Is Your Emergency Kit Complete? Week 12 is Here!

Well, it looks like the last segment of Emergency Preparedness Shopping Tips is upon us. I’m sure that these past 12-ish weeks have been nothing short of awe-inspiring, mind-expanding and full of untold glory. I know they have been for me. Perhaps, that’s a slight stretch, but if nothing else, I hope I have at least brought about some awareness of the importance of keeping a well-stocked disaster supply kit on hand.

Even if you are just a little better prepared than you were before, I feel like I’ve done my job. So, what do you need this week to round out your emergency kit? How about some games or books to pass the time and keep the kiddies entertained? What better time to finish that classic tome you started in college and swore you’d finish? You can trust that the only time I’d ever delve into some Thoreau or Faulkner again would be in a desperate emergency. Just think, if you had to shelter in place in your house for a week, you could finish all those classics and begin conversations with “Well, Tolstoy always said…” or “Don’t you find Hemingway’s stories rife with psychological manipulation and hedonism in post World War I America?” Then you can laugh pompously and adjust your monocle.

But I digress; also make sure you have local road maps in case you have to come up with a secondary exit strategy from your current location. Also, toss in some cash. You remember cash, it's the green paper stuff that used to live in your wallet before debit cards were around. I am terrible about carrying cash, but in the last 6 months I made a conscious effort to stash $100 away in case there is an extended power outage and my ATM card doesn't work.

Lastly….the crème de la crème of emergency supplies….the item so versatile that it can be used for makeshift first aid supplies, repairs, restraints, the list goes on and on….you know what I’m talking about…DUCT TAPE! It is useful in so many capacities that there are entire websites devoted to counting its virtues. And never forget, in the words of some guy named Carl, “Duct tape is like the force. It has a dark side and light side and it holds the universe together.” True that, Carl, true that.

Week 11 Shopping List

We're almost to the end of our 12 week emergency preparedness shopping extravaganza. It's hard to believe only a mere 11 weeks ago you were totally unprepared for a disaster, but just look at you now! (Right? You've followed all of my advice? You have an awesome disaster kit? Right?---this is a guilt trip, in case you haven't caught on). Anyway, here we are at week 11 and the theme of the week is "Special Items As Needed." So, you may need some of these items, you may not need others. Here goes:

*Food for special diets (i.e. food allergies, religious preferences, diabetic)

*Baby food, bottles or infant formula

*Diapers (make sure to update sizes as needed, a size 1 diaper isn't much help when your kid now wears size 5, ask me how I know!)

*Pet food (you might begin to look pretty tasty to your hungry Rottweiler after awhile)

*Leash and pet carrier

*Spare eyeglasses or contact supplies

*Items for denture care

*Extra hearing aids and batteries

*Feminine hygiene supplies

*Any other medical or mobility supplies you or a family member might require

Alrighty--we're almost there. If you've missed the previous 10 shopping lists, look at the right-hand side of the blog and scroll down til you find the "labels" section and click on 12-week shopping list.

Think I've missed stuff? Want to share what you have in your kit? Leave a comment!

Week 10 Shopping List!

We’re coming to the home stretch of our preparedness shopping tippery. There are only four items to get this week and you may already have them. If you already are in possession of these items, don’t strain your arm patting yourself on the back, you still need to know right where they are and if they are in operable condition. So what are these 4 mystery items? Here ya go:

*Battery powered camping lanterns (handy for long term power outage)
*Extra batteries for aforementioned lanterns
*Fire extinguisher
*Disposable camera (to document losses for insurance purposes)

And that’s it. Be sure to check in next week to see what's next.

Week 9 Shopping List

We are now at week 9 in our Preparedness Shopping Guide challenge. So, what do you need to toss in your cart this week? Well, you may not be able to find these items in a grocery store, so you'll have to shop around. If you don’t already have these items, take a trip to your local hardware store and check out your options. You need to make sure you have:

*A handsaw or chainsaw with fuel
*A tarp or large canvas
*A crowbar
*Hammer and nails
*Leather palm gloves

These items are handy to have following an earthquake. You may need to remove rubble or do a quick repair job to make an area safe. You just never know and these are all useful items to have in order to be prepared for any situation from a downed tree to a full-scale zombie attack (aim for the head). Now you know, and like G.I. Joe always said, “Knowing is half the battle.” I never knew what the other half of the battle was, but then again I rarely take action figures at their word.

