Welcome! 
Welcome to week #22 in the “72 Hour Kit Ideas: A week by week approach” series.
This series is all about making it simple and do-able to get a 72 hour kit put together for you and your family.
Creating such a kit can be overwhelming and financially difficult to do all at once. But through this series, I’ve broken it down for you into 26 small steps! You can see all the steps here. Just take one small baby step each week and in 6 months you will have a well stocked, personalized kit!
You can even go through the series a few times over a year or two adding just the most basic supplies the first six months and then a few more “extra” supplies each time you cycle through it again.
Want even more help?
This series is also available as an e-book. Purchasing the e-book gives you a few additional benefits over just reading the free series:
- Additional details and tips
- The ability to print the entire book!
- Pictures of my own kit showing just how I pack each week.
Download “Your Own 72 Hour Kit Plan” E-Book Now!
* Some links in this post are affiliate links meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may get a small commission if you make a purchase. Some links (those to Thrive Life) actually provide you with a discounted price. Thanks for your support in this way!
Last Week:
I hope all of you were able to get what you will need for your pets last week!
Week#12: Cash
In a true disaster, if the power is out, you will not be able to use credit card machines, ATMs, etc. You will need to have cash. This week, add cash to your kit!
Make sure that most of the cash you add is in very small bills. Others may not have change, so if all you’ve got is a $50 bill and you need $10 in gas, that $10 of gas is going to cost you $50! I suggest having mostly $1 bills with a few $5 and $10. I also suggest having a roll of quarters so you can use pay phones if needed.
What We Have Done in Our Family:
We have about $200 in our kits. $150 of it is in $1 bills. The rest is in $5 and $10 bills.
There is nothing magic about this number. That is just how much I have gathered and put into our kits so far. I will continue adding to it every month. Just do what you can! Anything is better than nothing!
How About You?
Do you already have cash in your kit? Does having that there make you feel a bit more secure?
Skip to:
| Week #21: Pets | Week #19: Hygiene | Week #1: Packaging Your Kit | Series Into: Survival Kit Series, A Week by Week Approach |
.
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
We need a good compass but until we can afford one I found some small ones that you can attach to your bag or belt. If anyone is like me if I actually had to use a compass I would constantly wonder if it was correct or not. So I fiqured for 5 bucks it would just give me an added piece of mind being able have multiple compasses so I would be able to compare them to each other. Also the fact that you could clip them to your pants was great just incase something were to happen to your pack. We have a solar cell charger. I like the idea of diaper bags. I had some left over because we never needed them so this is a great use for them. Thanks for the idea jenR
Great idea about the compasses Christina! Thanks!
Great ideas! I already have most of them. I still need to get some quality rope and a good compass. I think those are very important, and definitely worth getting higher-quality ones. Sometimes the dollar store just doesn’t cut it. 😉
True Nicole. The dollar store is great for MANY things, but not everythign!
Great suggestions! I have many, but will have to go back through and see if I missed anything.
I picked up a flat pack of HandiSacks at Target when my children were babies. I really like carrying these better than recycling grocery bags because they are 1) heavier, 2) have no “surprise” holes, and 3) can hold more in the same space because they’ve never been unfolded. There are several rolled bags sold for diaper disposal that would be great too. They aren’t much bigger than a film canister, but beware, some of them are fragranced. I’ve even seen them in the dollar store. Bags make decent gloves in a pinch too!
We also carry a few ziploc-type bags and we keep nitrile gloves in an old film canister.
Living in the desert, we always carry a fine tooth comb. Not only can you comb your hair for very little weight, it’s great to pull cactus pads out. A good multi-tool with pliers and tweezers handle the misc. spines and stickers. 🙂
Hair ties are a better choice here as rubber bands dry out quickly. I have had hair bands last for years. We bundle many items with them, in the home and in our packs.
Great tips Jen! Especially for the hotter weather!
Lots of good ideas here. I like to cut the cardboard tube out of a partial roll of duct tape with a razor knife and pliers. Once you’re down to the sticky side of the tape step on the roll to flatten it. It takes up far less space to pack and no longer rolls away from you if you drop it.
