Classroom Emergency Kits

Earlier this week, I received an email from the principal of my children's elementary school about emergency preparedness kits that the school district is trying to assemble. Their goal is to have a kit in each classroom in case of natural disasters or school lock downs.

I hate the idea of my kids being away from me during one of these instances, but I love that they will now have some things that will help them to be safe.

The items that they asked for help in collecting:

• 15 foot length of nylon cord

• A tarp approximately 6 foot by 8 foot

• Toilet paper or baby wipes

• A flashlight with batteries

• A case of bottled water

• Some food items (hard candy, granola bars, or other single serving non-perishable food item)

• A bottle of hand sanitizer

• Small role of duct tape

• Some feminine hygiene products (for the female students in the older grades).

As a family, we made our way to the store to purchase some items. Right now I only have two children in school, but that means two classrooms so I wanted to do what I could to help.

For under $25 we purchased everything for ONE classroom kit (minus feminine products). The most expensive thing we bought was the nylon rope which was about $7, but it was 50 feet so they will be able to cut that down and use it for 3 kits.

This might not be a simple task for the people organizing the collection of these items, but it wasn't hard for me to spend a little time and a little money to help the teachers and kids in our area be more prepared.

Power outage tips for cell phones

Photo courtesy of Anasalialmalla on Wikipedia Commons.

Today almost everyone has a cell phone and honestly, most of us DEPEND on our cell phones. Just recently I left my phone at home while taking my little kids to story time at the library. I was a little frustrated.

First of all, I use my phone to know what time it is. I felt a little lost without my clock and my alarms. (I love my phone alarms.)

Also, my husband and I try to text or call each other a couple times a day and I knew that if he called my cell and I didn't answer and he called home and I didn't answer, he would get worried. If you think about how life was 20 years ago (when the "brick" phone pictured above was common) or even just 10 years ago this would sound silly, but today we rely so much on our phones that we panic when we can't get ahold of each other.

Most importantly, my two older boys call my cell phone from school if they need anything. I would hate for my kids to not be able to get in touch with me. Sure, my husband's cell phone is written down in their file somewhere, but I want them to always know that mom is just a phone call away. Sound silly? Maybe. But I would hate for a sick or sad boy to have a hard time getting in touch with his mommy.

Luckily, I was at the library with my friend so I send my husband a message so he would know I was without my cell phone and that made me feel a bit better.

SO, what's the point??? Well, it got me thinking a little bit about how much we need/want our phones and how emergencies, or even a simple power outage can cause problems.

Here are some ideas to help:

1. Try to keep your phone charged. This seems obviously, but in all reality we let our phones get so close to dying sometimes, right? Maybe starting the habit of plugging them in every night would help to keep the battery charged.

2. Buy an extra battery. There are places online (like Amazon) where you can find batteries for less than $10. Even if you have to spend a little more, it could be an important addition to your 72-hour kit.

3. Keep your laptop charged. Many charges now come with USB cords. With these you can plug your cell phone into a charged laptop and use that battery to charge your cell battery.

4. Use your car charger. During a power outage, your car can be a great resource. You can use your car charger to keep your phone charged.

5. Solar powered chargers. This is one thing I need to learn more about. There are solar powered charges for regular batteries and for electronics.

6. Text instead of call.

7. For Smart phones, turn on notifications, turn down your brightness, turn off Wi-Fi and/or put your phone on "Airplane mode."

On another note, there may be situations where you cannot use your cell phone. In these cases, it would be useful to have a list of important phone numbers. You can even make a Contact Card. You can have a list of phone numbers in your Emergency binder or even on the fridge.

72-hour kit: Radio

In case of a natural disaster or other emergency in your area, the only way to get information may be through a radio.

There are many different types of radios, from battery-powered to hand-crack radios. Whichever you prefer, make sure you know how to use it and have extra batteries if necessary.



This is step 7 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

3-month supply: Water

Water is ESSENTIAL no matter what your level of preparedness.

It is recommended to have one gallon of water, per person, per day, for drinking and sanitation purposes.

Don't stress. Start small.

It is recommended to store a 2 weeks supply of water. That's 14 gallons per person.

For drinking water, you want to store your water in food-grade plastic containers. There are a lot of options out there from containers that hold a few gallons of water to 30 gallons.

 

Water bottles are a great way to store drinking water too.

 

For washing water you don't have to be as picky. I refill plastic soda bottles and old laundry soap jugs. These need to be rotated more often that the food-grade plastic but making a habit of refilling these bottles will make it easy to increase your water supply without a lot of extra thought and expense.

With my water storage, I separate what is stored for home use and what I would need if we had to leave home.

