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?
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| Week #21: Pets | Week #19: Hygiene | Week #1: Packaging Your Kit | Series Into: Survival Kit Series, A Week by Week Approach |
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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.
Love this site! I really need to get on top of this stuff, we have the basic food and water, but other than that, we just put in random stuff when we think of it. This week I will work on organizing our packs better and taking inventory, and then adding a sewing kit, compass, and grocery bags.
Sounds great Marissa! I’m glad you enjoy the site!
Zip ties and plastic bags will be going into my kit. FREE AND EASY, can’t beat that! I like the hair ties idea for sure. I’d probably end up cutting my hair off pretty quick if I couldn’t keep it out of my face when I wanted/needed to!
Me too Sara!
I have not seen any comments about “ranger bands”. Which are just used bike tire inner tubes that can be used to attach things to your pack or to bundle things together. They can also be used to start a fire in any weather. They burn hot and long. Maybe not the healthiest choice but in a survival situation, they would be a good thing to have. Plus the fact that you can get them for free at any used bike shop by just asking. You can get bigger tires for wider bands also.
Awesome Vicki, thanks!
For now, I am planning to add water, water purification, pumps and storage containers for storing and gathering water. Also, when I do the grocery shopping, I buy extra canned goods and non perishable food items. This is all we can afford right now. Eventually, I want to invest in Long-term emergency food storage. I would love to win this give away so that we can begin our Long-Term food storage.
Wow, am I ever confused. I am working on my BOB too. I have most of these items, but they are scattered all over(garage, car, camper, emergency closet and in the junk drawer. I have failed to focus on having these items specifically in one place. I guess it is because, I am focused on building my food and water storage. I do think that we should plan for the worst and hope for the best. Thanks for opening my eyes to what we should be doing. I will be working on getting BOB for each person in the house. Thanks and God bless.
Just having them at all is a GREAT start Dawn! Glad to have you here!
Will be adding most of the things on the list above except for the battery charger this time around. And the best thing….we already have everything!!! Gotta love free!!! Thanks for the post….love this blog!
Free is fabulous!
I have Rope, Sewing Kit, Zip Ties and a little altoids box with fishing line, hooks, weights and a bobber on the outside secured with rubberbands. I doubt I will ever need to fish to find my own food. But I saw the idea on youtube somewhere and just had to do it. (mostly because I had everything already) I’ll be adding more stuff to my pack next go around.
I think that is a great idea Tiffany! Doesn’t take much space, but could be so useful if you ever really needed it. Thanks!
My sister, mother and I have teamed together to focus on one or two items to add for our kits and learning a new skill every month. This month we’ve added tarps and twine to our kits so that next month we can use them to learn our skill of preparing emergency shelters. This month I have also gotten electrical tape, fire starters and flashlights to add to my kit.
What a fabulous plan! Glad you have a “team” to work with!
I really need to add something like the solar power pack to our emergency kits. Perhaps you could answer a question for me? Can you use other brands of rechargeable batteries in the Goal Zero Guide power pack? I ask because I would like to have a spare set of batteries charging while I’m using a set in my our radios. Thanks a ton!
Yes, as long as they are rechargeable batteries, you can use any brand!
We have rubber bands, grocery bags, a sewing kit, and duct tape. I think the biggest thing that we still need is rope! We also still need a compass, but that is less of a priority in my area.
A few years ago my son and I attended some community disaster preparedness trainings offered by our local fire department. They were awesome! The intent was to teach citizens to be self-reliant in a disaster assuming that emergency responders may not be accessible during a disaster. There was so much information shared over the course of these 5 days that was so helpful but overwhelming. I encouraged my employer to allow staff to take these classes offered 2 times per year on company paid time. I work for a non-profit affordable housing management company. Our employer is awesome and agreed to allow staff. Since then about 25 of us have taken the course and we encourage our tenants, over 500 units. We also coordinate with the United Way and Red Cross, both great resources. But your website and suggestion to break our kits down to doable and affordable weekly increments is fabulous. I have shared this resource with some of our own Resident Services Coordinators and they have shared with residents. Thank you for your help.
This week I will add to my own kit diapers, duct tape, grocery bags, more money (love this part) and another canned food item. Happy packing.
Fabulous April! I love hearing stories like this of people helping people and caring for others. THat is what it is really all about! Way to go!