I flatten my toilet paper rolls, but had never thought about the duct tape. Great idea. Thanks Greg!
Greetings!
i have JUST started here. I have a Boy Scout Son, who is a 1st Class Rank. He is working on Eagle required Merit Badges, on of which is Emergency Preparedness.
Wow! What a daunting task!
Your system here, broken down into affordable segments & into weekly goals will be a great resource!
He has a Jet Boil personal camp stove (about the size of a travel mug) he keeps in his backpacking pack. Along with a hydration pouch with drinking hose, a few clip on water bottles, a Swiss Army Knife, flash light/lantern, rain gear, change of clothes in a gallon ‘lock’ bag with air squeezed out, extra socks, backpack tent, compressed pack sleeping bag, granola bars, foil pouch chicken, Ramen noodles, jerky, peanut butter & tube of crackers (bought the tube separately). His wish list is for a water filtration system. He has used the Scoutmaster’s system on campouts & said it works fine. So, he has a good start on personal gear.
The E.P. Merit Badge requires him to build a kit for his family. This is where your system will help out! Thanks for being a resource for him! (and me, the parent to purchase items) 🙂
~ Konnie-with-a-K
You are welcome Konnie! And tell your son (and you, right) great job on the hard work on his scouting!
I am in need of a compass and a sewing kit. I also saw an ad on television for a cellphone charger that is solar powered. I will definitely be checking on that and also getting the compass and sewing kit this week.
Good luck Lyn!
I have made a belt out of 550 paracord that I can use for many things. I have it just wrapped around the base of my backpack and can use it around my waist if need be or to attach a sleeping bag to it. Then if I need the rope, I made it long enough to unravel a portion of it and still have enough length left to wear it around my waist. I ended up using 100 feet of rope to make the belt. They are easy to make and very functional.
I still need to get a compass. I was looking at them at the store today and I really have no idea which would be the best for the money. I don’t want to purchase a cheap one just to have it not work in an emergency situation.
THat is one amazing belt Vicki! You should sell them! (-:
So weird you should say those particular items…I just picked up duct tape & zip ties at the dollar store for my kit, before I read this! I already have a sewing kit in there, but love the idea of the solar charger…I’ll be looking for one! I must add rope, too. I have some regular old scissors in my kit, but plan to add a box cutter as well. Will also be adding carabiners, plastic bags & a survival handbook, thanks to the other posters! Thanks, as always, for this blog!
So funny Deb! Great minds think alike! (-:
This website is awesome! So thorough! Found a post of yours on pinterest. Helped me get going again on my.stash! I had never heard of shelf reliance. It sounds awesome. I’m going to look more into it. Surprised you cook.with your stash almost every day. Neat! Thank you.
I need some gorilla tape.
Welcome to the site Allie! Let me know if you have any questions.
It’s all these little things we forget about, but can make life easier. Just need the solar cell. And probably another pack of razor blades…mine are in my kitchen for cleaning and I’d miss them too much 🙂
Yes, there are some things you just have to have double of! (-:
Although DH knows how to navigate terrain, I would feel much better if my kit included a compass. We already have a sewing kit, battery charger/radio/flashlight, as well as regular string and duct tape. I find it useful to store the string by winding it around a pencil. The same can be done with duct tape, and rubber band could be put around a deck of cards. Also, unflavored dental floss can be used to slice some foods. Add binder clips or clothespins, and you could also have a clothesline.
Oh wow, so many good ideas that I never would have thought of. Zip ties…my fav. Have you guys seen those braided paracord bracelets? I encountered a store checker one time who wore one all the time just in case. I noticed it because of the braid, it looked like sailors weaves a friend of mine made in gold wire years ago.
