When we purchased Charlie’s car the other day one of the things I didn’t think about checking was to see if it had drink holders for the passengers riding in the back seat because his GMC doesn’t have any.

Low and behold neither does Charlie’s Ford which is for the birds. If your designing a car there should be cup holders in the back seat. A Trash can would be nice as well so we can keep the cars clean.

Another thing I’ve discovered since Charlie has been driving is that cars need places for all the little things we carry around. Phones. Drinks. Loose change. Notebooks. Old CDs. Pens. Things that somehow end up rolling around the floorboard.

And because Charlie’s car doesn’t have cup holders in the back seat, I went looking for something that could help. That’s how I ended up at Walmart looking for items for Charlie’s car.

These were items Charlie didn’t ask for but I decided he needed. At Walmart I found Auto Drive Portable Organizer and a trash can. Thank God David left the auto drive portable organizer in the car because Charlie said he didn’t want either in his car.

If your looking for something like this I purchased ours at the Walmart on Rufe Snow, in the automotive department. And I have to say, I really like this little organizer which I’ve been using on mine and Charlie’s adventures. Even though he says he is going to bring it inside its still in the backseat.

I choose it because its black and I thought Charlie would like it but he said no, because his car is white with grey interior which they didn’t have. Besides back hides dirt and fingerprints so its staying in the car because I’m always using it.

Here is a fun tip about Charlie I’, pretty sure if you put something in front of him and tell him it comes in black, you’ve already won half the battle. Usually. Buttercup. But not this time which surprised me and David.

But the color isn’t the reason I bought it. The compartments are. This organizer has 10 compartments and two cup holders, so there are lots of different ways to use it. It sits between two people in the back seat really nicely.

And because it doesn’t permanently attach to the car, you aren’t stuck with it in one location. You can simply move it. Although, you can use seat belt to keep it from sliding around.

If there are two people riding in the back, it can sit between them. If a third person needs the space, you can move the organizer down onto the floorboard. That’s one of the things I really appreciate about it. It’s portable. It doesn’t have to live in the car.

And it has a retractable handle, which makes that even easier and the handle is made of rubber and doesn’t hurt our hands. You can pick the whole thing up and carry it with you. We’ve already found plenty of things to put inside ours.

There are two cup holders. There’s a place for a phone. There is a compartment that would work for CDs. You can put notebooks inside. And we’ve even been using one of the compartments for loose change.

It’s one of those products where you start looking at it and thinking, I could put this here. And that could go there. And this would fit right there. That’s a good organizer. It also doesn’t take up a lot of space.

And for a smaller car, that’s important. I don’t want an organizer that becomes another thing I have to organize around. This one fits nicely between the seats and can be moved when necessary.

The organizer is also designed to secure with a seat belt, although I haven’t actually tried that feature yet. That’s something I’m going to test. I like knowing that the option is there, especially if you’re carrying drinks or other items and want the organizer secured more firmly.

I’ll be interested to see how well that works in Charlie’s car. Another thing I really like about this particular organizer is that it’s made in the USA. That caught my attention as well as David and Charlie’s.

The Auto Drive Portable Organizer is a Walmart product, and the packaging identifies Auto Drive as a trademark of Walmart Inc. Ours is black, which would also work perfectly for David’s car.

And honestly, if David’s truck were just a little bit bigger inside, I’d probably buy one for him, too. That’s how useful I think it could be. But here’s something else I’ve been thinking about.

You don’t have to use this organizer only in a car. That’s probably one of my favorite things about it. I can see using it in the house. I could put it on my desk and use the compartments for office supplies.

If Charlie keeps fussing with it, I may just bring it inside and claim it for myself! I could also see using it in front of the television. Those two cup holders would be perfect for keeping drinks where they belong while you’re watching TV and there is plenty of spots for the remote controls I always lose.

And if you’re headed outside to the swimming pool, the handle makes it easy to pick up and carry. You could use the compartments for small pool items, sunscreen, notebooks, snacks, or whatever else you need to take along.

That makes this one of those products that can serve more than one purpose. And that’s exactly the kind of thing I like buying. If I’m spending money on something, I want it to be useful.

I want to be able to find more than one way to use it. And I want it to solve a problem. This one solved a very specific problem for us: Charlie needed cup holders and storage in the back seat. His car didn’t have them.

So instead of trying to permanently modify the car, we found something inexpensive that can simply sit where we need it. And when we don’t need it there, we can move it. I also think this could make a really practical gift.

If you know someone who is just starting to drive, this would be a useful little addition to their car. It would also make sense for someone who just purchased a new vehicle and discovered that the back seat doesn’t have enough cup holders or storage.

And because it isn’t limited to the car, I could see it fitting into several of our seasonal gift guides. Back-to-school? Absolutely. End-of-summer? Sure. Halloween gift guide? It could work. Christmas? Definitely. Especially for a new driver.

It’s one of those gifts that isn’t necessarily flashy, but it’s something someone can actually use. And sometimes those are the best gifts. So, would I recommend the Auto Drive Portable Organizer? Yes.

I like that it has ten compartments. I like the two cup holders. I like the phone storage. I like the space for notebooks and CDs. I like that it doesn’t take up much room. I like that it can sit in the back seat or move to the floorboard.

I like the retractable handle. I like that it can be secured with a seat belt. And I really like that it’s made in the USA. Most of all, I like that I bought it to solve one problem and immediately started seeing five or six other ways we could use it.

That’s a pretty good little organizer. Now I just need Charlie to stop fussing with it long enough for me to decide whether I’m keeping it in his car… or bringing it inside for myself. Or should I ask Santa for my own?

Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates