18 Things to Have in Your Purse. By Dr. Saundra Cooper Jinette All right, SurvivalMoms, what one thing do we ladies always have within easy reach? Our purses, of course. Most of us have preparedness items at home, at our BOL (Bug Out Location), and in the car. But if we’re in the mall or at the park when an emergency situation occurs, our purses should contain the resources which will help us survive and enable us to reach our next level of preparedness.
These are the survival necessities I chose and carry in my purse: image by brandi666 Signaling/light devices: 1. an emergency whistle (with a compass) 2. a mirror 3. a flashlight with strobe feature 4. a Bic lighter Medical supplies: 5. a pill box containing 2 of each: Tylenol, Advil, Tums 6. 3 Bandaids 7. 2 alcohol swabs Tools: 8. a six-function Swiss army knife Cash: 9. always some small bills ($1, $5), and quarters for machines Comfort/entertainment items: 10. 11. gum 12. 2 moist wipes 13. crossword puzzle book 14. small writing pad 15. pen and pencil 16. package of Kleenex Food/water: The Swiss Army Tampon: A Life-Saving Wilderness Survival Tool. Canned Heat: How to Make an Emergency Heater. It seems that just about every part of the U.S. has been slammed with severe winter weather lately. Just the other I day, I was watching the news and saw the lines of stranded cars buried in snow outside of Chicago.
The severe weather stretched over 2,000 miles, leaving a lot of people without power. No power can mean no heat and that can be a scary thing with the temperatures being as low as they are. So what do you do if you're stranded on the highway in the dead of winter or a severe winter storm knocks out your power for an extended period of time? I attended a class held at my church a couple days ago where we learned about and made emergency heaters.
They don't cost much to assemble and they could make all the difference in case of an emergency. Since I think emergency preparedness goes hand-in-hand with self-reliance and frugality, I thought I would share what I learned. To make your emergency heater, you'll need:A new, quart-sized paint can with a lid. How I Reuse Dryer Lint for Camping, Emergency Preparedness, and Beekeeping. Yep, you read that right -- I reuse dryer lint. It may be the most random reuse I've written about yet. It seems weird and even a little gross, I know. (I wonder what it is about dryer lint that's kind of gross. I mean, it's just little bits of our clothes, right?) But don't worry, this reuse is nothing really outlandish, I promise. (Speaking of weird reuses, I couldn't help but think of this book, especially since there is a bit of cat hair in the dryer lint pictured above...)
As you probably know, dryer lint is really flammable, hence the need for regular cleaning of the lint catcher and dryer exhaust vent. I first learned about this from a woman at church, who was teaching a class about emergency preparedness (it was the same class where we learned to make these emergency heaters). To make the fire-starters, fill an egg carton with dryer lint, really packing the lint into each egg compartment. But what about beekeeping? We decided to try one of the fire-starters in it. The 7 core areas of preparedness by Patrice Lewis. As I write this article, it's early September. And September, as you may or may not know, is National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is the time of year when we are officially recognized for our efforts to prepare for hard times.
This is also the month we recognize everyone else who will ignore or poke fun at our efforts until the bleep hits the fan, after which they suddenly become our best friends and want us to share our supplies with them. The subject of preparedness is so massive that I can barely scratch the surface in a single article, but it's a start. Websites such as Survivalblog.com can provide much more comprehensive information. In a nutshell, preparedness refers to the stockpiling of goods, supplies, knowledge, reference literature, and other essentials in order to better weather natural disasters, terrorist attacks, economic uncertainty, and other difficulties.
Three testimonies from my readers stand out: Rule of Three.