Products Floridians Can’t Live Without!
I was born in Minnesota, so when I moved to Florida when I was 6 years old, I was a bit in shock at the differences in living. It took me my entire childhood, but now I can safely dub myself the queen of Floridian survival. It’s an urban jungle filled with people who aren’t from Florida, insanely hot weather, and bad elderly drivers. It’s a confusing place, so let’s get some products together to make more sense of it.
Sunglasses
This is a must-have for your car. The flat landscape of Florida means that the sun is regularly directly in your eyes for a longer portion of your day. Driving especially requires some sort of protection because of the elderly population on the roads. You need to be able to see if someone is going 25 in a 45, or taking a year to make a right turn. You might need another pair just in case you break the first from frustration.
Flip Flops
The stereotype is true. Floridians LOVE flip flops. The laid back nature of the state, paired with the slower pace of living requires no socks involved ever. It’s too hot to wear regular lace up shoes, and you wouldn’t want sand in them anyway. They’re easy to rinse off before coming inside, which also double as basically water-proof shoes. You never know when you’re going to be ankle deep in rain water, or need hot asphalt barriers.
Umbrella
This segues me nicely into umbrellas. Florida weather is famously unpredictable. It will be sunshine one moment, and black skies with a wall of water the next. Famous for destructive hurricanes, an umbrella should be with the sunglasses in your car at all times. Sort of like some Bi-polar weather prevention kit. Rain is never predictable in Florida, but it’s almost guaranteed to come, especially in the summer.
Zip up Hoodie
REAL Floridians know that just because it’s the sunshine state does NOT mean that it’s never cold or you don’t need warm clothes. Firstly, people underestimate how weak we get to the cold when you live in Florida for a long amount of time. Anything below 70 becomes sweater weather down here, and walking into a cold store can feel like entering the Iditarod race for us. I say zip hoodie because the mornings could be in the 50s and by lunch, it’s 80 again. It’s important to have that layer you can shed, or put back on when you have to enter the ice-cream section at Publix.
Daily Sunscreen
This is serious time. If you’re new to Florida, this isn’t just slathering on white globs for a day at the beach (which is also HIGHLY recommended), but making a daily regimen of applying every morning. People from the north love to boast how they never wear sunscreen up north in the summer so it must be the same, right? NO. Not even a comparison. The sun is so much more intense and it WILL burn you, badly. This isn’t a manly contest like bracing the cold. This is sun literally re-arranging the code in your DNA. Also, you want to visit alligators, not look like one, right?
Cover up
Whether you’re wearing a bathing suit from the beach, or a sports bra from the gym, having a cover up in your car is really useful. Since clothing and lifestyle is really laid back in Florida, people don’t expect you to be dressed to the nines. However, they do expect you to wear shirt and shoes in stores. Similar to the hoodie – you just need that extra coverage before walking into a store. The contrast in temperature and mood is stark, and you should be prepared for it.
What are more things that are a necessity for being in Florida? List yours below!