 

It's a great idea to keep a pack of water bottles in the car at all times. Not only will you have some water in case of an emergency, but they are convenient to have for trips or even just to cool off after playing at the park.

 

When thinking of water storage, you will also want to remember including water in your 72-hour kit. I also have a small, rolling suitcase filled with water bottles which is stored with my 72-hour kit bags. It's heavy but I could fit it in the car or roll it behind me, depending on which mode of transportation I would be using in an emergency.

 

 

A light addition for your 72-hour kits could be a water purifier bottle. It may not be realistic to have 3 gallons of water in each person's kit if you have to leave your car and go somewhere on foot. These may seem a little pricey, but most can filter just about everything out of the water and will sometimes safely filter 20-30 gallons of water before the filter needs to be thrown out.

Another item that you might want to store when thinking of water storage is BLEACH. Adding a tiny bit of bleach to some questionable water will help kill off bacteria that might be growing. Boiling water is another way to clean questionable water, but in some emergencies you may not have a way to boil your water.

 

 

Important: Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight. Do not store plastic on cement.

Here's a great link to FEMA for more information: Water

Good post from PreparedLDSFamily: How to Store Emergency Drinking Water

And LDS.org: Drinking Water Guidelines

This is step 1 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

Confessions of a cheap skate

Actually, I just looked up the definition of "cheap skate" and it says someone who is stingy and miserly. I may or may not fit that description, depending on the day.

Maybe I'm more of a penny pincher?

Maybe somewhere in-between?

Anyway, I confess. I want good deals, I don't want to waste things and I get a little crabby when this doesn't happen. Holy cow, I am a cheap skate.

Here's some examples:

1. I started using foam soap after my third child was potty trained. Tired of wasting SO MUCH soap.

2. I make my own laundry soap, window cleaner, and wood polish.

3. Although I love to support local grocery stores and usually purchase produce and meat there, I almost refuse to by items such as medicine, bags of candy or toiletries anywhere but Wal-Mart or Amazon.

4. Speaking of Amazon, I send a lot of energy getting the best deals on toilet paper and diapers.

5. I have a yearly budget spreadsheet, a monthly budget spreadsheet and Quicken (computer program that I use instead of a checkbook register). I enter each expense or income into each of these. (Note: This DOES NOT mean I keep my budget. It means that I know where every penny goes.) This insane way of keeping track of everything really does help me to know how much I need to put in savings or if we are going to be able to add a new bill or not long term.) Click HERE for a post on finances.

6. I wash my plastic baggies at least once so I can reuse them, with the exception of baggies that contained raw meat.

7. I print almost everything out on fast speed and gray scale.

8. I save almost EVERY piece of clothing from my older kids, even jeans with holes. This has helped me keep my clothing budget low as we have continued to have children.

9. I often shop at thrift stores, mostly for jeans for my kids. I love finding a name brand pair of jeans for $3 or $4!!

10. I purchase generic brands as a general rule. There are a few exceptions that I buy name brands like, corn syrup, hot dogs, bacon... and I'm sure there are a few more but I can't think of any.

OK, I'll finish this off. I could probably go on forever. Here's one more and I have paid a severe price because of this one.

11. Expired foods don't scare me. Lots of foods, especially canned items, can be consumed long after their printed expiration date. There is even a cool website with more realistic shelf life estimates (click HERE). BUT, recently this got the best of me.

Short version: We use a lot of sour cream, but for some reason we had a container that was expired. I had used it only a few days before after smelling it and looking for any sign that it had turned without a problem. Then one day I added it to a taco (luckily no one else in the house wanted any that night) and I had food poisoning within a few hours and was sicker than I have ever been. Not cool.

But will that scare me into throwing away food that is past it's date? No way!

I will, however, be more careful, especially with dairy products.

There you are. My confession and a glimpse into my strange way of thinking.

Please share anything you do that might be similar so I won't feel so alone. :)

Prepared?

For those of you who have paid attention to this blog, you know that I have been a slacker.

Correction: I had a baby. Now I have 5 kids under 8 years of age. I am not a slacker, I am busy.

I thought I was prepared for a baby. I thought I had my meals organized and my house ready. I thought I had enough blog posts written ahead of time to get through the initial transition into a family of 7.

I was wrong. I wasn't prepared for this.

It's getting better, but I don't feel like I have a lot of time for "extra" stuff.

BUT, two of my kids will be in school soon and we will have our routine back. Although I am sad to not have all my kids with me all day, the school year gives me a chance to get some things done during the day that I can't do in the summer.

So give me a few weeks and I will be back...at least for the maybe three people who even read this blog. Haha. At least it will help me get back on track with my own preparedness stuff.

72-hour kit: Can opener

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

 

 

As far as 72-hour kits go, I try not to pack any food that requires a can opener, so I personally do not need a can opener in my kit.

