care items for your kit? Think again!

You probably have more personal care items lying around your home than you realize. Put your thinking cap on, and get ready to go on a scavenger hunt throughout your home…

How about uncovering that mini-first aid you picked up at that trade conference last week? What about those leftover travel sized toiletries sitting in your bathroom from your vacation two months ago?

What about all those loose safety pins you’ve been saving in a jar for the past few years? How about all those various sample packs and travel kits you’ve kept in a drawer in your living room or home office?

Once you’ve rounded up your items, you should evaluate everything, one by one. You want to make sure items are in good condition, and that items with expiration dates have not yet expired.

Make a note as to which items made the cut…and which should be trashed. You may need to pick up a few items at the store to supplement your kit, such as a new pack of antacid, or adhesive bandages.

Pack up your kit.

The last step is pack up your personal care item kit. Again, you don’t have to pack everything under the sun, just a few key items that will make your life a little bit easier. You can start by packing up three to five personal care items first, and then add or remove items as needed.

Do keep in mind, you don’t have to pack up an entire batch of personal care items. Just pack up a small amount. So, instead of packing up twenty adhesive bandages, you can simply pack up only two or three in your kit.

Once you’ve created your kit, be sure to stash it away in your purse, backpack, briefcase, gym bag, or laptop bag. If you’re really feeling ambitious, you can create several personal care kits for different bags. Save your personal care item list in a safe place, such as on your computer, or in the pages of your yearly planner.

And finally, make a note in your calendar or schedule to review your personal kit every other week or so to replenish supplies.

How about you? What do you about creating a personal care item kit for yourself? What key items are a must-have in your personal care item kit? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!