First Aid Kit Supplies

~ by Rachel Woods, About.com Latter-day Saint Guide ~

Standard First Aid Kit Supplies*

Container (metal, wood, or plastic) with a fitted cover to store first aid kit
First Aid Booklet (including CPR)
Prescribed Medications
Any critical medical family histories
Adhesive
Ammonia
Bicarbonate of soda
Calamine lotion (sunburn/insect bites)
Diarrhea remedy
Elastic bandages
Gauze bandages
Hot-water bottle
Hydrogen peroxide
Ipecac syrup (induces vomiting)
Knife
Matches
Measuring cup
Medicine dropper
Needles
Paper bags
Razor blades
Rubbing alcohol
Safety pins
Scissors
Soap
Thermometer
Triangular bandages
Tweezers
Prescriptions
Consecrated oil

*List complied from "Essentials of Home Production & Storage," 1978, p. 7-8

Additional First Aid Kit Supplies

Immunization records
Medications for children (if applicable)
Fever reducing medications such as: aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen
Allergy medication
Antibacterial wipes
Antibiotic ointment
Antiseptic wipes
Band-aids
Burn ointment / spray
Cotton balls
Cough syrup / cough drops
Disposable blanket
Eye drops / eye wash
Feminine hygiene
Gloves
Hand sanitizer
Hot and cold instant packs
Hydrocortisone cream
Lip ointment (chap stick)
Medical tape (waterproof & regular)
Nail clippers
Needle and thread
Snake bite kit
Sterile strips
Sunscreen / lotion
Tourniquet kit
Vaseline
Water purification tablets

Notes:
Update your first aid kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to replenish and check all supplies. Expired or contaminated items should be replaced.
Check with your family doctor for any specific medicines and supplies your family might require for an emergency.
Some items may leak or break open. Using tubes, plastic bottles, or Ziploc bags can help prevent contamination.
All supplies should be labeled and organized for quick and easy use.
Supplies may be divided and organized into compartments or sections.
You may include any other first aid items you feel would be useful or necessary.
A condensed version of this first aid kit should also be included in your 72 hour kit.

Affording an Education

“We live in a world where knowledge is developing at an ever-accelerating rate. Drink deeply from this ever-springing well of wisdom and human experience.”
—Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 171

To become self-reliant in education, we should:
Study the scriptures and other good books.
Improve our ability to read, write, and do basic mathematics.
Learn to communicate effectively with others.
Obtain formal education or equivalent training necessary for employment.

Take advantage of opportunities to gain more knowledge.

Self-Reliance & Family Well-Being

Helping our children to receive the education they will need to be self-reliant gets more and more expensive every year. For some it can seem impossible, but there is a solution.

Washington offers GET, Guaranteed Education Tuition. GET is Washington's 529 plan, helping families save for college. With GET, your account is guaranteed to keep pace with rising tuition and you can use it at nearly any public or private college in the country. To find out more about GET go to http://www.get.wa.gov/

Finances

From Self-Reliance and Family Well-Being

“We encourage you wherever you may live in the world to prepare for adversity by looking to the condition of your finances. We urge you to be modest in your expenditures; discipline yourselves in your purchases to avoid debt. … If you have paid your debts and have a financial reserve, even though it be small, you and your family will feel more secure and enjoy greater peace in your hearts” (All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Finances).

Pay Tithes and Offerings
Successful family finances begin with the payment of an honest tithe and the giving of a generous fast offering. The Lord has promised to open the windows of heaven and pour out great blessings upon those who pay tithes and offerings faithfully (see Malachi 3:10 and Isaiah 58:6–12).
Tithing
If our tithing is the first obligation met, our commitment to this important gospel principle will be strengthened and the likelihood of financial mismanagement will be reduced.
Fast Offerings
On fast day, we go without food and drink for two consecutive meals, if physically able, and then give to the bishop a fast offering at least equal to the value of the food not eaten. If possible, we should be very generous and give more. The bishop uses the fast offerings to care for the poor and needy.

Avoid Debt
Spending less money than you make is essential to your financial security. Avoid debt, with the exception of buying a modest home or paying for education or other vital needs. If you are in debt, pay it off as quickly as possible. Some useful tools in becoming debt free are a debt-elimination calendar and a family budget worksheet.
Distinguish between Needs and Wants
We must learn to distinguish between wants and needs. We should be modest in our wants. It takes self-discipline to avoid the “buy now, pay later” philosophy and to adopt the “save now and buy later” practice.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008) taught: “All too often a family's spending is governed more by their yearning than by their earning. They somehow believe that their life will be better if they surround themselves with an abundance of things. All too often all they are left with is avoidable anxiety and distress” (“Earthly Debts, Heavenly Debts,” Liahona,May 2004, 42).
Getting—and Staying—out of Debt
We should avoid debt. There is nothing that will cause greater tensions in life than grinding debt, which will make the debtor a slave to creditors. A specific goal, careful planning, and determined self-discipline are required to accomplish this.