However, I think that it is VERY important to have an extra can opener available in your home. So much of what we store is canned food, so it seems only practical to have an extra opener around...maybe even two...or three.

Last year, our can opener died. The gear thing bent and it was toast...and it was Sunday...and I was in the middle of making dinner...and I needed a can of pineapple.

So off to the neighbors I went. It only took 4 doors until I found one. It was totally embarrassing.

The next day we went out and bought TWO can openers.

 

Today I am back down to ONE...and it's not even one of the two I bought last year. I need to add a can opener to my next shopping list for sure.

This is step 6 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

See right side of blog for additional steps.

Shelf Life website

I recently found this awesome website called Still Tasty. On this site you can search different foods and it will tell you how long this food will last on the shelf, in the refrigerator or in the freezer. Manufacturer's expiration dates are very conservative and you can almost always use food items after their printed dates. This website often mentions this and I can say for a fact that I have used "expired" items dozens of times without any issues.

For example, I searched "eggs" on the site. First it comes up with all kinds of options such as "eggs-cooked, hard boiled" or "eggs: scrambled, poached, fried, omelets, frittatas-cooked leftovers."

I selected: "eggs: fresh, raw, in the shell." It states that eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 weeks. It also recommends storing eggs in the carton from the store and not in the door, which is warmer than the main part of the fridge.

The site also states that you can freeze eggs for up to a year, but first you crack the eggs, mix them with a little salt or sugar (depending on what you plan to use them for) and place them in an airtight container or freezer bag.

Interesting stuff, huh? So this site might be my new best friend...or at least a great resource when it comes to storing food for short- or long-term use.

This site can also be a great resource with your meal planning because you can check on the shelf life of foods you might be using in the next few weeks and decide how much of one item you might want to buy at once. I love buying things on sale or in bulk, so knowing the right way to store extra food is very valuable to me.

72-hour kit: Flashlights

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

 

Every 72-hour kit should include a flashlight AND batteries.

Do not keep the batteries in the flashlight while it is being stored.

Having head-lamp type flashlights are a great idea considering you may have your hands full in an emergency.

 

A flashlight in your car is also very important, as well has having one or two around the house in case of a power-outage. For Christmas we received a cool flashlight that charges in a power outlet. It's small and the kids love to use it when they want to search for something under the couch or something. And I love it because they aren't wasting batteries. I think I need to get more of these, at least one for each level of the house.

 

 

 

This is step 5 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

See right side of blog for additional steps.

3-month supply: Paper goods

It's been almost a year and a half and we are finally on the last category for building our 3-month supply!!

 

Don't worry, we're going to start over again. We always need reminders and new ideas. Plus, who has been able to collect their entire 3-month supply in the last year??

 

Anyone?

 

Not me.

 

I am a lot closer than I was before I started this blog, but I still have lots to do.

 

For example: I need LOTS more meat and I am planning on canning some chicken very soon, but I am due with baby #5 on May 16th, so it doesn't really sound fun to spend hours in the kitchen with a pressure cooker. My mom may come hang out with us next week so maybe we'll do it then. If not, I will have lots of frozen chicken for a while.

 

Another thing I am dealing with is space. I need to put a few shelves up in my storage room, which shouldn't be hard, but again, I am WAY prego and although I want it done it's not a top priority. I mainly need room for toilet paper. Sounds funny, I know, but I don't want to store TP on my heavy-duty shelves and I have been stocking up on TP a lot lately. There have been some great deals on Amazon lately...plus, I have 3 boys who don't seem to understand how precious that roll of paper is and it seems like we go through a roll a day!!!

 

I'm rambling.

 

Let's talk about our 3-month supply of PAPER GOODS!!!

 

Like a few other things we've talked about, this area is not the most crucial, so I wouldn't go out and buy a ton of paper goods if you don't have your basics. BUT, paper goods can make life SO much easy. Accumulating a little at a time and watching for sales can help you to eventually have quite a supply.

 

First, you make a list of what you use. Here's my list:

 

Paper towels

Paper plates

Paper bowls

Paper cups

Napkins

Plastic utensils

Freezer bags

Plastic wrap

Aluminum foil

Wax paper

Parchment paper (a splurge, but way nice for baking)

Freezer paper (I wrap all of my beef in freezer paper! One roll has lasted more than a year!)

 

 

Then, you decide how much to store of each item.

 

As a general rule with most things I want to store, I plan on having ONE extra on hand. That means one unopened box or container. Once I need to open it, I try to replace it with a new EXTRA. This way I always have one available.

 

This rule is good for most paper goods. I try to have one extra of all of the above. (Obviously, this doesn't mean one extra roll of paper towels, but a PACK of paper towels.

