Raggedy Ann and Andy -- Old clothes, new purpose.

All of us wear clothes...I hope. I haven't seen any people out there without clothes and I hope that doesn't become a trend. Anyone who wears clothes also knows that those clothes wear out over time. It doesn't matter what it is, those clothes are made of short, individual fibers of material which are strung together  into thread which is then woven into fabric and then cut and sewn into clothes. Anyone who has had a favorite towel, or bathrobe or socks know that occasionally they wear so long they go threadbare. I mean, the lint in the dryer doesn't appear out of nowhere. That is the loose fibers sloughing off of our clothes bit by bit until they are closer to window screens than clothing anymore.
Sometimes, the clothes are just fine but they have shrunk or we have grown (*ahem*) and there is nothing wrong with them. Most places have good secondhand stores such as Goodwill, Deseret Industries, St. Vincent DePaul, all places I have been. If you can donate them there. If not or if the clothes are less than usable, keep reading.
One of the key things to build up your emergency supply arsenal is in repurposing items from everyday life. Whoever has a garage and doesn't have a few washed out, tin cans for holding miscellaneous little stuff. Who doesn't have a pair of demoted tennis shoes for gardening? And how many people even remotely related to Boy Scouts haven't made a firestarter out of wax, wood shavings and a paper fiber egg carton. Clothes fall into the same realm.
Look at the clothes you wear. Some are spandex,wool,rayon, polyester, nylon, and cotton. Cotton and wool are natural fibers and both are designed to wick moisture away from the body.it is that absorbent feature that makes them so valuable. If you have old clothes that are no longer usable due to stains, rips, holes, etc. something you don't believe will be used at a thrift store, Keep them for rags. They are great in the garage and for scrubbing down things that, you really don't want to use your designer washcloths on. Here are a few tips:
DO try to pack like items together. keep jeans together, socks, together, and shirts together. If you want to demote some old towels or washcloths same thing. Bedsheets, curtains, anything made out of natural fiber is great for this purpose.
DO package them in good plastic bags and boxes. Mice and other vermin will nest in them if they know they are there. When vermin comes in for the winter they are looking for food and shelter including nesting material so bag it up and box the bags. DON'T cut them down.Leave sheets as sheets, pants as pants, and shirts as shirts. mark the bags and boxes as "clothes for rags" or "Pants for rags." or Shirts for rags" The reason behind this is say the world blows up and you eventually find yourself either out of clothes to wear or aren't warm enough, fashion won't matter. You would also be surprised what you could get in barter for a pair of pants with a stain on it. And of all of this,a pair of pants is probably more valuable to you or a barter customer as pants then as rags. It comes down to the point that if you keep them as pants, shirts,sheets, etc, then you have shorts or rags, pants or rags, blankets or rags, etc. if you turn them into rags beforehand, you have taken away the choice. Lastly, and somewhat unrelated but related, (like that!) Save shoes too. Ask any pioneer, (if you could) would they rather complete their trek across the plains with a worn pair of tennis shoes or bare feet. I think you could guess their answer. Shoes and clothes as barter items also mean there is no such thing as too much. I would rather than twenty boxes of them in my garage then two. Imagine what holes could be filled in my needs if I could barter them rather than having barely enough to tide me over for a while. Rags and/ or clothes to a person in need in an emergency, could make all the difference. 

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink.

