Author Topic: What "cheap insurance" do you have, and when has it saved your ass?  (Read 1762 times)

ketchup

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4323
  • Age: 33
An extra pair of pants at work saved me in a tragic salad dressing accident.
Having a jump-starter battery pack in my trunk saved me last week when I left my lights on overnight like an idiot.

A co-worker was in a car accident (other guy's fault) and lamented that he didn't have a dashcam.  That probably would have made everything simpler for him.

What "cheap insurance" do you have?

Boofinator

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1429
Re: What "cheap insurance" do you have, and when has it saved your ass?
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2018, 03:44:04 PM »
Always keep basic tools, tire plugs, and a 12 V compressor in my car. Saved me (or others) on multiple occasions.

GreenSheep

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1072
Re: What "cheap insurance" do you have, and when has it saved your ass?
« Reply #2 on: December 20, 2018, 05:16:52 PM »
I love this topic! It appeals to my nerdy organizational tendencies!

I rarely go anywhere without food, which keeps me out of more expensive/unhealthy options if I'm delayed in getting home. The stash of not-so-perishables in my car saved me once when I had a flat tire and had to wait for AAA. (Yes, I should know how to change my own tire. I was embarrassed by how fast the AAA guy did it.)

I take a thin, packable-into-its-own-pocket rain coat everywhere -- saves me from impulse umbrella (or, heaven forbid, tourist poncho) purchases.

I keep extra windshield wiper blades in my car (along with the usual emergency gear). (What's that? Why yes, I DO live in the Pacific Northwest. How ever did you guess? And yes, I did have to pull over once and change a floppy wiper blade. That, at least, I know how to do myself.)

My Kindle always has a couple of extra library books on it so I'm not tempted to buy a book in the airport or from Amazon if I'm delayed while traveling.

Bracken_Joy

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8927
  • Location: Oregon
Re: What "cheap insurance" do you have, and when has it saved your ass?
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2018, 05:35:38 PM »
-Jump pack. Has saved others far more than me, but still great to have.
-Work specific: extra scrubs, socks, and old tennis. Nothing like spending a day with shit in your socks and shoes to train that habit! (ahhhhhhh the majestic career of nursing!)
-Truck specific: keep some of our barebones camp gear, like a stove. This came in handy when I got stuck from a freak blizzard a few years back. Could I have survived on cold chili? Certainly. Was this way more pleasant? YES. 
-Bandaids in my wallet. Take up no room or weight basically, but people always manage to mangle themselves around me. Nice to have on hand (so to speak, heh)
-First aid kit (and more importantly, the knowledge to use it). See the aforementioned people's luck near me. It has come in handy on more than one car crash I've driven up on. Not to the 'save a life' degree, but hey, if I can minimize someone's blood loss and the amount of time they're freaking out, I've done some good in the world.
-Super easily digestible candy (smarties are my go-to). Learn to recognize the signs of hypoglycemia guys. More common that you might think. Especially if you're around a college campus and people have been drinking all day.

I keep extra windshield wiper blades in my car (along with the usual emergency gear). (What's that? Why yes, I DO live in the Pacific Northwest. How ever did you guess? And yes, I did have to pull over once and change a floppy wiper blade. That, at least, I know how to do myself.)

That is fucking BRILLIANT and I will be co-opting that immediately. No idea how that never occured to me!

OtherJen

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5267
  • Location: Metro Detroit
Re: What "cheap insurance" do you have, and when has it saved your ass?
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2018, 06:12:55 PM »
I have an autoimmune food intolerance (celiac disease), so I always bring my own meal or snack even if I've been told that it will be accommodated (50% of the time, it isn't).

I also always travel with an ice scraper, snow brush, and small shovel in winter. I love the idea of extra windshield wiper blades and might add those to my winter pack, along with washer fluid.

Husband packed a rechargeable battery-fueled air compressor on our last car camping trip last summer. It came in very handy when the low tire pressure light came on while we were still 30 miles away from the nearest town.