Week 8 Shopping List

It's Wednesday, time for week 8 of your shopping tips. If you’ve been diligently reading each week and following my sage advice, you probably have yourself a pretty sweet emergency kit. So, what do we need for Week 8? It’s time for small tools to help you manage a disaster situation. Here goes:

*Scissors

*Safety Glasses

*Utility Knife/Leatherman multi-tool

*Battery operated/hand crank radio. (Don’t skimp on this. I’ve purchased a cheap one from a discount mail-order catalog that shall remain nameless and it’s a pile of junk. Don’t waste your money. You may think you’re a smart cookie for saving a few bucks now, but you’ll be more than peeved when you actually need it and it doesn’t work) Here is a link to one I would recommend.

*Extra batteries

*Flashlights and headlamps (Again, buy a decent flashlight. Don’t rely on the freebie that you got when you signed up for a checking account. I speak from experience.) Having a flashlight is great, but having a headlamp is even better. Having your hands free while you're trying to cook or do whatever is priceless! Priceless I say!

*Heavy work gloves

*Disposable dust mask (these are super cheap and will be handy if Mt. St. Helens spews some ash your way)

*Fire extinguisher (It’s best to have one on every floor of your house and a small one in your kit---also…know how to use it. It’s not really useful to have one if all you do is throw it at the fire and run away screaming)

So, this week is a little harder on the wallet. Seriously though, it will be a lot cheaper to have these all on hand now, rather than trying to beat up people at Wal-Mart when the shelves are empty after some major catastrophe. I feel like beating up people at Wal-Mart on just a normal Tuesday, so I can't imagine the stress of shopping there following a natural disaster. Perhaps I should keep my inner thoughts inner, huh....

Preparedness Failings of the Wizard of Oz

Plus your Week 7 Shopping List!
Last year when I first debuted the Week 7 Shopping List it happened to be the 70th Anniversary of the release of The Wizard of Oz. I'll just keep with that scenario since I already wrote the post and don't feel like writing a new one. A major thematic element of this film is a tornado, so obviously it has many ties to the field of emergency management. Right? Yes. Let’s recap the emergency management failings:

*Uncle Henry and Aunty Em’s house did not have proper foundation. If it was up-to-code, it might have weathered the tornado better. Since it was their house that killed the Wicked Witch of the West, they could been charged with involuntary manslaughter or sued for negligence maybe.

*Had Dorothy received proper disaster training, she would have known to stay away from the window and thusly, would not have been knocked unconscious.

*Uncle Henry and Aunty Em should have been consulting their NOAA weather radio and monitoring updates on weather conditions and warnings in their area. Had tornado sirens been in place, they would have had more warning.

*If Dorothy had a portable 72-hour kit ready for evacuation situations, she would have been much better prepared for her journey down the yellow brick road. Also, since she obviously loved Toto, she should have had a pet emergency kit as well.

Let’s all learn from Dorothy and be better prepared citizens. I’m sure that I have now ruined a childhood classic for you, but there’s no excuse not to be prepared for emergencies!

So, with that segue, let’s get to your weekly 72-hour kit shopping mission! This is a light week, so your wallet will thank you. On your next jaunt to the market, toss in some pain-reliever (aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, whatever works for you), some anti-diarrhea medicine (seriously, a disaster situation is not a good time for this particular ailment) and an extra supply of any important prescription medications.

This last part can be tricky, as most insurance providers and pharmacies are reluctant to give any extra than what you need. The best thing to do is talk to your pharmacist and tell them your situation and that you want to be prepared in the event you can’t get to the pharmacy to refill your prescription. Even if the best that they can do is give you 3 or 4 days worth, it’s better than nothing! That’s all you need to add this week. I bet that kit is looking pretty awesome by now. You’ll be the envy of all your neighbors and their little dog too!