 

As far as prices go, these kind of items are hand to compare. There are so many types and you may prefer a particular brand. I usually go generic and buy the cheapest thing at Wal-Mart or one of the big warehouse stores. These stores are almost always cheaper than local grocery stores when it comes to paper goods. But buy what you will use, because this storage is not only for emergencies, but mainly for your every day use.

 

Remember:

 

Make a list

Decide how much you need

Watch for deals

Rotate!

 

Spring Cleaning

I recently came across this awesome Spring Cleaning Checklist on Studio 5's website (it's a TV show that broadcasts out of Salt Lake City).

Besides being SUPER CUTE, this checklist is really thorough and gives specific suggestions with each point. For example, it suggests that you not only empty your trash can in your bedroom, but you also CLEAN it. I clean my kitchen trash can semi-regularly but I haven't ever thought about cleaning my smaller trash cans. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this list!

Happy Spring cleaning!!!

Family Emergency Plan: Contact Cards

No one really likes to think about this kind of stuff, but ask yourself this:

How will you contact your family members in case of an emergency?

During the day, you might be at work, your spouse might be at work, your kids at school, etc. If you can't use your cell phone or if it is dead, do you know the numbers for your spouse's work or your kid's school?

FEMA suggests that you made a contact card for each family member which includes home, work, cell phone numbers as well as doctor's information and emergency contact numbers. Adults can store these cards in their wallets or purses. (Sometimes we take for granted that we have everyone's numbers in our cell phones, but if your phone battery dies and you can't charge it, you will want this contact information.) You can place cards in your school-aged child's backpack.

Click HERE for a printable PDF with contact card information as well as a brief family plan created by FEMA.

Click HERE for a printable PDF for a child's contact card created by FEMA.

Family Emergency Plan

So, you have your 72-hour kits all ready? (Maybe) Now what?

At my house lately, my 4-year old and 6-year old keep trying to sneak into their kits to eat their food. It has made me realize that we haven't talked about a Family Emergency Plan for a while.

Here are some tips:

Decide what kind of disasters could happen in your area?

You don't have to get too creative, just think of the basics: Fire, flood, earthquake, chemical spill (if you live near a major highway or interstate), etc.

If you live somewhere that is prone to flooding, look into purchasing flood insurance. Remember, homeowners insurance does not cover flooding.

This can be an important fact, especially in determining where you would meet the rest of your family or if you would need to stay home. For example, if your house is on fire, you would want a meeting place in your neighborhood. If there is a community-wide issue where they call for evacuation, you may have a different meeting place.

Create a basic emergency plan and discuss it as a family.

Click HERE for a printable PDF with a brief family plan created by FEMA as well as contact card information.

Microsoft also has a template (click HERE) you can download to fill out information on your family emergency plan.

Each of these templates ask you to record basic contact information, information on each family member, medical information. The Microsoft template also has an area to record insurance policy information and information on your family meeting places.

Where would you go if you needed to evacuate? And how would you get there is the main route was not an option?

I like to keep my gas tank at least half full all the time...partially so I don't have to fork out so much cash at one time, but MOSTLY because in case of an emergency or an evacuation, I can get somewhere without having to get gas. I am lucky enough to have parents who live about 3 hours south of me, which gives me somewhere close to travel to if my town was evacuated. I could also go 4 hours north to my brother. I have thought of this many times. What I don't know is how I would get to either place if the interstate was closed.

Check with for information on emergency procedures at places your family spends the most time, such as school, work, daycare, church, and extra-curricular activities like sports.

Get involved in your community.

Check with your community to see if there is a local emergency plan in place. For example, some communities have a Reverse 911 system where you can be contacted by text in case of an emergency. Some schools may also have a similar program in place. (After the shooting at the school in Connecticut, our kids' elementary school had those who wanted to participate to give their cell phone numbers to the principal who set it up so that he can send us a mass text in case of an emergency at the school.)

Some other things you might want to think of...

Smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.

Taking a CPR class or certification.

Making an Emergency Binder and copies to keep out of town.

Inventory of belongings, either video taped or written.

Emergency cash.

For more information:

http://www.disastercenter.com/guide/family.htm

http://www.ready.gov/

72-hour kit: Medication

Medicine is an important part of any emergency kit. Storing over-the-counter medications like Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen may be useful if you are away from home or if you are unable to go to a store for a period of time. If you have children at home, you should store appropriate medicine for them as well.

I store a bottle of each medicine in my kit. When I run out of one in my medicine cupboard, I get the bottle out of my kit. Then I buy a new one for the 72-hour kit. It has been helpful to have these extra medicines handy when I am unexpectedly run out and one of my kids is sick.

