Stocking Up

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

Stocking Up

hiccups · Future Queen in Zion

I have my year's supply of toothpaste, maybe that would work for diaper rash in a pinch? (Stay with me here, just imagine the minty freshness!)

-- Edited by hiccups at 13:43, 2007-10-03

Valhalla · Profuse Pontificator

Uh, one day my father in law did that, except he got it backwards. He put the diaper rash creme on his toothbrush and began brushing.

I too have thought about what you said, Coco. Those with children would not have an easy time of it. I have thought of the early church members in MO, the women and children forced to flee that had no shoes on even. I could not image having to care for small children and babies. I have just a wife and two boys, that is enough.

Bearing this very thing in mind affects how I prepare our BOBs. I make them seasonal and have cold weather gear and such.

mirkwood · Senior Bucketkeeper

Non food storage items are often overlooked in preparedness/storage.

From my lesson:

Miscellaneous Items
There are many more things that should be considered when making preparations. If you have pets you should plan on how you will take care of them. Nobody else will take care of your pets for you, but with a little planning, you will be able to take care of them (http://www.rogmo.com/82.html). I like my cats and so I have prepared for them to be able to eat as well.
Medical issues should be examined as well. If there are members of your family who take prescription medications you need to plan on how to get through an extended period of time without the ability to get more medicine. Most prescriptions are for three months, so in the case of a short term disaster this may not be an issue. If you intend to acquire more then three months of your medications you need to consult with your doctor to see if this is feasible and legal.
Non prescription medications should also be stored. Over the counter pain relievers and various antacid and anti-diarrhea medications would be a wise choice. If you find you are living for an extended period of time on food storage items you are likely to find some stomach and intestinal discomfort during the transition time as you become used to the dietary changes.
After these items you may consider the various non food items that you regularly use in your home. Soap, toothpaste, contact lens solutions, feminine products and toilet paper are among the most common items. You also may consider storing paper plates and plastic silverware for the convenience of not having to wash items. This would also help reduce consumption of your water supplies.
Candles and some good quality flashlights with extra batteries is another good item. I am not a fan of the shaking flashlights. They do not provide a good amount of light for any length of time. I believe you would be better off investing in a couple of good flashlights and some extra batteries. I would make sure one of the flashlights runs on lithium batteries which have a ten year shelf life. I carry Surefire lights at work (http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/max_segment_listing/disp/strfnbr/6/sesent/00) and have been quite happy with their quality. You might also consider an LED (http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/common/search/search-results1.jsp?QueryText=LED+flashlights&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=LED+flashlights&noImage=0) as one of your flashlights. These tend to have extended battery life. They run on either lithium or regular batteries. You also need to realize that a flashlight is a tool designed to help you see something, or accomplish a task and then shut it back off. Flashlights are not for sitting around and reading with or playing games. If you intend to use a flashlight in that manner you had better stock up on a lot of batteries. If you use your flashlights in this manner you will quickly use up your battery supply.
Take some time to go through your home and see what sorts of non food items you use regularly and then stock up on them. Also consider what you would not be able to use if the utilities were out for an extended period of time and see if there is something you could purchase as a replacement to use if the utilities were out.
You also should have some cash in the home. The amount you decide on should be no more than you can reasonably afford to not have in the bank earning interest for you. Any cash in the home should be stored in a good safe if you have one or very well hidden. This money should be in small bills for the same reasons you would have small bills in a Car Kit.

-- Edited by mirkwood at 16:15, 2007-10-03

Cocobeem · Keeper of the Holy Grail

Over the counter meds I think is a great idea. Stuff like infant tylenol and children's allergy stuff, etc. etc... You know, even if my kids are older by the time any *stuff* affects me personally, there will always be people I can help out with it. Can you imagine the stress of something like a power-outage and trying to calm a screaming teething baby? I'm going to start getting a couple over the counter meds each time I go shopping.

Can you see it? "Oh, the gangs are comin'? Well... you all go ahead, I'll catch up... I've sorta got the runs..." Yeah, that'll work. rolleyes

And the deal with the cash... that's a good idea. I was in West Yellowstone once with four kids and no husband (he was joining us on vacation in a couple days) and there was a power outage. We didn't know how long it was going to last or what was going on. It was about 4 hours altogether. We were hearing rumors that all of Idaho was out. I'm thinking, "Great. The terrorists nail our power and I'm up here with all the kids, no MrCoco, not enough gas to get home and a pathetic $28 in cash."

WHAT WAS I THINKING? Sort of a wake-up call...