Week 3 of 52 Weeks to Preparedness

Week 3 of 52 Weeks to Preparedness challenges you to evaluate your emergency medical supplies. To get started this week I went through all my supplies, disposing of outdated medicines and inventorying/organizing what was left.

This week’s list is pretty basic and I had just about everything on the list and more. I not only keep my regular medicine cabinet stocked but also have several pre-assembled medical packs that I have stored in my car, EDC, and 72-hour kits. I also recently invested in a basic first aid manual.

Ready Nutrition.com stresses that a home emergency medical supplies kit should be customized for your family’s needs. Things that I noticed that were missing from the list were OTC medicines for children such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and calamine lotion. Other essentials in our home include insect repellent, sunscreen, and tools like dosage spoons and a thermometer. Check out Parents.com for a good checklist of family medicine cabinet essentials.

I decided to purchase a new thermometer since the one I have has seen better days. I also purchased several cabinet locks; even though I store medicines and supplies out of reach, I like the added security of child-proof locks. One thing that I’m adding to my future purchases list is an extra pair of glasses; definitely a must-have but my prescription is a little pricey, so that purchase will have to wait just a bit.

One thing that I found odd about this list is it includes feminine hygiene supplies. I’ve never thought of these products as part of my first-aid supplies and, honestly, think they deserve their own list.

The most important action that I took this week was to sign up for a first aid / CPR class through the Red Cross. I have taken several first aid / CPR class before but none recently. I’m taking this opportunity to take an online class and refresh my training.

Until next time!

Week 2 of 52 Weeks of Preparedness

Week 2 of 52 weeks of preparedness focuses on obtaining basic tools for an emergency.

I thought this week was a big – and expensive – step from week 1. I would have predicted something more along the line of a 72-hour kit. This week’s items, if you don’t already have them, would be pretty expensive to purchase. Also, these tools require some experience to handle. While I have many of these tools because of my lifestyle and have people around me who know how to use them, I don’t think as a novice I would pick these tools up and start waving them around (hammer crowbar? wood saw? ax?).

Another thing about this week’s challenge is that it recommends you purchase a large trashcan to organize your tools in. While I understand storing emergency supplies in a dedicated space, it seems more practical to me to learn to use these tools and incorporate them into your daily life. I wouldn’t want to attempt to learn to use an ax for the first time in an emergency situation.

My first step this week was to inventory what I had and take the opportunity to organize it. To help with the organization component, I purchased a Rubbermaid Tool Tower ($39 Amazon).

I had a few of the bigger items including an ax and shovel. I also had many of the smaller items but I have them integrated into other kits. For example, I keep paracord and a multitool in my EDC. I also have a hand-cranked radio in my 72-hour kit and keep matches and lighters in both my 72-hour kit and pantry.

Some items that I need to invest in include new work gloves and a cordless drill.

Other useful items I think missed the list would be a tape measure, duct tape (check out these awesome “to-go” rolls on Amazon), and WD-40. Another item that I would include is an emergency gas/water shut off wrench. For a less expensive approach to this week’s challenge, I would recommend a household tool kit. I have gotten a tremendous amount of use out of the kit I recently purchased and kits are both affordable and compact and contain most of the basic tools that the average household needs.

Week 1 of 52 Weeks To Preparedness

In the new year, I have set myself a goal of following Ready Nutrition’s 52 Weeks of Preparedness. I have successfully finished the first week which focuses on setting aside about 72 hours of food for emergencies. I selected foods that have a long shelf-life, are (decently) healthy and is stuff that we already eat. As items approach their use by dates, I can rotate them into our daily pantry, use them up, and simply replace them in the emergency supply.

In brief, Ready Nutrition suggests water, peanut butter, juice, meat, soup, other non-perishable items, and beans.

To meet those suggestions, I purchased five gallons of Deer Creek water, Horizon Organic Milk, two boxes of Capri Sun (I couldn’t get the 100% juice locally), packets of tuna in water, Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup, and other non-perishable items such as oatmeal, applesauce, fruit leather, honey and hot chocolate mix. I also threw in some salt and pepper and hard candy.

I found an extra Coleman cooler in our basement that was the perfect size for storing all the items pictured above (because the water takes up so much space, I am storing it separately). The cooler will also be handy if for some reason we need to grab-and-go with our food supply.

I forwent the beans because those would be really hard to cook (especially if it was a situation where we didn’t have power) and I store beans in my regular pantry. I also discovered I only had one can opener in the house, so I decided to go ahead a purchase an extra one that I will leave in this kit. Even though nothing I currently have in my emergency supply requires a can opener, something I add in the future might and it never hurts to have a spare.

It felt good to accomplish week one. Looking ahead to week two, the focus will shift from creating a short-term food supply to investing in tools for the homestead.