How often does water come up in your thoughts of emergency preparedness? I know many of us who have made some efforts to prepare for emergencies have done some with water but have we done enough?
First, when disasters happen, immediate access to clean water from the usual sources could be cut off. Secondary sources such as irrigation ditches, puddles,lakes, streams etc could give water, just not potable water. These sources could be made potable, but it takes time and water is something we can only go a few days without.
First, the most common recommendation is to have at least one gallon of water per person, per day available for at least two weeks. For me and my family often people, that means ten gallons per day for up to 14 days. 140 gallons can take up a lot of room. Second we live in a desert, Utah being the second driest state in the nation. I also live in a big metro area so a lot of people will need water. That has induced me to save more potable ready to go water for my family. I have more than the minimum and I am glad of it.
What next? What if the emergency last longer than two weeks? Some people live in rather remote areas and it could take time before water is restored to these more distant localities. There are a few different methods for treating water. Filtration, Boiling, or chemical.
Filtration of water is a good method but it is only as good as the filters and containers being used. I have often imagined some people dumping a bucket of water into a filtration system and then using that same bucket to capture the filtered water! That may have helped with sediments, but not with bacteria, or other chemical wastes that could be in the water. I have also wondered how long it has been since some filters are changed. Understand, filters do get used up and the dirtier the water is when it goes in, the faster the filter gets used. Screen the water for bigger stuff then run it through several layers of clean cloth as a prefilter. That should get rid of a lot of the mud and other sediments. Then, run the water through the regular filter. That will extend the life of your filter and ensure you have clean water longer.
If your filter is not designed to handle biological or chemical contaminants, invest in a good one that does. Get to know your filter. If you have an under sink filter that uses cartridges for the filters, get a spare set. Sure they can be spendy but you may be very glad you have it.
Chemical treatment can be done with a variety of chemicals but understand, they only get rid of bacteria, viruses, and other biological nasties in the water. It does not "kill" the dirt. Bleach, iodine, and water purification tablets are the most common methods. Depending on the issues with the water you are using, you may need to use more or less. If the water is relatively clean usually a few drops of bleach will be enough to sanitize it. Put it in before you store it and then before using it, open the lid and let some of the bleach smell breathe off before use. For tablets, follow the directions on the package.
Boiling is a common method but uses fuel to get it to boil so I would hesitate at it unless the other methods are not available. Boil the water for a few minutes at least and keep it clean and safe from contamination. A home water distiller uses this method and is the safest of the boiling methods when used correctly.
All of these methods will certainly make non-potable water you have better than it was but no method is perfect. Even water pumped to you house now isn't perfect. Protecting your source is vital too so don;t bathe in the stream or wash your dishes in the lake. keep the water source pristine and carry water uphill and out of the way for use for any need, bathing, drinking,cooking or cleaning -- DON'T do any of it in your water source. When waste water is dumped. dump it into a pit,dug for the purpose so the water can go through the natural filter in the ground and not contaminate the rest of the system.
As the title of the blog implies, this is intended for someone without much money. It is true that some suggestions given here cost money. However, with some creativity and savings, clean water as an element of ones emergency preparedness, is worth saving up for and investing time in. 

Do you carry an adhesive bandage with you?

As a parent of eight children, most of which are still in the daredevil stage of "they will climb up onto everything and jump down into everything" how often do you find yourself needing a simple sterile adhesive bandage? I know my kids and looking at them, you will find some scrape, cut, bruise, or other little sign of childhood somewhere on their, knees, face, elbows, arms or wherever they got dinged. I have bought band-aids by the 100 count box for a couple of years now and we never have them long enough to expire. Kids need them...often.
However, from time to time, I need one. I get paper cuts or just walking around I bump into things, and occasionally I bleed. It would be nice if that never happened but I am not walking around in a canvas full body bubble suit  to prevent every thing. And usually it is just a little thing.
Some time ago, I started carrying a couple of band-aids in my wallet. They are small enough to fit in there and as there is only two it doesn't take up much room. I swap them out for fresh ones if I don't end up needing them. I have even recently thought about keeping an alcohol wipe in it too as often the things I do that cause me damage, are not ones that find my skin to be very clean.

First aid kit in detail

   First aid kits are an indispensible part of any home. There are challenges with keeping one and if your house is like mine, you have to go to it often, at least a couple times a week to care for one five year old daredevil or another. Also things expire, heat in a car causes some wrappers to separate and sterility of the bandages could be compromised. Despite these challenges, I encourage you to keep one up.
   Many first aid kits are made by various companies. Johnson and Johnson and Curad come to mind as well  as other outdoor products companies so what should you consider in a first aid kit? Is there any one kit that is better than another?

