Week 10...72 hour kit addition

This week focus on Bandages  and  first aid kit supplies. I have a few different first aid kits in each of our packs. I have larger ones in the adult backpacks and smaller ones in some of my older kids backpacks. It's great to have first aid kits but it's also great to have some of these items listed below as well.

You should have banadages of all sizes, but be sure to look for things that have multiple uses: especially when thinking of larger types of bandages. For example, sheets, towels etc can be used as large bandages, but they could also be used for splints, slings, ground cover, a light blanket, an extra layer, cleaning cloth etc. Try to be sure that the things you include for bandages have another use as well to save on space.

I would suggest making sure your kit includes the following bandages. If it doesn’t include all of them, you could add them separately.

• Butterfly bandages
• Various sized “band-aid type” boxed bandages: from 1 in x .25 in up to 4 in x 2 in, circular, square etc.
• Various size gauze dressings & adhesive tape
• Large wound dressing
• Triangular Bandages (I just use a couple cloth diapers…also good for multiple uses)
• Quik Clot,this is incredible and could save a life!

  *Don't forget to add cash or change to your packs in case you were to need money in an emergency and debit/credit cards don't work! Keep small bills so that you can make change if you need to. This could be vital for you! Add $1 to each pack each week until you have a decent amount saved up.*

Week 14 Food Storage Challenge

THis week calls for 7 boxes of Macaroni and Cheese. This is a super easy grocery store find. Add it to your list of groceries for the week.

Week 13 Food Storage Challenge

This week's challenge is for 10 pounds of powdered milk. The cannery has powdered milk that you can go and can there. Walmart and Costco also have it in cans on their shelves and make it easy to purchase. Remember this is for every 2 adults in the family.

Week 12 Food Storage Challenge

This week calls for 10 pounds of rice. The cannery has rice pre packaged in cans or you can buy your own bags there and can them either at home or at the cannery if you'd like to. Costco also offers rice in bulk that you can can yourself. This is for every 2 adults in your family.

Week 11 Food Storage Challenge

Get 8 cans of Tomato soup for every 2 adults in the family. This is a super easy one to get at your next trip to the grocery store!!

Week 10 Food Storage Challenge

This week get 50 pounds of wheat for every 2 adults in your family. This is really simple to do by going to the cannery. They have pre packaged cans and boxes of wheat and it's only $21 for a box of close to 40 pounds of wheat. You can just grab it off of the shelf and checkout at the register. You can also purchase 45lb buckets of wheat at Costco right now.

Week 9 72 hour kits

Warmth / Heat

So, now you have some protection from the elements and something to sleep in or under, but what if it is really cold and you actually need a way to generate heat? Often, even it it doesn’t get below freezing, it can get chilly: especially if it is rainy. 
Suggestions:
Your number one goal here is to make sure you have a way to start a fire under any conditions: remember, you could be dealing with extreme weather. Once you’ve done that then, consider other options for warmth

Options for Starting a fire:

Small Budget:

• DIY Firestarters (free if you’ve got dryer lint and candle wax!)
• Water proof or even storm proof matches.
• Lighter

Medium Budget:

• Emergency Tinder Kit
• FireSteel
• Sparkie Fire Starter
• Blastmatch Fire Starter

Larger Budget:

• Quickfire (start a fire in almost any conditions with this!)

Other Warmth:

Small Budget:

• Heat Packs (put inside a sleeping bag, jacket, or under a blanket)

Medium Budget:

• Heat Cell ( They are safe to be used indoors, small, light, will burn hot enough to boil water for 4 hour or warm a tent for 8-9 hours)

Hope this helps you in knowing what to get!

*Remember to add your $1 to everyone's pack in case debit/credit cards don't work!*

Week 12 Food Storage Challenge

Get 10 pounds of Rice for every two adults in the family! This is so easy to do! The cannery has them already canned and on their shelf for you to grab easily and go. Otherwise you can buy it at your next trip to the store.

Week 8 72 hour kits

 Sleeping Needs

You should now have some protection from the elements, but even if you have a nice tent, you need something to sleep in / under!

