Daily Preparedness

If any of you are like me, Christmas stocking stuffing can be an expensive and often frustrating part of Christmas cheer.  You can spend a great deal of money for little ‘doo-dads’ that are often forgotten too quickly. Instead of meaningless dribble, consider stuffing those pesky stockings with useful items for your 72-hour kit (or Bug Out Bags as some folks call them). These items need not be boring or too terribly practical–make them fun by personalizing them, adding some glitz or mixing in with non-essential items. These ideas also translate well into the small daily gifts of Advent calendars or Hanukkah celebrations. Some ideas to think about include:

• Small flashlights for each bedroom. The best ones have a lanyard or other string attached so that they can hang from a bedpost, out of sight. Find ones in bright, fun colors or the small ultra-bright LED flashlights. There are even ones that you can bend!

• Batteries for those electronic gadgets & flashlights. Consider rechargeable batteries so that you can quit buying batteries every few weeks.

• Waterproof matches and container

• Swiss army knife –there is one available that is the size of a credit card and holds all sorts of cool stuff. Again, they come in lots of bright, fun colors.

• Screwdriver set–a mini set is a great thing to have in each car as well as your 72-hour kit

• Compass or a combination whistle and compass device

• Reflective mirror

• Small toiletries, including a disposable razer, travel sized toothbrush and tooth paste, small soap, shampoo and lotion. Check out the travel section at your local discount store for other items.

• ‘Space’ emergency blanket

• Folding cup

• Camp utensil set and/or ‘mess kit’

• Pocket size survival and/or first aid guide

• Rain poncho

• Hand and/or foot warmers

• Key chain whistle and/or flashlight

• Thermal socks and/or wool mittens/gloves

• A wool ‘watch’ cap–the type used by the military is warm, water repellent and folds compactly.

• Small first aid kit

• Small, purse sized holder for band-aids

• Mini battery operated alarm clock

• Headlamp style flashlight

• ‘Power’ bars

• 100 hour candle

• Water purifying tablets or ’sani straw’ device

• Long shelf life boxed water

• Pocket-sized package of toilet paper and tissues. Some of the dollar stores have them in fun wrappers such as Hello Kitty.

• A Bowie knife with sheath

• Flint and steel

• Small knife sharpener

• Mini first aid primer–check with your local Red Cross or County Extension office for free ones

• CPR mouth shield

• Small card games or other sources of entertainment such as Sudoku books

• Mini sewing kit–you can easily assemble one in an old prescription bottle (be sure to wash it out) or empty 35mm film canister. Include several sharp needles, thread, thread clipper, buttons, a snap and several safety pins

• Travel sized hand sanitizer, hand wipes and disinfectant spray

• Jumper cables

• Small size roll of duct tape. Look for bright colors or fun prints.

• Small roll of heavy twine or rope

You might also consider making mini-kits for each car, the office or your college-bound student.

Check out the camping aisles and see what little goodies might be interesting and helpful. You never know what you might find! You may also find that hunting gear and summer sports equipment is on the clearance rack.

And be sure to save all of that excess hard candy you and your family receive during the holidays. Seal it up tight in a ziploc bag, food saver bag or other air tight container to add to your long-term storage and 72-hour kits.

Whether you have bundled children off to school or are living life child-free, now is a good (and often neglected) time to hit clearance racks. The end of summer and back to school rush is over and the retail leftovers can be great budget savers. Think creatively, as many items marked 75 to 80% off can be re-purposed from their original intent. Beef up your preparedness status while preserving your financial well-being. Just a few tips to guide you:

Don’t forget to look for items in stores that don’t usually carry summer and back to school items. The greatest savings are often found in drug stores, grocery stores and some department stores.

Remember that Christmas is just around the corner. Many school supplies (think markers, magnets, crayons, cute notepads, colorful pencils, specialty pens, stickers, permanent markers, thumb drives) make great stocking stuffers. My grandchildren were thrilled one year when I gave each of them a large package of scotch tape rolls, one of their favorite craft items. The older children also received miniature staplers. Look for socks, fun t-shirts (maybe for pj’s), zippered pouches and organizing boxes.

Don’t forget children’s birthday party gift bags, gifts and activity days.

Many crafters will appreciate organizational tools, art supplies, etc.

Classroom teachers might appreciate a box filled with replacement supplies as a Christmas gift. Glue sticks, liquid glues, markers, white board erasers, stickers, etc. would be welcomed mid-year. Add some chocolate for the teacher and you have that item checked off your holiday ‘to-do’ list.

Accumulate enough art supplies to stock a ‘rainy day’ box. Again, a great gift or stand-by activity for snow days, rainy days or sick days.

Restock your own office supplies and organizational aids.