President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982) taught: “Those who structure their standard of living to allow a little surplus, control their circumstances. Those who spend a little more than they earn are controlled by their circumstances. They are in bondage” (“Constancy amid Change,” Liahona, Feb. 1982, 46).
Use a Budget
Keep a record of your expenditures. Record and review monthly income and expenses. Determine how to reduce what you spend for nonessentials.
Use this information to establish a family budget. Plan what you will give as Church donations, how much you will save, and what you will spend for food, housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, insurance, and so on.
Discipline yourself to stay within your budget plan. A budget worksheet is a useful tool to help you with your plan.
Build a ReserveGradually build a financial reserve, and use it for emergencies only. If you save a little money regularly, you will be surprised how much accumulates over time.

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) taught: “Set your houses in order. If you have paid your debts, if you have a reserve, even though it be small, then should storms howl about your head, you will have shelter for your wives and children and peace in your hearts” (“To the Boys and to the Men,” Liahona, Jan. 1999, 66; October 1998 general conference).

Ever wonder how to use your food storage?

Okay, now you know how, what and where to store, but what do you do with it all? Sure you can wrap colored lights around a stack of #10 tins and not have to worry about pine needles (Christmas tree?) or you can place about 40 of the #10 tins together on the floor and throw a mattress on top, poof instant guest bed. Or you can do what I did in the beginning, whine that there was never anything to cook in the house (grew up on boxed and prepackaged meals). Or you can check out some of the links below and find out how to make your food storage work for you. Most of these are located on other blogs, some on websites, but it is all wonderful information.

My Food Storage Cookbook

Food Storage Made Easy Recipes

Food Storage Recipes

BASIC FOOD STORAGE COOKBOOKRecipes, Ideas, Tips, & InformationSouth Jordan Utah River Stake2003

Cooking Basic Food Storage

If you have some recipes you'd like to share, send me an email and I will include it in a future blog.

shadleparkpl@gmail.com

Where Do I Store It All?

One of my children marveled at my shelving system. He came over and examined it, took measurements and tried to figure out how to make his own, only to discover that there was a lot more to it than slapping a couple of pieces of plywood together. I built these, I have the tools, the know how, the jigs and the plans.

I now have three of these stacked on top of each other (the picture is two units). Each holds approximately 40 - #10 cans. After this last trip to the cannery however, I will need to build another. I also have a couple that hold soup, vegetables and tuna. This is in my laundry room, unfortunately near the furnace, so I have to rotate more often for quality. Not everyone has this kind of space.

"The storage area should be located where the average temperature can be kept above 32°F and below 70°F. Remember that the cooler the storage area the longer the retention of quality and nutrients. Freezing of some items, such as canned products, should be avoided since the expansion of the food during freezing may rupture (metal) or break (glass) the container, or break the seal on lids on glass bottles, and allow the food to be contaminated. This could pose a serious safety risk when the food thaws. The storage area should be dry (less than 15 percent humidity), and adequately ventilated to prevent condensation of moisture on packaging material. The area should be large enough so that shelves can accommodate all of the stored food and adequate space is available to keep the area clean and tidy. A 9 x 12 foot room with 10 foot ceilings will provide adequate space for a family of six to store an 18 month supply of food. Food should not be stored on the floor. It is a good idea to have the lowest shelf 2-3 feet off the floor in flood prone areas. Shelves should be designed so that a simple rotation system can effectively allow the oldest food to be used first and the newest food to be held within the shelf-life period.

When designing and building a food storage area, do it to minimize areas where insects and rodents can hide. As practical, seal all cracks and crevices. Eliminate any openings which insects or rodents may use to gain entrance to the storage area. Electrical equipment such as freezers, furnaces and hot water heaters should not be housed in the storage area. These appliances produce heat, unnecessarily increasing storage temperatures. Insulation of the storage area from other areas of the house will effectively reduce the average yearly temperature of the food."

Source: Charlotte P. Brennand, PhD, and Deloy G. Hendricks, PhD, Department of Nutrition & Food Sciences, USU

If ideal circumstances do not exist in your home for your storage space, consider storing under the bed (cooler, and darker), in coat closets, or anywhere where the temperature is cooler. The temperature is the main ingredient in maintaining quality food storage.