Suggestions:

Keep things as lightweight as you can! While you can use blankets from home if funds are limited, they will add a lot of bulk and weight to your kit. You may not have room for much else! If you have any sort of budget, I would consider purchasing a blanket / sleeping bag that is made to be lightweight and used in such a kit.
Small Budget:

• Emergency Blanket
• Emergency Thermal Sleeping Bag

Medium Budget:

• Fleece Sleeping Bag
• “Blizzard” Survival Sleeping Bag(VERY compact, but as warm as a regular, medium weight sleeping bag)
• Deluxe Fleece Sleeping Bag
• Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag (this has a 30 degree rating and gets VERY small)

Larger Budget:

• Sleeping Bag rated as low as zero to -30 degrees:

• Sleeping Bag rated as low as 15-20 degrees:

• Sleeping Bags rated as low as 30 degrees:

I keep all of our sleeping bags in my garage in one particular spot so that they are easy to grab, if we had to up and leave really fast then I know exactly where to grab them and throw them in my car. If we don't have that option to be able to grab them then I have emergency blankets in each pack.

 

*Don't forget to add $1 to each pack each week ( or more if you can)  so that you have money in your packs in case of an emergency where your debit/credit card doesn't work!!*

Week 11 Food Storage Challenge

Get 8 cans of tomato soup!! This one is so easy to get at your next trip to the grocery store! Remember this is for every 2 adults in the family so add what you need to accomadate your family.

Week 7 72 Hour kits

Now that you have your food items it's time for you to pack protection from the elements! Here are some suggestions for that

Clothing Suggestions:

Remember, the clothing you have on during a disaster may be cut, ripped, or ruined in some way or another, so you should include one change of clothing.

• Remember that you will need to be able to carry this pack. Keep your clothing as lightweight as is reasonable.
• If you do not have extra clothes to pack, try your local thrift store.
• Bright, solid colors are best as they will help make it easy for you to locate family members in large chaotic groups.
• Consider a sweatshirt and sweatpants. You could cut them off in warm weather. 
• If you have children, especially young children, think of how much you expect them to grow in the next 6 months. It is better to have clothing be slightly too big than not big enough!
• Don’t forget underwear, shoes and socks! In fact, while you may get away with just one change of clothing, I would recommend at least two changes of underwear and socks.

Shelter Suggestions:

Tents are ideal, but can get pricey. There are ways to protect yourself from the elements on a smaller budget.    If you have small children, make sure you choose something they will actually use / wear. You should show it to them and have them practice wearing it (poncho) or getting in it (tent etc).

Small Budget:

• Try a poncho(you can even use a large garbage bag instead), or a couple of drop cloths (hang one above you on trees or a rope, and lay one out under you if needed.

Medium Budget:

• A couple of tarps (used similarly to the drop cloths mentioned above with a rope), a more durable poncho, or a tube tent.

Larger Budget:

• A popup or dome tent

I also suggest getting sunblock and putting it in your kits because living here in Arizona it can be used year round!

*Don't forget to add $1 to everyone's pack so that you have money in case of an emergency where debit/credit cards don't work!*

Week 10 Food Storage Challenge

Sorry I fell behind due to spring break but here is week 10s information! This week get 50 pounds of wheat for every 2 adults in your family. This is super easy to get! You can go to the cannery and get them pre packaged for $21 for 6 cans which is around 37 pounds of wheat. YOu can also order them online at many different food storage sites. You can visit www.providentliving.com where they have lots of different food storage that you can purchase online.

Week 6 72 hour kit goal

Now that you have your food and something to cook it with you will need something to eat it with! So here are a few suggestions for you:

• Cup
• Bowl
• Plate
• Sippy cup for very young kids
• Bottle for baby
• Utensils (knife, fork, spoon)
• Wipes or napkins
• Spork (spoon, fork and knife in one)
• 5 Piece Mess Kit

 

 

 

 

I would suggest going with something plastic or sturdy so that you can just wash and reuse it as opposed to buying disposable items. That way they won't break as easy either. You can even buy a small sample of dish soap to keep in a pack so that you can clean your dishes really well.

 

* Don't forget to add $1 to everyone's pack so that you will have cash on hand in case of an emergency where your debit/credit cards don't work!! If you add $1 a week then you will have it add up quickly!*

Week 9 Food Storage Challenge

Get 6 pounds of yeast for every two adults in the family. If you buy it in the big bulk packs then you can put it in your freezer and it's good for 5 years. This is another easy one to get.

