Altoids Survival Kit: Surviving the First Date

This quick guide will show you how to take an Altoids tin and turn it into a potentially life saving item to carry with you on a first date. This kit is useful for those that want all of their essentials in a close neat space. This isn't for people that like carrying a bulky wallet full of business cards you will never use or a purse where you have to search for five minutes just to find chapstick.

So obviously the first thing that you'll have to do would be to find someone who seems interested in you and somehow convince them to go on a date with you. The only tips we have for this process is to just ask the first person you see, or take the easy way out and download a dating app of your choice.

Once you get a date lined up, the next step would be to tailor the items that you will put in the Altoids tin to who your date is. This

• Mint - Because, well, you bought them might as well use them.
• Paper with conversation starters or jokes - For those times where you are nervous and not really sure how to move a conversation along.
• Tissue - This is for the times when the date goes so poorly, that you need to wipe away the tears and push onward.
• Cash - You never know when a credit card will fail you, so it is a good idea to have some extra cash on hand.
• Condom - If the night is going a little too well, better be safe.
• Hand Wipe - You don't want to go into a first date with greasy hands, so use this to wash up before hand and impress your date with your immaculate hands.
• Emergency information - In case you have a medical condition or emergency, it's good practice to have some form of emergency contact information for someone to call. Hopefully nothing goes wrong, because you don't want to scare your date away.
• Scissors - These are for cutting the index cards that you'll create in the next step. Don't cut yourself. That will not be good and your day will most likely be ruined.
• Miscellaneous - Anything else you put in here is personal preference or situational based on the date. I like to take my lucky poker chip with me whenever I feel nervous about an event. For dates where it might be cold you could pack a hand warmer (or two if you aren't selfish).

Note: For the tissue and the cash, it helps to keep them folded with a paper or binder clip and also allows for more room within the tin.

When creating the cards that have the emergency contacts and excellent jokes that you clearly made up and didn't pull off of the internet, the first step you want to take is to acquire two 4x6 (inches of course) index cards. Press the index cards against the top of the closed Altoids tin and press the card down the side of the tin to make a crease line of the shape of the tin. This crease will allow you to cut the index card so it can fit in the top and bottom portions of the tin.

Tip - It may be useful to grab more than just two index cards in case you mess up the first time. Don't worry if you mess up though, it happens to everyone.

The first thing to do when you get your Altoids tin would be to empty out all of the mints and to make sure to clean out all of the mint powder. When packing the mints into the tin, make sure to put them in a small, resealable bag of your choosing so as to not get any mint powder anywhere. It would be extremely unfortunate to have mint powder all of your money and tissues.

Now that you have the index cards snugly tucked into your tin, you can now collect the materials you desire to put inside tin. You don't have to put everything that we listed into the tin and you can also add items, tailor your Altoids tin to your needs. Here is the order in which we put our items in the tin:

1. Condom - it's best to put this in first because it the the largest and most flat item.
2. Hand Wipes - this went in second because it is also a super flat item and allows for more space on top of it.
3. Tissues - if you don't have a paperclip to hold the tissues together, this should go next.
4. Money - put this in after the tissues, however this is roughly the same size as the tissues, so the tissues and money can be interchangeable.
5. Mint - this is the smallest item and can go in last, unless you have other items to put in the survival kit.

The items that are listed above fit very nicely within the tin and there is definitely more room to add extra hand wipes if you are a particularly messy person.

This survival kit should be kept in dry places only. The Altoids tin can close all the way, but water can leak into it, since it is not properly sealed.

Most likely, the best place for you to store this would be in your car somewhere easily accessible. If you decide to leave your car once you arrive to the date location and shake the nerves, take this kit with you as it could save you from a potentially embarrassing situation. If you freeze up in the middle of the date or you realize you forgot to brush your teeth that morning, make the excuse that you have to go to the bathroom and consult the survival kit for your various emergencies.

Note: Based on pure speculation, bringing this kit out in front of your date would probably lower your chance at a second date. Just be smart about how you use this kit during a date and make sure you have fun.