Money Saving Tip: Don't Use Your Car's Roof as a Desk

Here's a money saving tip that I've been meaning to share for the past six months or so:

Don't use your car's roof as a desk.

What do I mean? Have you ever been getting ready for a trip and placed something on the roof of your car for "just a second" while you take care of something else?

Or have you ever gone out for fast food and placed the bag on top of the car while you get everything else in?

Or have you stopped for gas, bought a soda, and put it on the roof while you finished pumping?

If you have, there's probably been at least once in your life that you've forgotten that you had something on your roof and have driven off -- saying bye-bye to whatever was placed on your "desk top" (er, roof). ;-)

Unfortunately, I use my car's roof as a desk ALL THE TIME. I'm a cyclist, so I'm constantly putting keys, bike gloves, a helmet, etc. on the roof while I tend to something else. In almost all cases, I remember to take the item off.

One time this past summer, I forgot. I was getting ready for a business trip and in the midst of rushing around, I put the 10-disc book on CD set I had borrowed from the library on the top of my car. I finished packing, got into the car, and took off. Twenty minutes down the road, I started looking for the CD set, couldn't find it, and realized what had happened. I called my wife and she drove around and looked for it -- all for naught.

The good news was that someone found it and returned it to the library. The bad news was that someone (or a few people) had run over it a few times before it was turned in. Most of the CDs were broken and the case was crushed. Even worse, it was a "special library version" so while I could have purchased the "normal" book on CD for $20, the "special library version" was $50. Yep, you guessed it, I had to fork over the $50 to the library. Yuck!

So this money saving tip may seem weak to some of you, but if I had listened to it, I'd be $50 richer now. Too bad I didn't drive off with just a Big Mac and fries. ;-)

How about you? Have you ever driven off with something on the top of your car? What was the result?

Comments

[kassy]

I did this just once and learned my lesson well. I had set some papers, including my paycheck, on top of my car. I saw them all blowing away in my rearview mirror as I drove down the street. I was able to pull over immediately and tried catching everything. A very nice person who was driving by also stopped and helped me chase. We managed to catch up with everything thank goodness and I don't put anything on my car roof anymore.

[Linda]

I learned the hard way about putting items on the roof, too. Now if I have to set something on the car I put it on the driver's side hood. It's impossible to drive away when your stuff is blocking your view of the road.

[Adam]

I've never had problems forgetting, but it's usually a cup of coffee I set up there while I'm getting my keys ready, and there's no way I would forget a nice hot cup of coffee :) One thing to point out, the ground really isn't a good place either. I knew a woman who set her bags down while they were loading up the van, and ended up backup over her laptop.

[Gary Ashton]

I'm not sure why but this is the sort of thing I do....leave a cup of coffee on the roof...drive off...realize then....make a mental note to never do that again!

However...just recently I put phone on the hood (bonnet to us Brits) drove around a neigbourhood...and found my phone still there when I was frantically search for it...only because some one called me...it was stuck thankgoodness and no harm done.

I promise not to do this again...until next time ;)

[Diana]

Never had this problem, because I am too short to put stuff on top of the car! I have put stuff on the hood/top of the trunk, but these spots are relatively easy to see once I'm in the driver's seat.