Farmers Market Find!!

Whenever I find a good deal at the Farmers market I like to share it! Today I found bartlett pears for 3lbs for $1. So I bought a 40lb box for $14. They taste AMAZING when they are canned and it's a great time of year to be canning, before it gets too hot in the kitchen! If you would like help learning how to can them then let me know and I can help you. They are very simple.

Week 5 72 Hour Kit challenge

Now that you have your food, you will need something to cook it with! So here are a few suggestions for you.....

 

Opening Your Food:

• Sewing Kit
• 12-in-1 Scissors
• 14-in-1 Multi-tool
• Leatherman Style tool and lockback knife
• Deluxe Pocket Knife
• Knife with LED Flashlight
• Crank can opener
• 14-in-1 Multi-tool
• 6-in-1 Survival shovel

Heating Your Food (Oatmeal, Hot cocoa, or soup / entrees etc):

• Stove in a Can
• Wing Stove
• MSR Windpro
• Heat Cell (small, light, just $4 and will burn hot enough to boil water for 4 hour or warm a tent for 8-9 hours…safe to use inside a tent)
• 5 Piece Mess Kit
• Aluminum foil, wrap food in foil and throw it in a fire to cook w/o needing any cookware! Easy, cheap, light and small!

 

Hope this helps!!

 

*Remember to add $1 to everyone's backpacks to ensure that you have money in case your debit/credit cards don't work! *

Week 8 Food Storage Challenge

Here's a nice and easy one to grab at the store, get 8 cans of tuna for every two adults in the family. It's budget friendly and always at the store ;)

Week 4 for 72 hour kits

This week it's time to get your food for your backpacks. So if you signed up or would still like to sign up I will be purchasing all of the items for the food kits this week! They will have three full days worth of food with a menu to help you ration your food. Each kit will cost $9 each and the money is due on Wednesday the 20th!!! Let me know if you're interested!!

If you want other options for your food then here are some more suggestions:

1. MREs, they have a longer shelf life and are lightweight and easy to store however they don't taste as good and you won't get the variety of packing your own foods that you know you will eat.

2. Mountain house pouches. They are just add water pouches and you can get them in many different varieties so you can choose what your family likes to eat. They have a 5 year shelf life and are also easy to store but you will also have to store more water to be able to eat them.


*Don't forget to add $1.00 to everyone's pack for emergencies in case your debit or credit cards don't work you will have money if you need it! Keep the bills small so that you can make change for whatever you need if you need to!*

Week 7 Challenge

Here's another easy grocery store find! This week is 10 pounds of Rice for every 2 adults in the family. If you need it in bulk or need more for your family the cannery has them in #10 cans for $4.00 each and they have 5 pounds in each can. The best part is that it has a 30 year shelf life so you can keep it in your storage for a long time!

Chicken!

If you would like to buy really good chicken in bulk then go to www.zayconfoods.com They currently have their chicken on sale again. It's $1.79lb for 40lbs. It's from farms where they don't add any hormones and the chicken has never been frozen. It's great for canning too!

Week 3 for 72 hour kits More water!

Now that you have your water for your backpacks you may have noticed that you need a lot! I have cases of water in my garage that can easily be grabbed and put in my van if we are leaving by car but if you are having to walk then you'll realize that the backpacks can be quite heavy with just the water alone. So here's another thing to think about adding to your backpacks so that you can have extra access to water. There's many different suggestions and they are all up to you and what you prefer to do.

Suggestion #1 Bleach:

Pros:

• Inexpensive & easy method.
• Available at almost any store.
• Kills most microorganisms.
• Can treat a large amount of water all at once.
• Time-effective

Cons:

• Does not remove contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.
• Will not remove mud or dirt or make muddy water clear again.
• Will not fix the taste of contaminated water.
• Even clear water treated with bleach will taste funny.

If you choose this method: If you choose this method, you will need to keep bleach in your 72 hour kit (find a small container at a dollar store or in the travel section). Make sure to rotate it every few months! You may also want to consider adding a drink mix to make treated water more palatable. Print out the following instructions from FEMA and keep them with the bleach:

Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches, or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle. Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of bleach, discard it and find another source of water.
 

