72-Hour Kits: Task 10 - Miscellaneous B

With today's post, the 72-hour kits will be wrapped up! This is such a huge accomplishment. We hear over and over again to get our 72-hour kits ready, and there are always natural disasters happening all around the world. It's time to "get 'er done". No more excuses. No more procrastinating. This is the day to finally get your 72-hour kits done and on the shelves. If you haven't been following along, click the 72-hour Kit tab above, and start at the beginning -- step by step.

Today we'll finish up the Miscellaneous List for the Main 72-hour Kits:

2 whistles
2 flares
compass (may not be needed, but it's so small, it's easy to tuck in a corner)
magnifying glass
small sewing kit w/ upholstery thread
crayons, notebook
pencils & hand sharpener
puzzles, games (for small children)
scriptures 
newspaper (40 sheets)
contact information - family and friends
updated family photo
cash
extra house key

Look at that list and decide which items you want or need in your own 72-hour kit. Remember, these lists are guidelines, and you should adjust to whatever your own needs are.

A few things to think about...
-you may wonder why you need an updated family photo. This helps in finding other members of your family, if it comes to that.
-contact information may seem unneeded too, with the technology we have today. If cell phones can't be used, would you know all of your family and friend's phone numbers by heart? I know I wouldn't. I'd be up a creek for sure.
-cash. Stash just a bit of cash in your 72-hour kits. $20 - $100. Somewhere in that area. Just for incidentals. Hopefully you'll have all of the items you'll need already, but just in case you need to purchase something, it's good to have some cash.
-newspaper. This is purely for using as liners, insulators, and whatever else you might come up with.

Now, if you're also working on your Children's Backpack Lists, the following list will wrap those up, too:

rope
whistle
8 quarters
family photo
scriptures/book (mini)
notebook, pencil
contact information (family and friends)
game/activity
list on outside of backpack of what else to grab (sleeping bag, winter wear, big first-aid kit, etc)

The list on outside of their backpacks is handy, if you have different kiddos in charge of different things. You could have someone in charge of bringing the portable toilet along with their backpack. Or the list could say that if it's winter, grab a parka.

Aaaaaaannnd, we're done! Now, you can place your 72-hour kits in a closet or space that is very easily accessible, and forget about it until the fall, when we pull out the main list (which you should keep on a clipboard with your 72-hour kit). At that point, you'll just take that list to the store and buy only the things that have or will expire that year. Then, when you have those items, you'll take out only the items that are expiring, and replace them with the newly purchased items. This way, you don't have to empty your whole kit and look at everything to see what has expired. And as you replace the old with the new, you'll note the new expiration dates on the clipboard. Then, close up your 72-hour kits, and forget about them for a whole year. Sooooooo easy!