To my surprise, I've been asked about this a bunch! Its one of those topics that is not so fun, and yet TOTALLY IMPORTANT. Just ask anyone who's been involved in an emergency situation recently (or ever!). Creating and keeping up on 72hours kits can feel really overwhelming but I promise it doesn't have to be. Here are some common concerns and some suggestions for how to take this on:
Do I really need a 72 hour kit? it seems like such a waste of supplies because it never gets used.
Oh my gosh I totally get it. I have been married almost 14 years, have had my kits the whole time and have never used a single item from them. It can feel like such a waste sometime. It helps me to think of it like an insurance policy. Its there just in case and instead of being totally annoyed when it doesn't get used, I'm grateful there was no reason to use it.
Does it cost a small fortune to put together a kit?
NO! it absolutely does not have to cost a lot of money. I was given a list about 10 years ago of 52 items to add to your 72 hour kit ONE WEEK AT A TIME. One item per week, that's it! 🙌🏼 This makes it doable and cost efficient. If you do approach it this way, don't be worried about not having it all done at once, something is better than nothing and before you know it you will have a rockin 72 hour kit to call your own. the 52 week plan can be found here, this list has everything you need to create your kit! Lots of these items can be found in my "emergency preparedness" amazon favorites here.
Where should I store my 72 hour kit?
My kit, fully stocked fills 2 storage bins so it takes up an substantial amount of space. It is recommended that you DO NOT store it in your basement and that you DO keep it on your main level ideally near your garage in case you need to leave your home quickly and grab it on your way out. I think the front closet is a great spot, but do whatever works in your home.
Can't I just buy those emergency food supply buckets from Costco and call it good?
Girl, you can do whatever makes sense for you! I have 2 of those buckets sitting in my sewing room closet right now and I'm so happy about it. I will say this however, when people (especially kids) are in distress they want comfort and sometimes that comfort comes in the form of food. Those kits will keep you alive but they may also make everyone in your family miserable living off "astronaut food" (as I like to call it) for 3 days. When you build your own kit you can add things you know everyone will enjoy, you have room to add games, toys, clothes, and anything else that doesn't fit into those little buckets. If you like the ease of them, then go for it! Something is far better than nothing and maybe once they're purchased, you can start putting your kit together 1 week at a time with the one item a week list above.
What to do next...
Once your kit is put together and you're feeling as prepared as an Eagle Scout, my suggestion is to do one of two things:
1. set an alarm in your calendar to go though your kit in 6 months or a year and change out any food items that have expired and possibly change out clothing items if you have growing kids
or
2. Keep using your 52 week list and rotate out each item weekly. This is a great way to keep from feeling wasteful and avoid food expiring.
and as Benjamin Franklin Said "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail". Good luck building your 72 hours kids, ladies! You got this!
Check out my amazon favorites for emergency preparedness here.
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