Suggestion #2 Boiling water
Pros:

• Very effective at treating microorganisms in water, and used in conjunction with distillation, it will also remove heavy metals, salts and chemicals.
• It will make your water clear to drink and make it taste relatively normal.
• It is also relatively inexpensive if you already have a pot and heat source.

Cons:

• You will need a LARGE pot, lid, and small stove in your 72 hour kit. These items will take up some space.
• You will need to use fuel, which will be precious in an emergency, just to get drinkable water. You may prefer to save your fuel for other things.
• You can only distill so much water at a time.
• This method is not time-effective.

If you choose this method: Add a large pot with a handled lid (see illustration below), a small cup, string, and a small stove (with fuel) to your 72 hr kit. Print these instructions from FEMA and keep them with your pot:

Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting the vapor that condenses back to water. The condensed vapor will not include salt or most other impurities. To distill, fill a pot halfway with water. Tie a cup to the handle on the pot’s lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up when the lid is upside-down (make sure the cup is not dangling into the water), and boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled. (see illustration)

Suggestion #3: Water Purification Tablets / Treatment solutions

Pros:

• Inexpensive: a bit more expensive than bleach, though not by much.
• Take up very little space.
• Usually taste better than bleach
• Will kill most microorganisms.
• Can treat a large amount of water all at once.
• Time-effective.

Cons:

• Will not remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.
• Will not remove mud or dirt or make muddy water clear again.
• Will not fix the taste of contaminated water.

If you choose this method: Make sure that the option you purchase includes directions and be sure to include them in your kit.

Suggestion #4 Water filtration bottle
Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive (when compared to other water filters).
• Convenient.
• Filter water just as you need it.
• Treats microorganisms and filters heavy metals and chemicals as well as sand, mud, silt, etc.
• Can have one for each family member.
• Filtered water is easily portable.
• Filtered water will be clear and taste normal.

Cons:

• Will need to replace filter periodically (usually after filtering about 30 gallons).
• Sometimes difficult to push water through the filter: you can’t suck it out. You will need to push it through the filter into a glass or cup.
• Filter has a shelf life. Even if you only use it once, you will need to replace it after 6 months.

Suggestion #5 A Steripen
Pros:

• Very quick! Water is ready in just seconds.
• Convenient. Small & Light. Fits almost anywhere  Pros:
  
  • Effective against microorganisms and heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals as well as sand, mud etc .
  • Typically lightweight.
  • Can usually pump and filter at the same time.
  • Most can filter and incredible amount of water: some up to 13,000 gallons.
  • Some can be attached to your faucet and used if you were to shelter in place and still had running water, but were unsure of its safety.
  Cons:
  
  • Expensive
  • You will have to replace the filter after you filter so many gallons.
  • Filter has a shelf life. Even if you only use it once, you will need to replace it after 6 months
  If you choose this method: Purchase one (or more) water filters and add it to your kit
• Fits into almost any water bottle or cup.
• Very effective against all microorganisms.
• Can have one for each family member.

Cons:

• Relatively expensive: especially if you buy one for everyone in your family.
• Does not filter heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals or sand, mud etc.
• Will not fix the taste of contaminated water.

Suggestion #6 A Water Filter
Pros:

• Effective against microorganisms and heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals as well as sand, mud etc .
• Typically lightweight.
• Can usually pump and filter at the same time.
• Most can filter and incredible amount of water: some up to 13,000 gallons.
• Some can be attached to your faucet and used if you were to shelter in place and still had running water, but were unsure of its safety.

Cons:

•  They are expensive.
• You will have to replace the filter after you filter so many gallons.
• Filter has a shelf life. Even if you only use it once, you will need to replace it after 6 months

If you choose this method: Purchase one (or more) water filters and add it to your kit

Week 6 Challenge

Here's a nice and easy one to get! 6 pounds of macaroni for every 2 adults in the family. This is easy to get if  you are at the cannery, you would only need to buy 2 cans and you'd have enough.

Week 5 Challenge

Here's a larger one to get this week. Get 50 pounds of wheat for every two adults in the family. The cannery sells them pre packaged with 6 #10 cans in each box. They are $21 and they have Hard red wheat and white wheat. Remember if you follow these weekly tips then you will have a year's supply in 52 weeks.