A typical backpackers first aid kit. Courtesy of REI.com Item # 832243

   As I mentioned in an earlier post, first aid kits, like 72 hour kits need to be customized to your needs and your habits. Some items could be in the "gray area" between a first aid kit item and a 72 hour kit item. An example would be splinting material. Definitely a part of a first aid kit but they never show up in the little boxes you get in stores. If they did, they would no longer be "little " first aid kits. Think about where you go and what you do regularly. Do you often go hiking? swimming? canoeing? What items would you hope to have in those situations? Write them down. Your kit is your own and needs to reflect your needs.
   For starters I would start with a regular base kit and customize from there. I would compare contents between kits and see how much of a given kit is stuff you would need and how much you may not need. How much would you need to add to the kit? What do you go through a lot of?
   One other consideration I have made in recent years is the container the kits are in. I had been buying these "clamshell " plastic cases as I had found them at Walmart. Good idea normally but I found the cases after being kicked around in my van broke and would not stay closed. If the container won't hold up, it will spoil all of the contents. Eventually, I found a soft case zippered first aid kit, almost like an LDS scriptures case and it has done very well. It had good contents and was still fairly compact. I have had it for over two years now and remain happy with it.
   Size of the kit. Variety should be based on who is involved and what you do  as mentioned above but size of the kit should be based on how many people are involved and what they do. With my kids we go through standard adhesive bandages "band-Aids" like candy. Lets face it. Kids hate shoes, kids love wearing shorts  and they have some sor t of fearless death wish with some of their activities. Then they have the gall to be surprised when it all comes to a screeching halt, sometimes literally as they go flying over their handlebars and slide across the asphalt for a few feet. That will take a few band-aids but sometimes some tape, gauze, and peroxide too. Be prepared for your little daredevils. Increase the size or number of items based on your needs. Don't put enough in for just one little incident. Make sure you have enough for more than one battle with childhood. Memos to self to refresh it right after you get home doesn't always happen. Just remember though, things expire so don't buy a box of 100 band-aids if you only use one or two once in a while. That leads us to...
   Rotation/Refreshing. Like with a 72 hour kit, I would rotate items that need it every three months. This does not me an replacing the whole kit every three months. Some items like a roller bandage or splints, or moleskin do not need to be refreshed that often. However, anything in the paper covers like band-aids, 2 x 2 gauze, etc should be rotated. Any medications, especially prescription ones should be rotated every three months if not sooner. Peroxide for example breaks back down to normal water with light and heat exposure. that is why they come in brown bottles. Over time all you have is water and they aren't good for much, even in the house. They are cheap so replace them as they expire and as needed. I would replace them out of a car kit well before the expiration as they have been stored in the hot car. Medications are often affected by heat and moisture so Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen, Aspirin, etc should be rotated out every rotation. You don't want o accidentally poison yourself because a medication has gone bad on you. One cautionary note. Isopropyl alcohol or "rubbing" alcohol is flammable and could be dangerous if a bottle was broken or spilled. Invest in the alcohol wipes instead. The little foil packages they come in are durable and when there is just a handful in a ziploc bag, they stay safe and limit waste. A bottle in a home kit should be just fine.
   Once you get your kits established, every three months, rotate the items out of your car kits, to the main home kit which should be larger. For example if you have two cars and each have ten standard band-aids, replace all ten with new ones from a package you bought new recently. Use them in the house and if they expire, throw them out and replace them. rotate them in the kit too so you know which ones are the oldest.
   Remember your kit is your own and is that stepping stone between an injury and healing. It could make all the difference in a real emergency that requires an ambulance too. Remember that as you do different activities to add different items. I keep mentioning splint material. If you don't normally consider that as part of your kit but decide to go hiking in red rock country or four-wheeling on sand dunes or bridge jumping, (all of which I have done,) it might be a good idea to add them to the kit temporarily. Sand makes lousy splint material and sage brush just doesn't cut it either. Be creative and if anything overly cautious with what you put in.
   Lastly, get some training. I will post an article about this later but if you haven't ever had CPR or First aid training, get it. It is offered often and is quite simple. You could be the difference between someone living or dying, between someone having a superficial injury or having it degrade to a life-threatening infection. I have seen both scenarios. Knowledge is key. Make a first aid pamphlet part of your kit if it did not already come with one. Practice splinting arms, legs, etc. on occasion to stay up on it.  Practice bandaging up wounds with a triangular bandage. Practice!

Here is another about.com article on first aid kits. http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/first_aid_kit.htm

