For the last few weeks in preparation for my goals this year, I have been on Pinterest and researching on the internet different ideas for helping make emergency preparedness and food storage easy and affordable. There is so much information out there that it can get a little overwhelming to say the least! Most people will give up a month or so into it because it seems like too much to take on. I have definitely felt that way before myself, so I understand.

With all the information I have gathered and read, I decided the best place to start would be with our 72 hour kits. I have been meaning to, for the last 5 years or so, to rotate our 72 hour kits every six months, around conference time, but my thoughts and good intentions didn't quite make it to actually pulling them out and rotating them. So being so excited to start this yesterday, I began pulling down our backpacks to go through them.

I opened the first one and started pulling things out, only to find that we had maggots all through the backpack. I was disgusted, appalled and very upset, with myself and the stupid little nasty bugs infesting my things! I talked to my husband and my sister and with their  council decided to just throw away the backpacks and anything else that had the little critters in it and start fresh!

I did have flashlights and zip locks of first aid kits that could be salvaged, so I will Clorox the flashlights and assemble brand new kits, with the intent and follow through of rotating and checking them every six months. I will even put reminders on my calendar and make sure it gets done. I will not let this happen again!

With that in mind, here are a few of the items I will be putting in my 72 hour kits:

First aid kit
Toilet paper
Sanitary supplies
Extra pair of glasses
Duct tape
Head lamps
Work gloves
Written copy of addresses and phone numbers
Sewing kit
Candles (tea lights)
Wet wipes
Extra batteries
Zip lock baggies
Important information and documents
Mess kit or foldable bowl and utensils
Food for nine meals and snacks
Clothing: sweat pants and shirt, t-shirt, underwear, socks, hat sunglasses
Scissors
Personal hygiene items
Whistle
Light sticks
Mylar blanket
Poncho
Hand warmers
Emergency cook stove
Folding shovel
Knife
Portable radio
Medicines

This is just a list of what things I have thought of so far. As I think of more and decide how to put them together, I will continue to post. If you have any extra ideas, please leave comments so we can all become prepared together!

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear!"