72-hour kit item of the week – Hive and Nest

Ok, Ladies, I got a lot of “I’m going to do this!” last week, but not very many people checked back in. I’m guessing it’s because last week’s items were so easy. So let’s take it up a notch. This week we’re going to focus on clothes and hygiene. I know this stuff isn’t exactly free, but it’s like insurance. It’s just a chunk of money you need to spend in case something bad happens, even though it probably won’t. Think of all the money you spend on silly things like Christmas decorations and Happy Meals. This is a much better investment. Think of the peace of mind! This may seem like a lot of stuff for one week, but a lot of it you probably have at home.   (The ponchos and clothes were the only things I had to go out and buy.) Also, if we break it up into smaller chunks it’s going to take three months to get these things done. OK, where was I? Ah yes, clothes and toiletries.

–Sweatshirt and sweatpants for every member of your family. I buy clothes for the kids that are a couple of sizes too big. Better to roll up sleeves than have a shirt that won’t fit at all. I buy the super cheapo sweats at Target in gender-neutral colors so they can get passed down from one kid to another. If you have all girls, that doesn’t matter, I guess.

-An extra t-shirt. You’ve got to have a few of these kicking around. Now you can finally put to use those tacky Hawaii T-shirts that Grandma brought back from her last trip. Those ones that were too ugly to let your kids wear out of the house. Or the lame t-shirts that your husband gets from work and trade shows.

-A pair of socks. Cold, wet socks are miserable. As are no socks at all. Think what would happen if you had to leave in the middle of the night. Who would remember to put on socks?

–Underwear. Can you live with dirty undies for three days? I probably could. My kids definitely could. You decide. (Hopefully everyone in your family will be fully potty-trained by this point.)

–Gloves. I have the 99¢ kind since the chance of me needing these in Texas is slim. But I hate to be cold. If you’re in a colder climate, I leave it up to your discretion. Some sources suggest heavy-duty gloves that can be used of you end up needing to clear brush or dead tree limbs. Hats are your decision as well.  I put a baseball cap in my husbands bag since his hair will be looking hideous after three days.

–Jackets/ponchos. Chances are you’ll think to bring a jacket as you’re running out of the house, so it’s really your call if you want to put one in your kit or not. I’d recommend a poncho, though. I hate getting wet! I saw these at my local Dollar Store for 2/$1.00. Bargain!

–Hair stuff. Throw a brush in your bag since the whole family can share one. Also include a few ponytail holders (the kind with the two balls are good for all sorts of handy things, not just hair). Remember, you hair will be looking pretty bad. Ponytails will be a necessity. If you have short hair? Well, I feel for you. Better include a baseball cap.

–Toiletries. You may have exposure to clean water in an emergency, but chances are you won’t. Just in case, bring a couple of bottles of shampoo and conditioner (I know you have a stash of those little hotel bottles somewhere!) Also, put a little bar of soap in each bag. If you only have full sizes of soap, put one in each adult’s bag. You can share with the kids. Put all your toiletries in a ziplock so it’s easy to keep them organized. Make a ziplock for each child with a handtowel/toothbrush/wipes/soap. 

–Hand towel. Duh. Again, Dollar Store. Don’t get a dark color, though. The cheap ones bleed really badly. Or just cut up a couple of junk towels you have lying around. Free and easy!

–Wipes. These are fantastic whether you have a baby or not. Great for cleaning smelly, dirty body parts! I just get a big bag of wipes and divy them up into ziplocks. Each person should have their own supply. Give any babies an extra large supply.

–Hand sanitizer. A no-brainer. Little bottles are better than big.

–Toothbrush/toothpaste. A couple of toothpastes should be enough.

–Deoderant. One or two per family should be enough (can’t you just share with your husband?).

–Chapstick. I would kill myself after three hours if I didn’t have this. I put a couple of tubes in everybody’s pack.

-Feminine supplies. You know that your period will start right in the middle of that sort of chaos, right? Bring tampons/pads for any female over 10 (better safe than sorry!)

–Diapers. 15-20. See if you can bum a few larger-sized ones off of a friend. Babies grow fast.

Optional: lotion, sunscreen, lipstick (I don’t go anywhere without lipstick. Even during a hurricane, thankyouverymuch). Weather appropriate clothes. Tiffany and all the other unfortunate people who live in extremely cold places might need extra supplies like scarves and boots. I’ll leave it up to you. Just take your climate into account and hope if there’s an emergency it’s in the summer!