If you or a family member has a specific medical need that makes it necessary to take medication regularly, this medication is extremely important to have an emergency. My husband takes medicine weekly, along with daily vitamins. I store at least 3 days worth of the needed medication, one week's worth for the weekly meds. You may need to have a plan for medications that need to be refrigerated, if needed.

I use an old medicine bottle with a child-proof lid for the pills we need to keep my kids safe. I also have a card with each medicine and vitamin labeled.

I place the medicine in a small plastic bag, wrap it with packing tape, and label it with the date so I know when I need to rotate it.

This medication has also come in handy when we have had miscommunication between the doctor's office and the pharmacy.


This is step 4 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

Previous Steps...
Step 3: Clothing
Step 2: Food
Step 1: Water

3-month supply: Baking Items & Spices

Let's talk about a 3-month supply of baking items and spices!!!

 

 

If you've read many of my previous posts, you know that I love having extras on hand. Even if I weren't trying to slowly build up my own 3-month supply, I think would have extras on hand when possible.

 

Here's an example of when I failed.

 

In February, my mother-in-law came to visit. We only see her a couple of times a year so these visits are extra special. We try to make yummy food or take her out to local places we love. We also eat a lot of desserts when she's here. (OK, I kinda like to bake so I have desserts at my house a lot.)

 

One day during her visit we decided to try a molten chocolate cake concoction. We were planning on making two square pans, but I only had enough baking cocoa for one. BUMMER!

 

Actually, one pan was PLENTY so it was OK, but the point of my story is that we couldn't do what we wanted to do without making a visit to the store...and I hate going to the store for only one item. Having an extra container of cocoa on hand would have been the most convenient solution.

 

OK, so....what are some of the baking items you use? Remember that oils, flour and sugars are included elsewhere in your 3-month supply.

 

So the first step is to make a LIST of what you use. Here's my list:

 

Salt

Baking powder

Baking soda

Yeast

Vanilla

Cooking spray

Cornstarch

Baking cocoa

Chocolate chips

Lemon juice

Vinegar

 

The next step is to decide HOW MUCH to store. The best way to start is to simply have one extra container on hand at all times. When you open that one, make sure to replace it with a new one. This is a good way to keep variety in your storage. Once you have that habit established, you can move on to storing more.

 

Here's some more information on each item to help you decide how much to store for your family:

 

Salt- The basic 26 oz. container is good for 4 people for 3-months. Unopened salt canisters have an indefinite shelf life AND salt is CHEAP. You can get a 26 oz. canister for less than $.50!!

Baking powder- The standard 8 oz. is probably enough for 2 people for 3-months. As far as shelf life, baking powder is usually good for 18 months (although I have a large canister that I've had for a couple of years and it's still good). A good price for an 8 oz. container is about $1.25.

Baking soda- A 16 oz. box is good for 4 people for 3-months. You can also purchase baking soda is large bags. (And remember, it's not only for baking. Click HERE.) Soda's shelf life is about 2 years. A good price for a 16 oz. box is about $.70.

Yeast- 3 oz. per person. Yeast is good on the shelf for about one year, but can last up to 5 years in the freezer. At a warehouse type store you can get 16 ounces of yeast for about $2.

Vanilla- About 4 oz. per person. That's 4 of the small containers. REAL vanilla has an indefinite shelf life, while imitation vanilla stores for about 4 years. At a warehouse store, you can get vanilla for about $.44 per oz. WAY better than any prices at the grocery store.

Cooking spray- Bottles are usually 6-8 oz. That's good for 2 people for 3-months. Cooking spray lasts from 12-18 months. A good price for spray is about $3.50 per can.

Cornstarch- The standard 16 oz. box is good for 4 people. Cornstarch also has an indefinite shelf life. You can find a 16 oz. box for about $1.30.

Baking cocoa- The standard 8 oz. container is good for 2 people for 3-months. Unopened cocoa can store indefinitely. A good price for cocoa is about $.26 per oz.

Chocolate chips- One 12 oz. pack for each person. These can be frozen to extend their shelf life and run about $3 each lately, about $.25 per oz. The big packs at the warehouse stores are definitely the best options, price wise, at about $.15 per oz but watch for sales at your local grocery store. (One magical day YEARS AGO I got packs for $.50 each!)

Lemon juice and vinegar are not really baking items, but more like cooking items. However, this is the list I included them on for some reason. Both can be used for many other purposes, like cleaning, so you might want to buy the big bottles. Lemon juice is good for about 18 months unopened and about 6 months opened in the fridge. Vinegar lasts indefinitely if stored properly! Both are cheapest at the warehouse stores.