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!

Shopping List--Week 5

It’s Wednesday, time for week 5 of your disaster shopping mission. This week will be a little more expensive than previous weeks, depending on what you already have at home. So, you should have purchased some non-perishable food items to stow away in your kit. Long-term food storage doesn’t have to have gross, inedible food in it. Refer here for a poem on better food storage. Yes. A poem.

Anyway, now it’s time to find a way to cook that food. Obviously, if you have electricity just carry on as normal. However, if you are without power, here are a few food-prep options.

1. A butane stove: these can be used indoors, provided you have PLENTY of ventilation. The best thing would probably be to use this outside under the cover of a porch or awning. These can be purchased here. This one is rated for indoor use and can be purchased here or at your local Ace Hardware or camping supply store.

2. Apple box oven: these things are super cool. Click here and here to learn more. Cooking brownies or muffins when the power is out? Yes, please! You can easily make one at home or you can attend a hands-on class in June and make one with the help of a professional! Check back next week for more details on the date and class location.

3. Grill: Use this outdoors only. Here’s why. If you’re stuck at home because of a severe winter storm or flood, why not treat yourself to a nice steak? No electricity required! Plus, it’s a good way to use up all that meat in the freezer that will go bad without electricity.

4. Fondue pot/chafing dish: this would probably take quite a bit of time (but if you’re trapped at home, it’s not like your social calendar is going to be full). If you happen to have fondue makings sitting around, have a nice disaster fondue party. However, if you are like 99.9% of Americans you don’t exactly keep fondue fixin’s on hand. But, you can certainly heat up some nice soup or chili in it!

So, what do you need to buy this week? How about (per family member):

4 cans of soup

4 cans of chili

4 boxes of macaroni and cheese

2 cans or jars of spaghetti sauce

2 boxes of spaghetti noodles.

That’s a lot of meals that can all be cooked on one butane stove burner! If you do not already have a camp stove or butane burner, now is a good time to pick one up. I know it’s a load off my mind to know that I can at least cook macaroni and cheese or spaghetti without power and keep my kids fed and happy. (a lot happier than if I just popped open a can of spam, gave them a spoon and told them it was dinner).

Week 4 Shopping List!

It’s time for week 4 of our preparedness shopping trip adventures! I hope you’re ready for another scintillating shopping list. If you’ve been following these posts, you should already have containers, water, food and the like. Now it’s time to add in some helpful tools and utensils that will be necessary to help you thrive in a disaster.
* 2 packages of eating utensils, paper cups and paper plates
* 2 rolls of paper towels
* 4 rolls of toilet paper
* Liquid dish soap
* Matches (waterproof is a good idea)
* Latex or Nitrile gloves
* Unscented liquid bleach (for water purification or other cleaning)

If you take the time to shop around at dollar stores, canned food warehouses or other discount-type establishments, you could get all this for under $20. Shelling out a crisp Jackson now could make you very thankful later!

If your waterlines have been damaged and the water needs to be purified there are two ways to do this. If you have electricity or have a butane burner, you can bring the water to a rolling boil for 3-5 minutes. If you do not have electricity you can use household liquid bleach (not scented or colorsafe). Add 16 drops (like from a medicine dropper, not 16 pours) per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes.

Disaster Shopping List, Week 3

It’s Wednesday, time for your Week 3 shopping list mission! So, if you’ve been faithfully reading and following my advice, you should now have containers, water, food and other various and sundry items. So, now comes week 3 and it’s time for some more food to keep your family nourished in case of an emergency. As you roam the aisles in search of bargains this week, throw in these extra items for your emergency kit (adjust the quantities for your family’s needs):

1 jar of Jam or jelly
1 jar Peanut butter
Box(es) of saltine crackers
Bags of beef jerky

Large can(s) of juice (and a manual can opener)
Instant coffee/tea/powdered drinks (hello TANG!)
Consider keeping a few loaves of bread in the freezer and rotating them every few months

All of these won’t cost a fortune and will keep you fed when the lights are out. The amounts of food given are for a family of 3-4. Obviously, if your family is larger, you probably want to consider more food. Unless…Donner…party of 8….?

