Week 6, a bit early

I know it's a couple days early, but I thought I'd throw out the Week 6 list on Monday just to keep you on your toes.

So, it was brought to my attention that I failed to mention a critical item in last week’s post. I told you to buy some canned goods, but forgot to remind you to throw in a manual can opener. How mad would you be if you had to take your kit with you in an evacuation and had food, but no way to access it? You can’t open a can with your bare hands, however if you had bear hands you might be able to. But that’s a different post entirely. Ahhh….puns. Anyway, throw in a can opener. You can get one at the Dollar Store. For a dollar.

Moving on, this week it’s time to throw in some simple first aid supplies. Next time you browse the aisles, throw in:

A first aid kit (you might think it’s cheaper to make your own, but usually you’re better off just purchasing a ready-made one, it’s easier, oftentimes cheaper and doesn’t take up much space) I recommend the Red Cross ones here and there are some nice ones at Rite Aid and Target too. If your kit doesn’t come with a first aid guide, it’s well worth it to pick one up.

Travel size deodorant and shampoo (a good thought might be to pick up some dry shampoo, dry shampoo is powdered and made to work without water. It absorbs oil from the scalp. You can find dry shampoo at a drug store or probably Target)

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Hand sanitizer (good for killing germs without water and also makes a handy fire starter!)

Baking soda Why baking soda? A resourceful CERT volunteer had it in his 72-hour kit because of its many, many uses and I thought it was a fantastic thought. Check out the various uses here. A box costs less than a dollar and can be used for cleaning, deodorizing, brushing teeth, calming an upset stomach, bug bites, bee stings, sunburns, diaper rash and so much more.

So, there you go. Go forth and conquer!