snickerplum Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 If you had 5 minutes to leave your house and could only bring 3 things (let's assume you're home alone, so no need to bring people or pets ;) ), what would you grab? I think it's interesting what people find important. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My phone (pics and phone numbers)... My daughter's box of baby/early childhood photgraphs. My boys are young enough to make tons of new memories of their early childhood, but my daughter is 13 and I would want to have those. My husband's bagged lot of family photographs... they wouldn't be able to be recreated, and they contain pictures of his mother (who passed when DH was only 11), pictures of his parents together, pictures of his grandparents, pictures taken in Italy, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My purse, the med box (assuming I needed that for my kids/husband), and lock box of important papers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My phone, our packet of important documents, and the CD binder that I have a lot of our photos in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXBeth Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Are we assuming this is a fire or something where everything I don't grab will be destroyed? Or will I be having to evacuate the country but friends can gather other things and get them to us later? Either way I'd probably take my purse (has my wallet, phone, and ipad in it), the external hard drive (all our pictures), and most importantly our passports. But in reality, 5 minutes would give me plenty of time to also grab the rest of our important papers, the computer, and some special mementos. If friends could send stuff to us later, I'd leave the hard drive and instead grab the kids' special blankets and toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Shoot, I knew our two rats would become a burden in these hypo situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 small fireproof safe (has all the passports and documents), main desktop computer (just the box) and my purse. But I would stop and throw my meds into my purse on the way out the door because prescriptions are a serious hassle to refill when they aren't due yet. Everything else is just "stuff" and can be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andani Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Almost totally impractical as usual ^_^ My first thoughts were: my wedding ring (which I never wear at home), our only family photo, and (it being winter here) my coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckles Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My purse, binder with all the important papers in it, and the baby scrapbooks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Assuming pets & people are out, I am content to walk out with nothing but would prefer to grab my passport & emergency cash & car keys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 box of important papers (passports, insurance, etc) that also has electronic copies of baby books and photos and computer back ups (updated monthly) although this last also exists off site so not mega important. My son's "dog" who has been his friend since he was 6 weeks old. Wallet. My daughter's medications. I know that's more than allowed, but that's what I'd grab. When we had our earthquakes and it looked like we may have to get out of our house at fairly short notice we made these mental lists and the above is what it came down to. With more time (or cheating, cos it's in the garage not the house) I'd grab the emergency go kit which has a change of clothes for us all, tent, blankets, TP, food for three days, portable gas ring, first aid kit, emergency phone chargers, radio, torches and stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My file of vital documents, my phone, and my photographs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 There is a painting we own that I would take if it were practical to do so. (I mean, I wouldn't take it if it would be impractical to carry or jeopardize our safety in some way. It's not exactly pocket sized.) Our pictures are all backed up and available on the cloud. Again, to the extent that is is feasible, my son's violin and my cello. And of course the important papers, which we have all in one file box that's easy to grab. Most of that stuff though, we also have a digital backup for. I would assume that my wallet and phone are already in my pocket. They are in my pocket all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tanaqui Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My important documents binder My backpack which always has both my kindle and nook in it (that's totally ONE item, just like the binder is ONE item instead of a bajillion pieces of paper with birth certificates and whatnot) My coat (unless we're assuming I'm fully dressed already, shoes and coat and all, in which case I'll say my phone). Though I really ought to have an emergency kit that is stored in my backpack at all times. Hm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Our lock box -- has all our important documents and flash drives that back up all computers and pictures. My purse -- I'd have all the vehicle and house keys, including keys to my mom's house. She's passed away but we haven't sold the house yet. So we'd have a convenient, free place to live if needed. It also has my debit card and two credit cards in it. We'd be able to buy any clothes or other necessities needed to live comfortably w/o worrying about sorting out any financial issues right away. My phone. If it was already in my purse (it lives there a lot during the day) then I'd grab one of the laptops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 If I had only seconds, I'd grab my prepacked "go bag" (a backpack filled with clothes, food, water, and other necessary items to let me be ok if I needed to spend 1-3 days travelling by air or by car; I'd likely be somewhere I could buy additional supplies by then if needed. My go bag also contains a thumb drive with scanned copies of important paperwork and precious photos) out of my closet--and my husband's and my daughter's go bags, sitting beside mine--and get the heck out to wherever I was meeting my family. (And that's also what I'd grab if my daughter was with me--my go bag on my back, hers on my chest, and her hand in mine ... hmm, maybe we should start keeping my husband's go bag in his car so it's always wherever he is, since I'm not sure how I'd carry his, hers, mine, and my daughter ...) If I had a couple minutes, I'd get the passports and cash out of the safe; they're packaged together in a ziploc bag, so it's easy to grab the cash emergency fund and the passports together while ignoring everything else. I'd also get my laptop and stuff it into its travel case, which actually lives in the go bag so that I have time to put it in there, rather than having to take everything out of the go bag in order to make the laptop fit. If I had another couple minutes, I may also get my Kindle ... even if evacuation flights have been arranged, I know from experience it can be a long day sitting at the airport waiting for your turn to board. Yes, we are unusual :) In addition to go bags and a plan to evacuate the house, we have plans to evacuate the country. We keep our cars at least half full of gas at all times, and we've thought through a few different evacuation routes if we needed to leave but couldn't leave by air--which route we used would depend on the nature and location of the threat and what instructions we received from the embassy. But then, we've been through it before. We were not prepared when Egypt suddenly erupted into revolution around us; luckily, we had a day's notice that the embassy was evacuating. That experience taught us that we need to be ready. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 1. Our lockbox with passports, important papers, and things like car titles in it. Oddly enough, everything in this box can be easily replaced so it's odd that I immediately thought of that. 2. backup hard drive that easily unplugs and fits in my purse so we have everything off our computers. 3. Something my mom made. Doesn't matter whether it's a quilt, a sampler, whatever. But I want something she made as those cannot be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 There is a painting we own that I would take if it were practical to do so. (I mean, I wouldn't take it if it would be impractical to carry or jeopardize our safety in some way. It's not exactly pocket sized.) Our pictures are all backed up and available on the cloud. Again, to the extent that is is feasible, my son's violin and my cello. And of course the important papers, which we have all in one file box that's easy to grab. Most of that stuff though, we also have a digital backup for. I would assume that my wallet and phone are already in my pocket. They are in my pocket all day. I have admired that painting, when it was visible in a pic you posted for some other reason. It is beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Assuming everything not taken would be destroyed: My purse- which contains medication, planner, IPad, and my therapeutic items The quilt that the kids and I made for DH The small safe- contains flash drives with photos, all important documents, and savings bonds If I had five minutes I could get more than three things though. I could pick up and be out the door with the three I listed in less than a minute. So if I had five minutes and was not limited to three I would also take: The framed wedding picture of DH and I on the bookshelf Each child's most important stuffed animal The school bag/baskets (seriously, I could load this part into the van alone in one minute because of how I store what we use.) My jewelry bag (contains items passed down from my great grandmothers) The framed embroidery work from my adopted grandmother's home Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have admired that painting, when it was visible in a pic you posted for some other reason. It is beautiful. I got the show announcement in the mail, it was a postcard. That picture was on the front. I looked at my husband and said, I don't care if I eat ramen all summer or the rest the year, we will own this painting. I pinned it to the bulletin board. The night of the opening came and we couldn't make it. We went the next day and everything had sold stickers. Everything. We were very disappointed. And we can't even find this one. Then we start chatting with the artist and she shows us where this one is hanging. no sold sticker or price tag because she wasn't even planning to sell it. She was so taken with our enthusiasm for it that she sold it to us. We paid her on the spot and she delivered it when the show was over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I got the show announcement in the mail, it was a postcard. That picture was on the front. I looked at my husband and said, I don't care if I eat ramen all summer or the rest the year, we will own this painting. I pinned it to the bulletin board. The night of the opening came and we couldn't make it. We went the next day and everything had sold stickers. Everything. We were very disappointed. And we can't even find this one. Then we start chatting with the artist and she shows us where this one is hanging. no sold sticker or price tag because she wasn't even planning to sell it. She was so taken with our enthusiasm for it that she sold it to us. We paid her on the spot and she delivered it when the show was over. It is striking. Each time I've seen it, it's made me pause, enlarge it, and just ... look. And it's even better with the story behind it. It is where it belongs, in your home. So, yes, if you can take it as one of your three items - do it. :) My three items would all be practical - meds, papers, that sort of thing - though everything could be replaced, and I'd walk out with nothing if necessary. If I had to choose three impractical things, it's harder to narrow down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'd grab my purse, which is kind of a cheat because in it I keep... My Kindle wallet My phone backup chargers my backup hard drive with all our family files, photos and rips of every cd we own a first aid kit lip balm backup juice for my ecig Other than that, which counts as 1, I would grab all the kids pill containers and I'd swoop all their extra meds and supplements into the big box of iv meds which I would also have to grab my husband's guitar I can't do it, I would also have to grab dh's dulcimer and ukelele and my kid's laptops dear god, the pressure!!! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 My kids' teddy bears probably, the ones they got from their dad, and the cat. We have AAA so we could get the car keys taken care of no problem. We have scanned copies of all of our documents in the cloud as well and I have a government-issued ID at work to get all that started. Photos are also in the cloud. I need a new passport photo anyway and we have rental insurance. I wish I had a painting like Katie's to save! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I'd grab my purse, which is kind of a cheat because in it I keep... My Kindle wallet My phone backup chargers my backup hard drive with all our family files, photos and rips of every cd we own a first aid kit lip balm backup juice for my ecig Wow! That's not a purse - that's a carry along condo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 What good lists everyone has! One of the items I'd love to take would be the box with the first Christmas ornament DH made for me while we were dating. It's one of those precious items that I'd hate to lose. The box is marked clearly and stored in my closet. Other than that--laptop, phone/purse, cash/passports. We have a few boxes of family photos--those would be hard to lug around. I guess this means I should sort and scan the best of them. I could scoop my good jewelry pretty fast. Books...what would I do without my books....???? Three items might be hard to pull off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Because we live in a small apartment, we have a small storage unit a few miles away where we keep out of season stuff, christmas decorations, camping gear etc. The upside is that in case of a fire or whatever, much expensive gear and sentimental stuff is off site. We should probably also keep emergency backups there of digital and personal papers. Um. I keep our skates and stuff in the car already, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Um, keys, wallet and phone? Then toothbrush and a change of clothes. Sheesh I must be very boring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 I keep my purse in my car so I don't have to grab that. I'm also assuming keys and phone are pocket items and wouldn't count in the 3-item grab. I would take my lockbox, laptop, and all the meds since we're all on some kind of medication. But in reality, I could grab a few more things in 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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