Survival Kit Ideas: A week by week approach

Do you need survival kit ideas?
I have had many people asking me for survival kit ideas, a bug out bag list, or 72 hr kit suggestions. I've spent some time trying to decide the best way to address these questions. Not only should you be able to survive in your own home for 72 hours, you should be able to survive on the go for 72 hrs in case of an evacuation or the destruction of your home. Building a survival kit that will allow you to live completely on your own for 3 full days is no simple task and can be quite overwhelming.  The organization, planning and prep can seem daunting and so can the cost.

Looking for an easier way?
So after that rather depressing into, here is the good news: I am going to make it easier for you!  I am so excited about this new series!  I've broken down a portable 72 kit list into weeks that add up to 6 months.  So each week, you will only have to purchase, organize (or re-organize if you already have a kit) 1/25th of your kit.  Sound more do-able?  And if you are looking to make it fun, skip to the end of this post to read about the things I'll be giving away!

Each Wednesday will have an overall topic / theme such as "clothing," "sanitation," or "bandages" etc.  I will give suggestions of things you may want to consider including in that category, but you will need to determine what is right for your family.


You can find the weekly challenges here:

• Week 1: Rotation and Packaging
• Week 2: Water part I
• Week 3: Water Part II
• Week 4: Food Part I
• Week #5: Food Part II 
• Week #6: How ya gonna cook?
• Week #7: How ya gonna eat? 
• Week #8: Protection from the elements 
• Week #9:  Where ya gonna sleep?
• Week #10: Staying Warm
• Week #11: Bandages
• Week #12: Sanitation

Once I've gotten through all 26 weeks, I will start all over again.  Once you've built your kit (some of you may have already), you can add to it, or double check the items you have in that category each week.

Money
You should have a good amount of money in your survival kit.  It should be in small (think $1) bills and some quarters b/c it is unlikely others would be able to "break a $100 bill" in an emergency situation.  As such, I recommend adding at least $1 per person per week to your kit.  For my family of six, that would be $6 per week.  At the end of the 6 months, we will have just over $150 in our kit.

Photo Credit: Panhandle

Making these Survival Kit Ideas FUN
To me, the phrase "Survival Kit Ideas" rings strong of BORING and OVERWHELMING.  But having a survival kit is also extremely important.  Breaking it up into smaller bits helps with the overwhelming bit, but we are still left with boring.
I've decided to do something to make it a bit more fun!  Everyone who participates during the week AND leaves a comment here on my blog about what you did (even if you didn't accomplish everything) will be entered into a drawing to win your choice of:

1. A 55 gallon water barrel, 
2. A Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter, or 
3. A Featherlite zero degree sleeping bag
4. A $70 credit to purchase any emergency supplies you want from Shelf Reliance

That's right!  I will be giving away something EACH WEEK for 26 weeks!

Want to guarantee winning one of the above?  
Since building a survival kit is important, I want to help make it easier for as many people as possible.  Anyone who tells others about this week by week survival kit series in at least 100 ways during the first 6 month of the series will receive their choice of the above.  You can share it:

• on facebook (each post counts as one entry, so post often!), 
• on twitter (each tweet counts as one entry), 
• on pinterest (each pin counts as one entry)
• by phone (each phone call counts as one entry), 
• by email (each person you email counts as one entry), or 
• on your blog / website (each post / mention counts as one entry).  

The following form will be available at the end of each weeks post.  Simply submit your info each week.  Each time you reach 50 entries, I will contact you about which product you'd like.  Please be honest!



That's it!  I'm exited to get started!  Come back and visit each Wednesday.  Or better yet, subscribe to my blog by email or in a reader  to be sure  you don't miss a week!

I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.