Week 2 for 72 Hour Kits

This week for your 72 hour kit buy your water for your backpacks or whatever you are storing it in. There are a few different options for water.

1. Water bottles, they are easy and cheap to get for your backpacks but can be awkward to store in your kits. They are also very easy to rotate because you can always buy new ones easily at the store.

2. Water pouches, they are a little bit more expensive but can lay flat and you can easily store them in your packs. They have a 5 year shelf life as opposed to a 1 year shelf life so you don't need to rotate it as often however they are a little harder to drink out of unless you have a cup in your pack.







3. Water boxes. They are in the shape of a juice box and also have a 5 year shelf life but are also more expensive.



Also it is VERY IMPORTANT to have money in your packs for emergencies as well. We may not have debit cards or credit cards to be able to use due to electricity being out and things like that. They say to put low dollar amounts and coins in your packs so start with $1 bills. Through this weekly challenge store $1 in each person's pack every week until you have $100 and then start adding $5 and $10 bills to each pack. You never know if you will need to get gas or anything like that. So this week put $1 in each of your packs and continue on each week doing the same. If you don't have enough money then put what you can. Even if it's just a quarter.

Week 4 Challenge

This week get 8 cans of tomato soup for every two adults in your family. Remember that if you follow these weekly challenges you will have your years supply in 52 weeks. Go ahead and jump in wherever you can!

72 hour kits Week by Week

I will be teaching a class on 72 hour kits at my home this thursday at 7:00 pm. If you want to learn more about them and what to put in them then come and see! I will be posting a week by week to do list to be able to build your own kits from home and in a broken up way so that it isn't too overwhelming. So for the first week your to do list is.......

If you are just starting or will be seriously re-vamping your kit, you should start by deciding how you want to package it:

• It needs to be something you can carry relatively easily.
• It needs to be durable.
• It should be as lightweight as possible.

If you’ve already got your kit and will just be updating it, then take a week off!
Here are a few ideas I’ve seen (and my opinions on them). Feel free to share your ideas and opinions if you’ve got them in the comments below:

Option #1: A cooler or suitcase on wheels

• Easy to drag behind you, meaning you don’t have to actually carry it.
• May be difficult to use over tough terrain.
• Would be heavy / difficult if you ever DID have to carry it.
• Durable.

Option #2: A large tupperware type tub.

• Relatively durable.
• Lightweight.
• Can easily see & find what is inside.
• Very difficult to carry.

Option #3: Backpacks

• Very lightweight, but must be on your back at all times.
• Will be heavy once packed.
• Could put them in a wagon and pull them unless / until forced to carry them.

Option #4: Wheeled Backpack

• Could be carried if needed, but can also be pulled behind you to make things easier unless covering rough terrain.
• Heavier than a traditional backpack would be.

I personally have backpacks for our whole family and I have them all in the same color. They don't have to be exactly the same brand but I figured I would do the same color so that we know what color to look for in case anyone were ever separated from us. I also labeled each of the backpacks so that we know whose is whose.

Week 3 Challenge

This week get 20 pounds of sugar for every two adults in the family. The cannery has sugar in next month's rotation so it would be really easy to get it while you're there!

Week 2 Challenge

Here's a great one to get this week! Fry's has their campbells soup cans on sale currently and this weeks challenge is to get 5 cans of cream of chicken soup for every 2 adults in the family.

New Year, Great time for food storage resolutions!

This year I will be repeating the 52 week challenge to help you get your food storage a little bit at a time. I will also be incorporating more ideas and such as I find them. This challenge is meant to help you get things that are easy to buy at the grocery stores and it is based off a $5 a week budget however due to the economy things may be more expensive from time to time based on what's on sale and what's not. SO now's a GREAT time to start!!! Don't get overwhelmed if you fall behind. Just do what you can and it will add up fast!

For the first week in the challenge this is an extremely easy one to get.....6 pounds of Salt. You can find it for as cheap as 35 cents for a one pound canister at your local grocery stores. Cheap and easy to get!!

I know that food storage can be a very overwhelming task to start but I promise you that it will add up quickly and you just need to get started. The Lord blesses us for our obedience and you will see the blessings in your food storage endeavors.