Week 9 - First Aid Kit, 72 Hour Kit Options, Home Storage Continued

Week 9 – January 27 First aid supply list:

Miscellaneous Medical Supplies:

Add ointments, creams, cold and flu medications, pain relievers, prescription medications, cough drops, allergy medications and any other items you would like in your first aid kit. Large diameter straws for repackaging items into individual doses.

72 Hour Kit Optional Additions:

See 72 hour kit levels page and customize remainder of kit to your needs.

Home food storage: Continue creating complete meal packs and setting aside for future use if not completed. Purchase at least 1 can of each family members favorite food.


Now package the creams, ointments, and other medications into small amounts in straws.  I saw milkshake straws at Bed Bath and Beyond.  They have a very large diameter and can easily hold pills if your regular straws are not large enough.

Here are the items I used: scissors, extra small funnel, hemostats or needlenose pliers, fine tip permanent marker, large diameter straw, ruler, and masking tape.

For the ointments I measured and cut the straw into 2 inch segments.

Pinch the end of the straw closed and place the flame of the lighter close to the straw. I like using the blue part of the flame, because it doesn't turn the straw black.  The flame doesn't need to touch the straw to melt it closed and it only takes a second or two.  Check for holes and heat again if needed.

Squeeze the ointment into the straw.  This ointment had a larger opening than the straw.  I used a toothpick to push the ointment into the straw and added more and use the toothpick again.  I cleaned off the edge of the straw and squeezed the open end closed and pushed the ointment down to the center of the straw.  A milkshake straw would have been good for this.

Then I held that end closed and sealed it like the first end.  Check this end for holes too.

I copied the ointment name and expiration date onto a piece of masking tape.

Wrap the masking tape around the new ointment package and place in your first aid kit.

For liquid medications seal one end of the straw.  Measure the dose.  Pour it into the straw (this is where the tiny funnel comes in handy), cut the straw off at least 3/4" past the liquid and seal closed.  Label with item name, expiration date, and dosage amount.
You may want to group you items together into resealable snack bags just in case something leaks. They are easier to find also when grouped together.  Label the bag for locating quickly.

I found a bag of  little containers like this at a thrift store and bought them with a crafting project in mind for them. Here is the container open.  I have no idea what it is for, but I several of them with pills in them. 

 Here is a picture showing the depth of the container.

You can see they are a little larger than my thumb nail.  I am using these for the pills in my first aid kit.  I love that the labels already there and ready to be written on.

Week 8 - First Aid Kit, 72 Hour Kit Options, Home Storage Continued

Week 8 – January 20

Add Miscellaneous Medical Supplies to First Aid Kit

Suggestions: ointments, creams, cold and flu medications, pain relievers, prescription medications, cough drops, allergy medications and any other items you would like in your first aid kit.  We will collect these items for 2 weeks.  Next week we will repackage items into individual doses.  Large diameter straws will be needed for this.

Wal-Mart has a good selection of the above mentioned items in blue cardboard bins for 88¢ each.

72 Hour Kit Optional Additions – Half of a roll of toilet paper (3 days supply) and wipes or hand sanitizer.  A stack of wipes can be taken from a large container and placed into a resealable bag.

Home food storage – Continue creating complete meal packs and setting aside for future use if not completed. Purchase at least 1 can of each family members favorite food.

Washoe County, Nevada Residents:
To get Regional Emergency Alerts go to www.readywashoe.com In the center of the page is “get the message” for code red notifications.
All others should check their county website for emergency alert notification.

Week 7 - First Aid Kit, 72 Hour Kit Options, Home Storage Continued

Week 7 – January 13
Wound cleaning items and Disposable Gloves

Wound cleaning suggestions: Small sliver of soap in a resealable bag and a bottle of water, and/or saline solution.  Anything containing alcohol or peroxide is no longer recommended to use for cleaning. See First Aid page for more detail.

72 Hour Kit Optional Additions – Photo copy important documents and place in a resealable bag.

Document Suggestions: Birth Certificate, shot records for children, Social Security card, insurance cards, vehicle registration, marriage or divorce certificate, and drivers license.

Home food storage: Continue creating complete meal packs and setting aside for future use.

Original legal documents should be together in a safe place that will allow quick retrieval in an evacuation situation with time to collect important items.  See Legal Document Suggestion page for a more complete list of documents to keep together.

Week 6 - First Aid Kit, 72 Hour Kit Options, Start Home Storage

Start a minimal First Aid Kit

Week 6 – January 6

Container to hold medical supplies.  A variety of bandages.

Container Suggestions: Pencil box, kid’s lunch box, quart size plastic, large baby wipe box, or cloth bag.

Bandage Suggestions:  Miscellaneous sizes of individual bandages, long strips of cloth such as sheets and muslin. Cloth can be folded and used as needed on a wound, used as a sling or torn into strips and tied to hold bandaging in place. Feminine flat and cylindrical products are excellent for major injuries.

72 Hour Kit Optional Additions:
Add feminine products if needed.   Add a light source.

Light Sources Suggestions: flashlight, small candles and matches or disposable lighter, or glow sticks.  Wooden matches can be dipped into wax to make them waterproof.

Ideas to start home food storage:

Create a two week menu and buy extra items on the menu until you have an addition two weeks supply of those meals.

Inventory you current food supply and purchase items needed to create complete meals.

Bag or box and label complete meals and place in designated food storage area.

Start purchasing anything extra.  Commit to a can or two each shopping trip, a planned dollar amount with the unspent amount saved for expensive items, or go on-line and find a weekly plan to follow.