Emergency Kit Shopping List--Week 2

It's Wednesday, so you know what that means! Garbage day, American Idol and, of course, week 2 of our Preparedness Shopping List. As you are making your shopping list for your next jaunt to your local grocer, add these items to the list:

• Water (one gallon, per person, per day for at least 3 days, more if you have pets)


• Granola bars with a long shelf life (Nature Valley ones are good)


• Cereal


• Canned fruit (enough for each person in your family for 3 days)


• Canned vegetables (something that you and your family will eat, no need to torture yourself with lima beans if you know you'd rather starve than eat them)


• 4-5 cans of meat (doesn't have to be unidentifiable mystery meat, there are some very tasty varieties of canned white-meat chicken)

And that's it. Put all these new treasures into the large plastic tote that you bought last week and you're on your way. Now, you may be tempted to grab some cheap canned food at an outlet or liquidator. While I love shopping for bargains at places like Prospector Liquidator, I would caution using those canned food items for your kit. There is a reason they are discounted and it's generally because their "use-by" date is rapidly approaching, which is counter-productive for long-term storage. Take a minute to look at the date and make sure you can store it for 6-months to a year. Happy shopping!

Stock Your Kit--The Low Stress Way!

Recent earthquakes got you freaked out? Can't figure out how to make an emergency kit on a budget? We can help! This is a re-run of a previous series that I did in 2009. We have a lot of new readers and I wanted to make sure that everyone learned how easy it can be to put together a great emergency kit, without dropping a whole bunch of dough at once.

Putting together a well-stocked disaster supply kit doesn't have to be an overwhelming and costly task! If you just put a few extra items in your shopping cart over the next 12 weeks, you will find yourself with an amazing resource to help you withstand whatever disaster is thrown your way. It may be sunny today, but that dismal weather will return---it always does. Remember our motto--the only difference between adventure and disaster is preparedness! Example: the electricity is out for two days and you're stuck at home. Disaster would be if you had no emergency lighting, blankets, water or ready-to-eat food. Major catastrophe. Adventure would be to light some candles, eat some camping food and tell ghost stories. Wholesome fun for the whole family, right?! A day at Disneyland, it's not, but it's better than sitting in the dark, while hungry and cold. Make sure that dreary image stays with you on your next trip to the grocery store.

So, here is "Week 1" of your 12-week shopping guide. Just toss in these extra goodies each week, you'll barely notice the extra cost and one day you might be very glad to have them. You can thank me later, I accept cash.
WEEK 1
* 2 boxes of large plastic zip bags (to keep things organized and waterproof)
* 2 rolls aluminum foil (for emergency cooking)
* 2 boxes heavy duty garbage bags (for sanitation, garbage, shelter, whatever)
* Large portable plastic tote with lid (to store everything in)
See that wasn't so bad! Check us out next Wednesday to see your next mission...

Is Your Emergency Kit Complete?

Well, it looks like the last segment of Emergency Preparedness Shopping Tips is upon us. I’m sure that these past 12 Tuesdays have been nothing short of awe-inspiring, mind-expanding and full of untold glory. I know they have been for me. Perhaps, that’s a slight stretch, but if nothing else, I hope I have at least brought about some awareness of the importance of keeping a well-stocked disaster supply kit on hand. Even if you are just a little better prepared than you were before, I feel like I’ve done my job. So, what do you need this week to round out your emergency kit? How about some games or books to pass the time and keep the kiddies entertained? What better time to finish that classic tome that you started in college and swore you’d finish? You can trust that the only time I’d ever delve into some Thoreau or Faulkner again would be in a desperate emergency. Just think, if you had to shelter in place in your house for a week, you could finish all those classics and begin conversations with “Well, Tolstoy always said…” or “Don’t you find Hemingway’s stories rife with psychological manipulation and hedonism in post World War I America?” Then you can laugh pompously and adjust your monocle. But I digress; also make sure you have local road maps in case you have to come up with a secondary exit from your current location. Lastly….the crème de la crème of emergency supplies….the item so versatile that it can be used for makeshift first aid supplies, repairs, restraints, the list goes on and on….you know what I’m talking about…DUCT TAPE! It is useful in so many capacities that there are entire websites devoted to counting its virtues. I like this one. And never forget, in the words of some guy named Carl, “Duct tape is like the force. It has a dark side and light side and it holds the universe together.” True that, Carl, true that.