I feel like a good, yet compact, sewing kit is vert important because it could be used for so many things (repairing equipment, clothes, even stitching up wounds is absolutley necessary). I havent been able to find one that worked for me…so, I made my own. I found a clear heavy duty plasic bag-like container that zips closed at our local craft
store. Then I added heavy duty upholstery thread, regular thread and several different sized needles. I also have different sized zip ties, empty plastic grocery bags and rubberbands. I like all of these items because, with a little creativity, they all have seemingly endless uses in a wide variety of situations. 🙂
Thank you Jennifer! I’ve added it to the list!
I have most of that already in my kit. We recently picked up a solar battery charger with multiple adapters. I have our multi-tool in there as well. I will definitely be adding some razor blades to the kit though. Thanks for that idea.
I like the comment about adding something to sharpen knives with. We have most things on your list, but need to add a solar charger.
I have all of these items in my kits. I have two kits…one for at home and one that almost duplicates the first with a few exceptions. In the car bag I have added a couple of pouches of germade, some generic Tylenol and hand sanitizer. I also have a fleece sleeping bag for warmth in case I get stranded somewhere. I also have a set of jumper cables. Always enjoy your blog and the great ideas you share with us.
I am sorely lacking tools. I will need more plastic bags /ties ( just have 1/person) and a solar charger. I have duct tape but need to put it with our backpacks- not stored in a closet. Great idea about using the bags around socks to insulate from wet/cold.
Congrats Christa! Enjoy!
I have these things in my main kits, but need to add a compass to the car kits to go with my maps.
I have many of the tools you mentioned and some emergency cash, but not many quarters. I need to be more consistent with that.
Don’t know about quarters, but I used to carry the penny for milk in the toe of my shoe 🙂
I plan on getting razor blades. Easy enough, but something I don’t have.
Someone recently suggested hiding $10 or $20 in your car just for emergencies.
I also saw an idea of folding plastic bags into little triangles. I liked that idea. Keep in mind that lots of the plastic bags have holes in them. Just pay attention to that little detail.
We have plastic bags, ties, rubber bands, bungee cords, a compass and lots of batteries. But the rest we need to add this week. Where do you store all those quarters?
I only have 4 rolls of quarters. And once I hit $100 per person, I started saving larger billls. (-:
Thanks for helping to make this easier. I’m adding duct tape! Happy day, msk
We made the paracorde bracelets for a family night activity so that is something we will be adding to our kits! They were really easy to make, there are tons of tutorials online. Then you have the rope added to your kit without having to take up extra space. I also liked all the ideas about grocery bags and we have those on hand so I’ll throw some of those in as well, thanks for the tips!
I added paracord to the list. Can’t believe I forgot it!
I’m surprised you didn’t have a multi tool on the list!
Compasses are great to have, but you need to know how to use it. We pack a Boy Scout handbook that has clear directions plus LOTS of other useful information. You also want to pack maps for the are you’re going to – a compass without maps is only good for telling you you’re going “thatta way” – a map tells you HOW to get out.
Multi tools were on the list a few weeks ago! (-: ANd I completely agree about the map. It was also on a previous week and I had someone do a complete series last year all about reading maps! It was fabulous!
I remember the tools article, but the multi tools are so useful and small that any bag (or whatever) that has “tools” in it gets a Wave thrown in.
The compass without maps is a pet peeve. So often I hear people talking about having a compass in their bag and they think that the compass alone will save them. An emergency evac is no different from any other trip (although more urgent). Without directions, you’re not getting to your destination.
I forgot to add an _accurate_ analog watch (the old kind with hands). With a compass, maps, an analog watch, and a view of the sun, you can get a good idea of where you are _now_ so you can figure a route to get out.
I couldn’t find the article you mentioned about navigating. Do you have a link for it?
A sharpening stone knives dull quickly and so do scissors it helps to have one of these! Also. Gerber makes a gator jr which is a small sized saw/ machete combo. Fishing line and hooks would be great in case its a long term issue then any stick is a pole:) coffee filters take up little room & weight and make good filters for the muck in water. Also I have a flint stone that is magnesium and works every time wet or dry. Don’t forget a note pad and a sharpie
it looks like i have most of these item already, but i think i could add some zip ties and grocery bags
We have a lot of these smaller tools, but I need to add a solar charger to our kit. And I wouldn’t have thought of rubber bands, great idea!