5 Things I Never Leave Home Without

While I am not big on rituals, I am a creature of habit.  And whenever I leave the house, there are 5 things that I never leave without.  I don't necessarily leave the house with a purse or a bag.  I don't necessarily even have a wallet or money on me.  But I always have these 5 things.  They are...

A camera.  Actually, this is my sister Dawn's camera but I always have it on me.  I prefer my cameras - tucked safely away in my camera bag - but considering my camera bag weighs a good 35 pounds, it isn't always practical to take out the door with me every time I leave the house.  But this little thing - I can take it anywhere and everywhere.

My sunglasses.  I have a problem with my pupils not contrasting fast enough in bright light.  So, often times you'll find me wearing these babies on gloomy days.  They're dark enough to protect my eyes and prevent me from getting very nasty headaches.

My mobile phone.  It's ironic that I don't leave the house without this since I rarely have it on.  However, I like having it with me in case of an emergency.  Granted, I've never had an emergency that warranted using the mobile phone, but it is one of those just-in-case things.  If you'll notice, my mobile phone is pretty old.  In fact, I still use the one I bought back in 2007.  While I may be technologically savvy in many areas of my life, the mobile phone is not one of those areas I care to be current on.

Lip balm.  I love this stuff.  I'm very particular about my lips, and apparently I'm a bit too vain to live with chapped lips.  I use this stuff daily and, so far, the Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm is the best I've every used (and I've used a lot of different brands).

The most important item in my 5 Things is SPF.  I put it on every morning before I go outside, and I reapply it often.  I am a huge advocate of SPF.  I used to wear SPF 100, but my doctor said it was unnecessary to go that strong.  Plus, the protective layer was also preventing me from absorbing important Vitamin D from the sunshine.  It's probably why I (along with Mum and Dawn) have a problem with our Vitamin D levels.  So, I bumped it down to SPF 70 (and increased our Vitamin D3 supplements) but still always have this stuff on.

I love the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer brand because it is a spray-on SPF (instead of the more traditional lotion or cream) and doesn't stink like perfume like many other brands (the more recent one - and worst smelling - that I tried was Aveeno).  It provides a good, protective layer but should be reapplied often if you sweat a lot or go swimming.

So that is my Top 5.  What about you? What do you always have when you leave the house?