Week 11 Shopping List Items

We're almost to the end of our 12 week emergency preparedness shopping extravaganza. It's hard to believe only a mere 11 weeks ago you were totally unprepared for a disaster, but just look at you now! (Right? You've followed all of my advice? You have an awesome disaster kit? Right?---this is a guilt trip, in case you haven't caught on). Anyway, here we are at week 11 and the theme of the week is "Special Items As Needed." So, you may need some of these items, you may not need others. Here goes:

• Food for special diets (i.e. food allergies, religious preferences, diabetic)


• Baby food, bottles or infant formula


• Diapers (make sure to update sizes as needed, a size 1 diaper isn't much help when your kid now wears size 5)


• Pet food (you might begin to look pretty tasty to your hungry Rottweiler after awhile)


• Leash and pet carrier


• Spare eyeglasses or contact supplies


• Items for denture care


• Extra hearing aids and batteries


• Feminine hygiene supplies


• Any other medical or mobility supplies you or a family member might require

I'll catch you next Tuesday!

Week 10 Shopping Tips

We’re coming to the home stretch of our preparedness shopping tips. There are only four items to get this week and you may already have them. If you already are in possession of these items, don’t strain your arm patting yourself on the back, you still need to know right where they are and if they are in operable condition. So what are these 4 mystery items? Here ya go:
*Battery powered camping lantern (handy for long term power outage)
*Extra batteries for aforementioned lantern
*Portable grill or stove with fuel (NEVER use inside)
*Disposable camera (to document losses for insurance purposes)
And that’s it. Be sure to check in next Tuesday to see what’s next!

Preparedness Shopping Guide--Week 9

We are now at week 9 in our Preparedness Shopping Guide challenge. I skipped out last week, but since no one complained or even noticed, I’m not going to feel bad. So, what do you need to toss in your cart this week? Well, you may not be able to find these items in a grocery store, at least not any grocery stores in this area. If you don’t already have these items, take a trip to your local hardware store and check out your options. You need to make sure you have:

*A handsaw or chainsaw with fuel
*A tarp or large canvas
*A crowbar
*Hammer and nails

These items are handy to have following an earthquake. You may need to remove rubble or do a quick repair job to make an area safe. You just never know and these are all useful items to have in order to be prepared for any situation from a downed tree to a full-scale zombie attack (aim for the head). Now you know, and like G.I. Joe always said, “Knowing is half the battle.” I never knew what the other half of the battle was, but then again I rarely take action figures at their word.

It's Tool Time!

Welcome to September! The kids are going back to school, the days are getting shorter and Christmas items are inexplicably creeping into stores. It’s also Tuesday, time for week 8 of your shopping tips. If you’ve been diligently reading each week and following my sage advice, you probably have yourself a pretty sweet emergency kit. So, what do we need for Week 8? It’s time for small tools to help you manage a disaster situation. Here goes:

*Scissors

*Safety Glasses

*Utility Knife/Leatherman multi-tool

*Battery operated/hand crank radio. (Don’t skimp on this. I’ve purchased a cheap one from a discount mail-order catalog that shall remain nameless and it’s a pile of junk. Don’t waste your money. You may think you’re a smart cookie for saving a few bucks now, but you’ll be more than peeved when you actually need it and it doesn’t work)
*Extra batteries
*Flashlights (Again, buy a decent flashlight. Don’t rely on the freebie that you got when you signed up for a checking account. I speak from experience.)
*Heavy work gloves
*Disposable dust mask (these are super cheap and will be handy if Mt. St. Helens spews some ash your way)
*Fire extinguisher (It’s best to have one on every floor of your house and a small one in your kit---also…know how to use it. It’s not really useful to have one if all you do is throw it at the fire and run away screaming)

So, this week is a little harder on the wallet. Seriously though, it will be a lot cheaper to have these all on hand now rather than trying to beat up people at Wal-Mart when the shelves are empty after some major catastrophe.