72 hour kit/First aid kit

A few of us out there in the world have had the wisdom to prepare an emergency kit for our car and/or home. It often goes by 72-hour kit, bug out bag, etc. but the intent is still the same. I don't like the acronym SHTF for these situations and as I have talked with people about it I have often said when the world blows up..." yes I have a tendency toward the dramatic at times. For now I will just use the term "in an emergency..."
72 hour kits or bug out bags are an essential item to always have packed, fresh and ready to go in your car whether you are two miles from home at the grocery store or 200 miles away on a road trip. Where each of us lives and where each of us may have to travel to get to safety is very individualistic and could have quite an impact on what we choose to put in our 72 hour kits.
How we pack them could also have a big impact. For example, I have eight children ranging from 13 down to a few months. Many 72 hour kit suggestions say pack a bag for each person. My youngest three can't and wouldn't wear a backpack loaded with gear. theirs would have to be distributed among the rest of ours. Also with that many, there are some items that would be redundant such as a folding camp saw or hatchet. We don't need seven hatchets for those of us that could use them.
As for myself, I prefer a tall soft-sided weather resistant backpack. It stores easily in my truck and would be easy for me to carry. Don't use things like Rubbermaid/Sterilite totes etc for 72 hour kits unless it is solely to keep them organized and separated from the clutter of everyday life. In that case you would likely abandon the bin upon the need to depart.
Water is important, probably the most important thing you have in your kit. There are three components to your water kit. First a supply of water, already ready to be used. This needs to rotate just like your food. I bought a gallon jug with a good handle on it and spent a little extra money to make sure it had a thicker walled plastic on the container. Stuff takes a beating in my truck and I didn't want to need to go for it to find out it had sprung a leak and fouled the water. Second, have a ready to carry water bottle with built in filter. Seychelle makes a nice one found here: http://www.seychelle.com/ it is a little spendy but works well. Third have a readily available way of filtering a water source if you come across one like streams, puddles, irrigation, swimming pools, etc. The water bottle incorporates that above, but if it cannot be afforded make sure you are not "one and done" with the ready source mentioned in point 1 above. Water is priceless, invest in it for your family.
Food is also important, just remember it will be in the kit for months so make sure it is not something that will melt. I have some trail mix (without chocolate) beef jerky, lemonheads and some crackers in mine. I am sure there are better things but this is what I will eat and what I have started with. A nice big can of beef stew might be more appealing to some but remember, you need to carry what you pack and the products of a case lot sale maybe more than you can handle.
First Aid kit. This is where a lot of differences occur. The most important thing to remember win this is that nomtter what you think, you could suffer anything from a bee sting to a broken femur in an emergency situation so have what you believe you need. You know your routine and where you drive. I drive in a crowded valley but then up into a canyon daily. Rockfall is one thing I could. Triangular bandages and some simple splint material as well as a walking stick is part of my supply. I also have a knife and saw in case the issue is not so "simple" and I need to fashion something.
Maps. We all may like our GPS's and all but a good map book is not dependent on batteries. Hopefully most of us know the lay of the land around our own home within 50 to 100 miles enough that we could get home without a map but carry one anyway. If you travel farther than that, it would be good to have a good road atlas. lastly, if you will be in rough terrain without any unique landmarks, a good contour map marked with your path and area you will be in both with you and left with a friend at home would be a great idea. Know where you are going and make where you are going known.
Practice. Once you get a good kit together, try a weekend day hike  with just what you have in your kit. Through the urban jungle or a ten mile hike overnighter  with just what you have. Take a small notebook and write down the impulses and thoughts about what you have and what you wish you brought like, "I usually wear dress shoes to the office. Maybe I should have a sturdy pair of shoes or boots with my kit" or another, I usually wear a skirt. maybe a pair of jeans and a good shirt would be wise" Write the thoughts down and try different things. Go with someone and get their impressions too.
Update. Summer is not winter. I would suggest updating your kit on the quarters of the year. Update your food, clothing, etc. at the end of March for wetter spring weather, end of June for hotter summer weather, end of September for cooler even winter weather, and check again the end of December to ensure you have all you need for a "hunker in the car" winter survival. Always refresh your food on these quarters. As unappetizing as my two month old saltines may sound to some, Two year old saltines are worse. Refresh them as often as needed to keep them usable and choose things that can take some time in the car. Grow the clothes as your kids grow and grow the portions too.
Customize. Nobody knows you better than you. You know your route, your typical haunts, and where you usually go. pack a kit accordingly. Multipurpose some things. Diaper wipes are great for babies diapers which you may need to pack as well, but could work well for wet wipes as well. If you have pets, pack appropriately for them as well, including a small package of pet food. try it test it and as you confront problems ask others what they would do. Advice on what and how to pack is a great way to improve upon it.

72 hour kits are not the be all and end all of emergency Prep. Likely there will be some coordinated response from organizations bot government and non. A 72 hour kit is to help you be in the best condition you can be to survive until you can return to civilization again or when civilization can return to you.

For the beginners and the rest of us who would like a good place to start here is a link to a good list I have found: http://lds.about.com/od/preparednessfoodstorage/a/72hour_kit.htm

post feedback below, I would like to hear about it. I will be doing detailed segments on each part  of my kit and would like input. Also, don't forget to enter your e-mail address on the right  ----> to follow this blog. You never know what might help!!

Next article: First Aid Kit details.