FIRST AID KITS

I know for some people, the whole idea of stocking food, survival gear and weapons is out of their realm...for now...so let's start nice and easy. No matter what, everyone should have a kick-ass first-aid kit.

Big Daddy picked up a couple of these durable tool kits on sale awhile back...and I thought they'd be great to stock our first-aid gear in them. They'll take a beatin', that's for sure. They won't float worth a flip but that's another story....

The top has these 2 slip-out see-through containers, that I'm sure are meant for little nails or screws or whatever...mine hold band-aids. And if you're married to Big Daddy, you must have very portable and easily accessible band-aids...more on that...

So here's what's in this brute:

First aid booklet

elastic bandage

gauze bandages - lots and different sizes

gauze tape - lots and different sizes

heavy duty scissors

latex gloves - lots

needle and thread - in an old pill bottle

Aspirin

alcohol prep pads

wet naps

safety pins

hand sanitizer

tums - cabin coffee isn't the greatest yet

immodium - excellent choice when there isn't any indoor plumbing

exlax

robax - back pain pills a must have

tweezers

nail clippers

pointy scissors

kids' thermometer and nail clippers

sodium chloride pour

hydrogen peroxide

q-tips

bar soap

throat lozenges

eye dropper

polysporin

after-bite - I swear the mosquitoes up there have mated with ravens - you should see them!

kids' after-bite

vaseline

There are 2 more items in there that require a little explanation:

1. dryer lint stuffed into an empty toilet paper tube. If you have to make a fire pronto - get a little vaseline in there too and this will help start it. That's a Survivor Man trick.

2. Maxi-pads - oh there go all the male viewers lol - hang on fellas this won't last long....there will be times when a bandaid or square gauze just won't be good enough to cover a major wound.

Should probably pack some matches in there too, come to think of it. I always carry a small knife and lighter in my pocket, so it isn't an issue for me. Ah geez, now I just lost the female viewers - she carries a knife? lol

So there you have it...I'd appreciate any feedback...I'm sure I'm missing stuff!

COMMENTS

For some reason, I can't comment on my own blog...arrrgh!

Warren: Thanks for your interest. I'm sifting thru tons of early days pics that I'll post soon.

Hey Scavenger: I'm going to post some "real" snow pics for yah soon! Snow like you wouldn't believe!! lol

Penny: Pennyworld is a fabulous place too! lol

A LITTLE HISTORY

In May of 2001 BC (before children), Big Daddy and I were out for a drive up north - hitting all of the backroads. We ended up in the middle of nowhere on a dead-end road...well road is not quite the right description - this was more of a path. At the very end, we spotted this old cabin...and wouldn't yah know it, a dilapidated for sale sign hung at the entrance. This place had been for sale for years and no one wanted it! Two old dolls from the city had purchased the place 15 years prior and were going to have a little goat farm one day. Well that day never came for them and they decided to sell it - dirt cheap! As soon as we bought it, we got the real skinny on the property and the surrounding area.

In 1896, Isaac and his family were deeded this 100 acres. The house that he built is long gone, unfortunately. A massive rock fence, 100 year old apple trees, and the square-cut stone basement is all that's left of his hard work. Oh and a ton of broken glass and rusted iron in the 3 dump sites. lol

In 1899 the area got its first one-room school house which happened to be at the bottom of the big hill leading up to Isaac's/our property. I actually have a picture with the kids all standing in front of it, some time in the early 1900's. Over time, the original log school house was dismantled and moved to be used as an Antique's Showroom. Then it was dismantled and it took one more trip....up our hill and landed right on our property. So that lovely old cabin at the top of this blog, is the original school house in the area! Isn't that cool?!

It sure was a mess when we first saw it! There was a tree growing right in the doorway - no one had been in there for quite some time. Okay, no people had been in, but my word, it had been party central for the local wildlife! Sure enough, the littlest of the wildlife still drop by for a visit.
We cleaned and disinfected, painted, and put in a new woodstove. We also installed hardwood floors...well sort of...we actually used 2 x 10 plank. Best wearing floor on the planet! lol And the cheapest too!

So that's our retreat - Hall Land 1896...no hydro and no plumbing...just lots of fun and lots of love.

LIST MAKING

Making a list
And checking it twice.

Gonna find out

If I've stocked enough rice.

Big Daddy built a terrific pantry for me last spring and I got busy filling it up...little by little...week by week. Looking back, I made a few purchasing mistakes, but nothing outrageous. We figure we saved a couple thousand dollars this year just by buying differently. Just think how much we could save if I stopped playing around at this and really got down to business!

The first thing I started with was...you guessed it...a list. lol Actually it was a small binder. Each food item that we normally purchase had its own page with a dollar figure, date and place of purchase. I tracked them for a few months until I could see a pattern. When gas prices were zooming through the roof, food was following suit. I watched a 25 lb bag of flour go from $11.99 in April to $13.49 in June. I also noticed a cycling effect. One store would carry "x" on sale this week and then that same item would show up on sale someplace else the week after. Dog and cat food goes on sale every 4 months. Of course some things NEVER go on sale, so we stocked up and paid 2008 prices.

I also started a SHTF reserve. Oh for those of you who are new to this - SHTF is (shit hits the fan). You just never know what's going to happen!

Anyway, I stocked 100 lbs of flour, 75 lbs. of sugar, 50 lbs of rice, 50 lbs. of pasta, 20 lbs. of salt and dried beans, 20 cases of water, and 30 lbs of coffee. It's not nearly enough for any major hit of the fan, but it was a start and we're adding to it.

Okay, so how do we keep/store all of this stuff? The canned goods all sit on a series of cheap IKEA shelves. I can see it all and can rotate stock easily. Bags of sugar, flour and boxes of salt are stored in their original packaging, and kept in new garbage bins. This will keep the dampness and mice (if you have any) out. Lately, I've been collecting buckets/pails from the local grocery stores. Food-grade buckets are hard to come by...actually I can't find a source for them in Canada. So I get these fabulous buckets with great fitting lids from the bakery depts for free. I keep bulk spices, dried fruits, choc chips, etc. all in their original packaging in these freebie buckets.

It's hard to take pictures of my pantry because it's really tight quarters, but I tried. Now I'm off to....make another list.