 

And here's my list of herbs & spices that I use often:

 

CINNAMON

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Oregano

Basil

Chili powder

Black pepper

 

The thing about herbs & spices is that they lose potency over time, so you don't want to store them for TOO long. In fact, I don't store extras of these spices, but I do try to get a new container when I have about half a container's worth. (Except for cinnamon. I either have a big one from Sam's Club or several smaller ones on hand.) Does that make sense?

 

 

As you can see from the prices and the shelf life, baking items can actually be a pretty easy area to store. $10-20 will go A LONG WAY with these items! (Herbs and spices, not so much.)

 

Remember:

 

Make a list

Decide how much

Watch for deals

Rotate!

 

 

More Homemade Household Cleaners

So we've talked about Homemade Laundry Soap and Making Your Own Foam Soap, so I thought I'd mention a few other cheap and easy ways to make your own household cleaners.

For mirrors and windows, I use the following:

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 cup water

1 T vinegar

Mix ingredients into empty spray bottle.

That's it.

And I really like it. It doesn't streak and it cleans really well. Rubbing alcohol is a great sterilizer and vinegar disinfects and deodorizes as well as removed mildew and grease.

Speaking of grease, one great way to clean greasy areas of your home, like a stove top, is by using 1/4 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup vinegar. The soda not only deodorizes, but it works as a mild abrasive that helps when scrubbing a surface without scratching. This combination will leave a white residue, but can be wiped off with a damp cloth.

One more: Wood Polish!

Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice and a few drops of olive oil.

Apply onto wood with soft cloth.

Love using this on my piano. It makes it shine and it smells yummy too!

For more information and recipes, click HERE to see my handout.

72-hour kit: Clothing

As far as clothing goes this is what I recommend for EACH family member:

1 shirt
1 pair of jeans (I use old, holey ones)
1 pair socks
1 pair of underwear (or 12-16 diapers for baby...and don't forget wipes!)
1 sweater
1 pair shoes

You can get clothing from your local thrift store. I save ALL my boys' clothes, so most of the stuff is used from their older brother. For my daughter, I have some pajamas that are the size bigger than she is currently in.

In the image above, I had all the clothing in a large, rolling suitcase. Since I took that photo, I have made separate kits for each member of the family. Do what works for you.

I also have a set of clothing in the car for each of my children, as well as a bunch of diapers and wipes. There have been MANY times that I have needed a new pair of underwear and pants for one of my kids who got in mud or had an accident while at a friend's house or even out doing errands.


While you're thinking of clothing for you 72-hour kits, you may want to consider the following items as well:

Ponchos
Blankets
Work gloves
Hats

This is Step 3 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

Previous Steps...
Step 2: Food
Step 1: Water

Homemade laundry soap

For the last TWO years, I have not bought laundry soap. I make my own. It is easy, it's fun (in a nerdy way) and it's CHEAP!

Here's the "recipe" I use:

 

 

 

Homemade Laundry Soap

1 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated       

1/2 to 1 cup washing soda*            

1/2 to 1 cup Borax

5 gallons water

5 gallon bucket and lid

 

Boil 4 cups water. Turn to medium heat. Add grated soap til all soap is melted. In the meantime, fill 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water.

 

 

Add washing soda and Borax to water. When soap mixture is melted, add to water as well.

Fill rest of bucket with hot tap water and let sit for 24 hours, covered, before using.

 

 

Use 1/2 cup- 1 cup of soap for a regular load of laundry.

*Washing soda and baking soda are different, but baking soda is cheaper. To convert baking soda into washing soda, bake baking soda at 250 degrees for 1 hour.

 

 

EASY, right???

Here's some more info and photos...

 

Fels Naptha is a bar of soap that can be found with the stain removers.

Borax is a natural cleaner that can also be found at the store with the stain removers.

 

Grated Fels Naptha (looks like cheese!) and box of Borax.

4 cups water with grated soap...

 

 

 Baking soda turning into washing soda....

TA DA!

 

 

 

 

You can use the soap straight from the bucket, you funnel it into old liquid detergent bottle.

 

Some recipes say to dilute the mixture with water and then use it. I just use a little less of the undiluted soap.

 

For normal cleaning, I use about 1/2 cup of soap for a load. For rags or other dirtier loads, I use from 1 cup to 1  1/2 cups of soap.

I do A LOT of laundry, at least 10 loads a week, and a 5 gallon bucket of soap lasts me about 3 months. I figured that without the initial cost of the bucket and lid, spend $12 a year on laundry soap.

 

FOR REAL!

And I really like it.

I have had several friends try it and they don't like that there is no scent to it. I just use nice smelling drying sheets and that's enough for me.

3-month supply: Cleaning supplies

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

 

Let's talk about a 3-month supply of CLEANING SUPPLIES!!