Deb
The para cord bracelets are easy to make, but I prefer the belts because you have a longer piece of rope to be able to use for recue purposes or for making a substantial shelter if need be. The bracelets only have less than 20 feet of cord, where the belt can have 100 or more. They are so addicting to make. My 13 year old loves to make them too. Fun craft to do with the whole family. I have also taught my children to tie different knots with it just in case 🙂
I never would have thought of all those uses for grocery bags, aside from trash. We already have some of those items in our pack or car kit in the case of bungee cords. With the exception of a solar cell everything is already in the house and just needs to be collected into the pack. It’s a great feeling to already have most of the items for a category.
I actually carry multiple types of rope/cordage including paracord, a clothes line with a few clips, and twine. What I need to add is a nice compass.
I added a reusable bag, one that can fold into itself, as well.
I have all of those things in my kit. The zip ties are my very favs! Also, I keep a few bungies in there and some carabiners. All of those have so many uses!
Oh and the radio I purchased does have a flashlight and a red strobe light to summon help. Forgot to add that last week!
Great idea! thanks.
The plastic bags can also be tied around your feet/shoes to keep them dry in wet situations.
OH, yes! Great point! I will add that to the list next go-around!
If you put the plastic bags between your socks and your shoes, they are more effective.
Thanks Angela!
So Im so excited to say that I just received yesterday my Hand crank Wind N go 2 way Radio. They are AWESOME!!!! They dont need batteries. You just crank them up. I purchased them from 21st Century goods.com for $48.00. I also bought this stuff called insta~fire. You can watch there video on YouTube. You can start a fire on snow with just a spark and it will burn for up to 20 mins even if the wood is wet. I think everybody should have some of that in there bug out bags.
I love this site. Iv been trying to get tools that they use to use. Also I think everybody should have a survival book. The one I have is SAS Survival Handbook “How to Survive in the wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea”. By John “Lofty Wiseman. Its such an important tool because if you ever lost or got seperate from your bug out bag it teaches you how to survive. What plants you can eat. How to find water you can drink. Everything from handling every type of situation, from dealing with accidents to adapting to different climate. Hope this helps someone……..Thanks Sharon
We already have everything suggested this week except the solar cell/ battery charger. We will have to add one of those soon!
All in good time, right?
I also included razor blades in my kit. So many uses, small and compact, really really sharp, can be used where a knife cannot and easier to sterilize if you needed it for a medical emergency, and very affordable, they pack easily taking up little space. I bought a ten pack for just over 2.00.
Another great idea! I LOVE having such wonderful readers! Thanks Scarlet!
how about extra leftover plastic grocery bags? Barf kit-(sorry but true) put wrappers in after opening granola bars etc you might have to eat in emergency- quick head covering if raining out-etc! Many uses for them and they take up very little space and add almost no weight.
LOVE it! Fan-tabulous idea! Adding it right now…
Great idea about saving money in small bills and quarters. Seems like they would be easier I use than $20s and larger.
MUCH easier to use smaller bills in an emergency situation…not many will have change or be able to “break a $20”
I read that choosing bright colored duct tape is a good idea so it is easily found. also recommended wrapping an amount of tape around anything and everything you can so that no matter what item you have in your reach, you’ll have a small amount of duct tape handy. (pill bottles, water bottles, flash light, etc)
They also suggested getting dif colored tape for each person’s stuff. then it’s easier to repack things that have been pulled out if they have been colro coded in advance. I always try to color code my kids things so this is something i’ll need to work on doing.
i do love duct tape…. and use it on lots of things.
Great ideas and tips Rachel! Thank you!
I have all of those in my kit except for the solar charger. I have added it to my list for my next purchase. I have a car one but then you may not access to your vehicle if you have to be evacuated for some reason. Good idea! Good ole duct tape is another great idea and I saw some in PURPLE the other day. What a great way to add some cheer to a disaster kit with a spark of color!
Congrats to Nancy!
I have all of these items with the exception of the solar battery charger (which is on my wishlist). 🙂
Way to go!
Not sure how my comment on your post actually ended up on Nancy’s? LOL
I have hair ties in mine and a few rubber bands, not sure if you mentioned those but they may come in handy and are small. You are missing an “I” at the beginning 😉