72-hour Kit Cash

So for this week we're going to be working on collecting cash for our 72-hour kits. It can be extremely beneficial to have some type of financial reserves during a crisis, especially if you cannot get access to an ATM or bank. We highly suggest getting small bills for your 72-hour kit reserve because an emergency might make it difficult to find change.

Exactly how much you set aside for your 72-hour kit will depend on your family circumstances and what you can afford. Personally, we think a good benchmark would be to have enough to fill up your car with gas plus a small amount of extra for supplemental needs. As with the other areas we've discussed, start small with what you can do right now and add to it as you can.

This is a much shorter post because it's very simple, but it's not any less important, and it still can take time to accumulate enough cash.




Does anyone have any other ideas of where emergency cash could come in handy? Please share!

72-Hour Kit Clothing

Alright, we have officially moved on from medical supplies and are on to clothing! With this section, there is only one week to get everything together for your kits. Now it's not necessary to have multiple outfits available in a 72-hour kit, but it is important to have at least a couple things:

• Socks
• You can't really have too many socks. Especially if it's wet or cold, you may need to wear multiple pairs at once or replace the ones you wear fairly often. These are often very cheap at most stores (they don't have to be fancy), and they can fit into pretty small places.
• Poncho
• This is one of those things where there isn't a reason not to get it. You can find this at many stores from $.50 to $1.00, and they come so small you can fit them in the tightest of spaces. But being able to stay dry during a major storm is priceless.
• Hat or Beanie
• This is important for cold or hot weather. In hot weather, you may prefer a lightweight billed hat that will protect your head and face from the sun without over-heating you. In cold weather, you may prefer a beanie or other hat that reaches down to your ears so you can keep in as much heat as possible. If you don't want to add both at the same time, then when you do a check-up on your 72-hour kits twice a year (which we highly recommend doing at least just to make sure your food and water are still good), then you can switch out which hat you have for each season.
• Shirt and pants
• This may or may not be at the top of everyone's priority list, but having a spare pair of jeans and an old t-shirt could really come in handy. During spring cleaning or simply looking through your closet, find a pair of jeans and a shirt that you haven't worn in a while or that are getting a little old and add them to the kit (they don't have to be new clothes).
• Shoes
• This one is a little trickier since they are so bulky and tend to be heavy, but there can be emergency situations where you don't have enough time to grab durable shoes before leaving the house. There are multiple ways to store these if there isn't room inside your kit. One way is to tie them on the back of your kit (if you're using a backpack or duffel bag) and just let them hang outside. Another way is to just store them right on top of or next to your kit. That way, if you have to grab your kit and go, you will see your shoes and remember to grab them as well. We suggest a pair of sturdy tennis shoes or hiking boots, but make sure that they are not new shoes - you want these to be already broken in by the time an emergency comes around.

There may be some other items you want to add to your kit, but these were just the basic necessities that we thought of. Please comment and let us know if you have any other ideas of clothing items you think would be good for your 72-hour kits!

72-Hour Kit Medical Supplies

Sorry for the slightly late post, but for the next two weeks we will be focusing on getting a first aid kit for our 72-hour kits. There are a lot of different items that you may or may not need, depending on your personal circumstances, so we will add a list of items that we personally think should be considered by most people.

(We understand that some of these items can be a little costly when you add it all up, which is why we are giving two weeks to collect the items. One nice thing about medical supplies is they often come in bulk, so you could team up with other people to divide the items and the cost - I don't think you need a whole bottle of Tylenol for one person for only three days)

• -Prescription Medicine
• Many people don't really think about it, but this is vital for your 72-hour kit. If you take a daily perscription medication, you should be able to find a way to get just three extra days of your prescription, but especially if it's something you can't live without, then make sure you get it in there.
• Contact Solution/Spare Contacts/Spare glasses
• Similar to the prescription medicine, you may not immediately think of this when considering items for a 72-hour kit. However, if you are someone who needs contacts or glasses, this could be life-changing. You never know if an emergency will happen in the middle of the night and you only have time to grab your kit, but if you have pretty bad eyesight (like myself) then you wouldn't be able to last very long without glasses or contacts.
• Tylenol/Advil (some kind of over-the-counter pain relief)
• This may seem small if there is a larger injury, but if you are hurt, any form of pain relief will be welcome. Both Tylenol and Ibuprofen can be found at *Walmart for $7.00 for a 500 count bottle.
• Band-Aids
• You can find a 100 count box of Band-Aids at Walmart for only $4.00
• Hand Sanitizer
• You can usually find a two or three pack at the dollar store. Hand sanitizer can be very helpful if you are stuck somewhere unsanitary but need to eat the food already in your pack.
• Cough Drops
• A bag of 70 can be found at Walmart for $4.00. This may not seem necessary for some, but it could really help out you or a member of your family if an emergency happens when you're already sick (unfortunately most disasters don't wait for you to get healthy)
• Knife/Scissors
• I can name countless reasons to have something that can cut, including freeing someone who is caught and can't move or cutting off material to become a bandage or sling. You can find either at the dollar store.
• Sunscreen/Sunglasses
• You may just save your skin and eyes with this because you can never guarantee that an emergency won't happen in the summer or even just when it's sunny. You can look in the travel section of Walmart for a smaller and cheaper container of sunscreen, and sunglasses can be found at the dollar store.
• Alcohol Wipes/Swabs
• You can find a 50 count of Alcohol prep pads at Walmart for $4.00. Emergency situations are rarely completely sanitary, so an open wound could get pretty intense without something to clean it.

Like I said, there are many other items that you may want or need, but the medical supplies can sometimes be very individualized. So feel free to use these suggestions, and if you can think of any other items that you feel would be important, please comment and let us know!

*I do not think Walmart is the only option for buying these items, nor can I promise that the prices I give will stay the same at your chosen Walmart location. I simply wanted a commonly found store that most often had the cheapest price. If you find any other places that have better deals, please share :)

Water Purifiers for 72-Hour Kits

Now water filters should not replace your 72-hour supply of water - you should still have already drinkable water in your kit. Filters are more often for the purpose of an emergency that lasts more than 3 days, when something happens to your normal drinking water supply that requires it to be filtered. There are many options for water filters or purifiers, and the more sophisticated the filter the more expensive it will be. Here we'll just discuss a couple ways of purifying your water that are quicker and easier for a 72-hour kit:

 One option for a water filter that is not as expensive is the LifeStraw water filter found on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Vestergaard-Frandsen-LifeStraw-Personal-Water-Filter/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1372210582&sr=8-6&keywords=water+purifier). It's about $20, but it doesn't require any preparation, which may be extremely beneficial for those with small children who don't know how to work water filters. Just instruct them to only drink water from the straw and they should be okay.




Also, other items to consider are water purification tablets. Each tablet allows you to purify one pint of water, and it only takes 30-35 minutes. On Amazon.com, you can buy a bottle of 50 tablets for only $6.50. (http://www.amazon.com/Potable-Aqua-Water-Treatment-Tablets/dp/B001949TKS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372642942&sr=8-1&keywords=water+purification+tablets) They are fairly inexpensive, but one thing to consider is that you will need to find a way to measure your water so you have the right proportions.















We will discuss other water filters/purifiers after we have finished our segment on the 72-hour kits, but hopefully these two can give you an idea of some items that may be nice to add to your kit. Good luck on continuing to add the water and other liquids to your kits!