Check out clearance displays of dorm room ‘necessities’. You will often find over-the-door ironing boards & shoe holders (which can be used in any room to hold a multitude of little things), irons, plastic shoe boxes, folding hampers, under-the-bed storage, small book shelves, decorative items, organizational items of all sorts and sheet sets drastically reduced. Bedding in twin, x-long twin and double sizes are most commonly clearanced.

Don’t forget to stock up for your own gift wrapping supplies, such as tape, labels and markers. Some organizational items will be so inexpensive that they can be turned into gift wrapping. A shelf storage box lined with tissue paper makes a great gift box and a secondary gift.

Think 72-hour kits when you see flip-flops, zippered pouches, hand sanitizer, small notebooks, pencils, tape, markers, thumb drives and even flashlights.

Zippered pouches designed to hold small items in a notebook can be used in your purse, school backpacks, glove compartments, 72-hour kits, junk drawers, suitcases, overnight bags and craft rooms. Their size and transperant fronts make them ideal for organizing small items, while providing protection from dust and moisture.

Fill a zippered pouch with a pencil, your insurance information, a small notepad, a small flashlight, a disposable camera and a permanent marker. Store in your glove compartment. You might want to add a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

Look for kitchen items such as storage containers, food storage bags and even plastic dishes being clearanced out.

Snack and lunch box items packaged with summer or back to school themes may be greatly reduced. Freeze candies for Halloween or Christmas. Baking supplies such as cupcake papers may be reduced.

3×5 cards can be used for note taking, but also for labeling storage containers, recording important information for backpacks, glove compartments & 72-hour kits.

Use a thumb drive to record medical history, contact information, allergies, etc and attach it to your keyring. This can be a life-saver if you have significant allergies or other medical complications. Mark the thumb drive with a large red cross so that emergency personnel will notice it.

Purchase your family’s summer clothes for next year now. Don’t forget swimsuits, floaties, goggles, etc. Store them in a box clearly labeled and you’ll have a head start on next year. In many climates, ’summer’ clothes can extend well into fall. Don’t forget basic items such as underwear, socks, etc.

Office supply stores may clear out their specially packaged CD-R’s, DVD-R’s and other computer-related items.

Have fun shopping the clearance racks and look forward to the cooler days of autumn!

Christmas stockings are an ideal opportunity to stick in some items for your 72 hour kit or for general household preparedness. If you celebrate Hanukkah, incorporate some of these items into the nightly gifts! Most of these gifts can be found in the camping section of your local discount store. You may still be able to find some on clearance from the autumn camping and hunting season.  Here are some ideas (of course consider the appropriateness of the item in relation to the gift recipient’s age):

• Small flashlights for each bedroom. The best ones have a lanyard or other string attached so that they can hang from a bedpost, out of sight.

• Batteries for those electronic gadgets

• Waterproof matches and container

• Swiss army knife –there is one available that is the size of a credit card and holds all sorts of cool stuff

• Screwdriver set–a mini set is a great thing to have in each car as well as your 72-hour kit

• Compass or a combination whistle and compass device

• Reflective mirror

• Small toiletries, including a disposable razer, travel sized toothbrush and tooth paste, small soap, shampoo and lotion. Check out the travel section at your local discount store for other items.

• ‘Space’ emergency blanket

• Folding cup

• Camp utensil set and/or ‘mess kit’

• Pocket size survival guide

• Rain poncho

• Hand and/or foot warmers

• Key chain whistle and/or flashlight

• Thermal socks and/or wool mittens/gloves

• A wool ‘watch’ cap–the type used by the military is warm, water repellent and folds compactly.

• Small first aid kit

• Small, purse sized holder for band-aids

• Mini battery operated alarm clock

• Headlamp style flashlight

• ‘Power’ bars

• 100 hour candle

• Water purifying tablets or ’sani straw’ device

• Long shelf life boxed water

• Pocket-sized package of toilet paper and tissues

• A Bowie knife with sheath

• Flint and steel

• Small knife sharpener

• Mini first aid primer–check with your local Red Cross or County Extension office for free ones

• CPR mouth shield

• Small card games or other sources of entertainment such as Sudoku books

• Mini sewing kit–you can easily assemble one in an old prescription bottle or empty 35mm film canister. Include several sharp needles, thread, thread clipper, buttons, a snap and several safety pins

• Travel sized hand sanitizer, hand wipes and disinfectant spray

• Jumper cables

• Small size roll of duct tape

• Small roll of heavy twine or rope

Check out the camping aisles and see what little goodies might be interesting and helpful. You never know what you might find!

And be sure to save all of that excess hard candy you and your family receive during the holidays. Seal it up tight in a ziploc bag, food saver bag or other air tight container to add to your long-term storage and 72-hour kits.

<!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;}