 

OK, first of all...why store extra cleaning supplies? If you remember my post from earlier this year titled, "Why I Prepare," you'll have the answers.

 

Here's a summary. With food, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, etc., it is always CONVENIENT to have extras on hand. Even someone who plans ahead might reach for the window cleaner and find that it's almost gone. I don't know about you, but I don't go to the store for ONE product. I try to wait until I absolutely HAVE to go. But because I have extras on hand, most of the time that works out for me.

 

Also, you cannot plan for a natural disaster or economic hardship to come along. If you stock up on cleaners that you use most commonly and have a month of unexpected expenses, you may not have to worry about spending precious resources on a box of laundry soap.

 

A personal example with convenience as well as something unexpected: A while back, our church building was vandalized. There was paint and other things all over the walls in the hallway as well as in many of the rooms. The damage was pretty extensive. Several members of our church were asked or volunteered to go in and do some initial cleaning before the professionals came in to clean, repair and replace. With little kids at home, I wasn't able to help, but a friend who was helping there called and asked if I happened to have any if those cleaning pads that "erase" marks on walls. I had 3 or 4 from a box I had purchased on Amazon, so I was able to contribute those to the clean-up effort. It wasn't inconvenient for me to give my extras away and no one had to run to the store to grab some.

 

In addition, if you watch sales, you can purchase several of one product at a lower cost than going out and buying the product every month.

 

So WHAT kind of products should you store?? Every household will be different, depending on the preferences of those doing the cleaning. Here's my list:

 

Laundry soap*

Stain removers, dryer sheets, and other laundry items

Glass cleaner*

All-purpose cleaner

Toilet bowl cleaner

Disinfectant wipes

Dish soap

Dishwasher detergent

Bleach

Vinegar

Rubbing Alcohol

 

*You may want to make your own cleaners, so you would need to store the products necessary to make them. I will post more about homemade cleaners soon.

 

Once you have determined WHAT you want to store, you can decided HOW MUCH of each items to store. The best way to get started is to simply have ONE extra of each item. From there, you may find that you need more than that for a 3-month time period.

 

Remember, keep it simple! Do what works for you.

 

Making your own foam soap

About a year ago, I started feeling annoyed at the amount of hand soap our family was using. With 3 young boys using the bathroom, it seemed like I was always refilling the soap dispensers or cleaning up little mounds of dried soap.

On top of that, at Wal-Mart, the generic brand, Equate, has gone from a 64-oz bottle to a 44-oz bottle for the same price.

So I looked around online and I found that you can make your own foam soap with regular hand soap and I decided to give it a try.

The verdict: I'm hooked! In over a year I have gone through only TWO 44-oz bottles of liquid hand soap.

Here's what you need:

Foam soap dispenser

Liquid hand soap

Water

Here's what you do:

Mix ONE part liquid hand soap with FOUR parts water. Ta da!

 

Here I am, pouring some soap into an empty bottle.

 

 

 

Adding water. You may need to shake it a bit as well.

 

 

And that's it. As long as you have a foam soap dispenser (which they sell for less that $2 each in the same area as the hand soap) you are set!

 

 

 

Here is the current dispenser in my bathroom.

There are only TWO draw backs that I have found. One is that the dispenses don't work for more than 6 or 8 months. I just recently bought new ones to replace the first ones I purchased. Even with this, I think that the savings MORE THAN out ways having to replace the soap dispenser once or twice a year.

The other draw back is that you have to make sure your family scrubs there hands together a bit before putting them under the water because the foam soap is so much lighter than straight hand soap. This has worked out fine for us, but is something to consider.

 

Please note: I am not endorsing the Equate brand...I am just cheap and that is the cheapest brand at Wal-Mart currently.

72-hour kit: Food

It's been a whole year since we talked about 72-hour kit food. And sadly, I did not follow my own advice this year and rotate the food every 4-6 months. And I learned my lesson.

 

I don't like to waste food. At all! In fact, even though I love trying new recipes, but I don't like to try stuff if I haven't tasted it. Probably silly, but I just don't want to waste any food.

Well, Saturday my husband and kids helped me over-haul our 72-hour kits. The kids were excited to be able to eat some of the food, but unfortunately several things were NOT worth eating. I guess if we had been in a real emergency we might have eaten it. Maybe. But I learned that I would rather have things in my 72-hour kits that my kids would be excited about eating. Would I really want to cause myself and my kids more stress by forcing them to eat some nasty protein bar when we are in the middle of a stressful situation? Or would it be better to have some snacks that they are familiar with?

 

So, I removed the protein bars and added 2 granola bars. I also put two packs of crackers instead of just one. Raisins don't stay soft long, so they aren't really worth it unless you rotate your food once a month. And I still haven't added jerky or other dried meat. I really need to add that, at least to my husband's pack.