Shopping Tips, Pet Kits and Tornadoes....Oh My!

Did you know that 70 years ago on this very day, the cinematic masterpiece The Wizard of Oz premiered? Since a major thematic element of this film is a tornado, obviously it has many ties to the field of emergency management. Right? Let’s recap the emergency management failings:

*Uncle Henry and Aunty Em’s house did not have proper foundation. If it was up-to-code, it would have weathered the tornado much better. Since it was their house that killed the Wicked Witch of the West, they could have very easily been charged with manslaughter or sued for negligence.

*Had Dorothy received proper disaster training, she would have known to stay away from the window and thusly, would not have been knocked unconscious.

*Uncle Henry and Aunty Em should have been consulting their NOAA weather radio and monitoring updates on weather conditions and warnings in their area. Had tornado sirens been in place, they would have had more warning.

*If Dorothy had had a portable 72-hour kit ready for evacuation situations, she would have been much better prepared for her journey down the yellow brick road. Also, since she obviously loved Toto, she should have had a pet emergency kit as well.

Let’s all learn from Dorothy and be better prepared citizens. I’m sure that I have now ruined a childhood classic for you, but there’s no excuse not to be prepared for emergencies!

So, with that segue, let’s get to your weekly 72-hour kit shopping mission! This is a light week, so your wallet will thank you. On your next jaunt to the market, toss in some pain-reliever (aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, whatever works for you), some anti-diarrhea medicine (seriously, a disaster situation is not a good time for this particular ailment) and an extra supply of any important prescription medications. This last part can be tricky, as most insurance providers and pharmacies are reluctant to give any extra than what you need. The best thing to do is talk to your pharmacist and tell them your situation and that you want to be prepared in the event you can’t get to the pharmacy to refill your prescription. Even if the best that they can do is give you 3 or 4 days worth, it’s better than nothing! That’s all you need to add this week. I bet that kit is looking pretty awesome by now. You’ll be the envy of all your neighbors and their little dog too!

Preparedness Shopping List Time!

We have hit the halfway mark in your Preparedness Shopping List Challenge! Today is Tuesday, it’s the 18th of August, and it’s Celebrate Bad Poetry Day! (I’m serious). In honor of this illustrious holiday, my shopping tips will be in iambic pentameter in the proverbial style of William Shakespeare.

Come, let DEM be your shopping guide
Your first item? Hydrogen Peroxide
Can be effective for stopping bleeding
If it is first aid you might be needing

Your next kit item is deodorant
The fam smelling nasty? No, they needn’t

Last thing to add ‘fore I bid thee adieu
You must purchase a bottle of shampoo
Can’t have greasy locks in emergencies
You might be on TV for the world to see!

Thank you, thank you…(dodging rotten tomatoes) If you do it right, your grand total could be less than five bucks. Now isn’t lessening the threat of gangrene, smelling fresh and having shiny hair worth that? I should hope so. Throw ‘em in your kit and call it a day.

Preparedness Shopping List---Week 5

It’s Tuesday again, seems to happen every week. Moreover, it’s time for another edition of Preparedness Shopping! This week we focus on Health and First Aid, a must in disaster situations. While you’re gathering up your coupons for another shopping excursion, pencil these items on your list:

*Hand Sanitizer (great for killing germs and actually pretty good as a fire starter)
*Toothpaste and toothbrushes for every member of the family (they will thank you, trust me!)
*First aid tape, gauze and bandages
*First aid guide (can be purchased at any bookstore, camping supply store or online at Red Cross store for $2.95)

Alright, let’s recap. If you’ve been with me since the beginning, you’ve got containers, food, water, utensils and now you can kill germs, start fires and perform some basic first aid, all with minty fresh breath. Go you!