Your Friday Wake-Up Call: How to Pack the Perfect Beach Bag

The first weekend of June means beach time! So now that you've done your full on awesome pedicure courtesy of last Friday's Wake-Up Call and painted your fingernails to match, it's time to pack up and head to the beach. So that you don't forget a thing, here's a list of things that I pack every time I set out for a beach day:

Start with the beach bag. You want something that you don't mind getting sandy, that has a zip or latch so less people are tempted to touch, and something big enough to hold your stuff. You can get them in all kinds of prints and colors, so have fun with it. (Tote, YMI Jeans.)

Pack your sunscreen. Don't forget your sunscreen! Ever! It's best to go with something mostly waterproof, with an SPF of 30 (too low, you may not have enough protection for the day; higher than 30, there's no real benefits, since SPF 30 still protects you for about 10 hours.) Some sunscreens, like Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Sunscreen, have the SPF 30 requirement, disappear well into the skin, and have the added benefit of bug repellent to keep away green heads and mosquitoes.

Bring the camera. You don't want to miss any beach moments! Don't bring your digital camera unless it's waterproof (yes, even if you put it in a plastic bag). Sand and all kinds of things can still get into the lens. Grab a waterproof disposable camera from CVS and go the regular film route, taking pictures and getting them developed. This way, you don't harm your digital camera by exposing it to the elements and you get the added excitement of looking forward to seeing the pictures once they're developed. And if they're not perfect, so what? Imperfect pictures are funny. And it will still cost less than replacing your damaged digital camera.

Grab your sunglasses. Buy a pair with dark lenses, not yellow or lighter tinted ones. Darker lenses protect your eyes better from the sun's rays. Trust me, it's no fun to lay back and tan or nap when you can't shut out the sun.

 You need some tunes. Go grab a cheap clock-radio that takes batteries if you don't already have music on your phone or an mp3 player with small speakers. The beach is just more fun when listening to "Soak Up the Sun" with your friends and ACTUALLY soaking up the sun.

And last but not least....the towel! Oh, the towel. You should actually bring two: One to lay on, and one to dry off with. Make sure they're big and fun printed. You don't have to bring your best towels or anything too fluffy-there's no point if your towel's going to get messed up anyway. You want to have fun, not worry about your 30 dollar towel that you just spilled beer on.

I'm not including the cooler in here, because that's a whole different story! You always need to bring a cooler to the beach with plenty of ice, beers, bottled water to rehydrate, and snacks. Remember to not bring too many super sweet snacks-it will attract those pesky bugs. Bring apples or raisins if you're going the fruit route. Your best bet is a bag of trail mix, some baked potato chips, or crackers. As long as you throw good friends into the mix, you'll have the perfect beach day! :)