 



Here's my oldest eating some of the spoils of last year's kit.

They mainly ate the hard fruit snacks. Haha.

 

Here's my new 72-hour kit food

minus the fruit snacks that didn't make it in the photo.

 

Here's a list of what I have:

 

1 Mylar pouch tuna



1 tuna snack pack

2 packets of Kool-Aid for water bottles

2 packages of Ramen Noodle

2 packs of instant oatmeal

2 granola bars

2 peanut butter cracker snacks

a few hard candies

2 spoons

1-2 fruit snacks (not pictured)

Again, I stored eat kit in gallon-sized freezer bags.

And this time, I wrote down in my planner to switch the food out in April. My kids are already excited about eating their food.

In April, I plan on adding a little more food to the kits for my husband, myself and my older kids.

Remember, not matter what you have, have something. Something is better than nothing. Also, keep it LIGHT.

3-month supply: Toiletries

Let's talk about building a 3-month supply of toiletries!!

First of all, what in the world is a toiletry??? A toiletry is any product used for grooming and personal hygiene. This includes the following:

Hand soap

Toilet paper

Facial tissue

Toothbrushes

Toothpaste

Body wash

Shampoo

Conditioner

Deodorant and Anti-Perspirant

Feminine products

Hair spray, gel, and other hair products

Make-up

Lotion

And so on...

Also, the following are important items to store, even though we may not think of them immediately when thinking of toiletries:

 

Diapers

Wipes

Medicine (including over-the-counter and prescription)

 

Some toiletries are more important than others. For example, it is more important to have a storage of hand soap before you stock-up on eye liner. Similarly, feminine products are much more important than hair spray.

That being said, the first thing to do is make a list starting with the most important items. (The list above is roughly in order of what I feel is most important.

Next you need to decide how much you want to store. Here's my list and amounts for my 3-month supply:

Hand soap- One bar of soap per person AND one 48-64 oz. container of liquid hand soap.

Toilet paper- 90 rolls (one per day). 

Facial tissue- One box per person.

Toothbrushes- One extra per person. (I count my 72-hour kit toothbrushes for this.)

Toothpaste- One tube per person. (Again, these are in my 72-hour kits.)

Body wash- One extra bottle per person.

Shampoo- 1/2 bottle per person.

Conditioner- 1/2 bottle per person.

Deodorant and Anti-Perspirant- 2 for each adult.

Feminine products- 100 count of your product of choice.

Hair spray- One extra.

Gel- 3 bottles.

Make-up- One extra of most used items.

Lotion- One large bottle or several small ones.

Diapers- The number of diapers you use usually gets a little smaller as your child gets older. If you are honestly wanting a 3-month supply, you will want to store about 360 diapers for toddlers and about 500 diapers for infants. These numbers are even a little high for me. Maybe just having two extra packs or boxes on hand would be a good start. Because of size issues, you won't want to store just one size.

Wipes- One extra box (about 10 packs) is good. My goal is to have 3 boxes on hand soon. (I will have two in diapers for a while.)

Medicine- In my 72-hour kits, I try to always have one, unopened adult Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen  as well as one of each of these for children. If you have an infant, you may want to store an extra one of each of these as well. Although these are in my 72-hour kit, they will last me for several months if I can't get to the store so they work for my 3-month supply as well. As far as presciption meds, I only have about a week's worth in my 72-hour kit. Depending on your needs, you may be able to get an extra presciption or two to have extra on hand.

Many of these products are generally low priced at a place like Wal-Mart or Costco and Sam's Club, but there are a few that you can watch for deals on Amazon or at your local grocery stores. Smith's will often have deals on toothbrushes and toothpaste. Amazon sometimes sells large amounts of toilet paper and facial tissues for good prices.

Here's a price list:

Hand soap- Bar- $.13/oz or about $.50 per bar. Liquid- abt $.70/oz.

Toilet paper- Around $.20 per single roll.

Facial tissue- $.50- $1 per box.

Toothbrushes- Less than $2 per brush.

Toothpaste- Abt $.20/oz or about $1 a tube.

Body wash- $.10-.15 per oz.

Shampoo & Conditioner- Abt $.05/oz or less than $1 for a small bottle.

         (Suave and VO5 go on sale at my local grocery store about once a year.)

Deodorant and Anti-Perspirant- From $2-4 per bar, depending on brand.

Feminine products- From about $.15-.20 per item.

Hair spray- From $.15-.20 per oz.

Gel- Abt $1 per bottle. (My husband actually like the brand from the dollar store.)

Diapers & Wipes- See THIS post.

Medicines- prices vary.