Get a dollar store FAK. Has 42 items! (mostly band-aids and alcohol wipes) in a handy plastic case. Add a $1 imitation pepto tabs and a bottle of $1 ibuprofen and you're set.

Lots of people sneer at the dollar stores, but they have a lot of stuff to get a beginner started for a reasonable price. Cheap is worth a lot compared to having nothing at all.

Start with a cardboard box. Put a folded newspaper in the bottom.
Put TeacherRO's (above) first aid kit in it.

Then walk the aisles and see what they've got for a short-term emergency:

Bottled water (gallons)
Alcohol antiseptic gel to start fires

Foods that don't need to be cooked: granola/protein/fruit bars, peanut butter/crackers, canned juice, tuna, chicken, fruit.
Can opener.
Paper plates, cups, plastic utensils.

Add more first-aid when you can: gauze pads, antibiotic salve, cleansing towelettes, adhesive tape, hydrogen peroxide, tweezers, latex gloves, rubbing alcohol, more bandaids. Get small containers of meds you usually use: anti-diarrhea, antihistamine, pain reliever, antacids.

Flashlight & batteries (splurge on decent batteries if you can).

Cleansing items: washcloth, towel, bar soap, toothbrush/paste, small shampoo, TP.

Tools: pry bar, a couple of screwdrivers, pliers.

Safety: dust masks, plastic goggles, extra reading glasses.

Pet stuff: Leash (check for weak clasp), sturdy collar, bowls, plastic bags for food.


People who have a nice little kit built from dollar store purchases are still far ahead of most Americans who think that nothing will ever happen to them.

Sue

Darned if I don't like the way this woman thinks!

I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. The described FAK is by no means adequate for anything other than the most superficial injuries. While it may indeed be better than nothing, it seems like a dollar wasted. Most of the dollar stores I have seen contain a lot of junk.

Just make sure the $1 store stuff you intend to ingest is made somewhere other than China,Also don't feed your dog anything made in China,you have to remember those people eat Everything,so anything discarded from there,Can't be Good!Ibuprofen could possibly be compressed drywall,pepto bis pills-possibly drywall w/watered down red paint! Using cheap crap for a kit of any kind,Will still be cheap crap when you need it most!Beginners Tip-Start with Quality,End with Quality!I would rather have my wits & empty pockets than Full pockets of crapola!

I would like to remind some of the people here who have well-paying jobs that the minimum wage in CA is only $8. For a 40-hr week, that's a gross of $16,640. AR is $6.25 ($13,000), MN is $6.15 ($12,792), WY and GA are $5.15 ($10,712). Now, after deductions...

You don't get it, do you? These people are ALREADY EATING FROM THE DOLLAR STORES!

Sue

Bandaids cost a fortune in the grocery stores. I think I'd be quite happy with the cheaper versions sold in dollar stores. I don't really need designer bandaids. A few basic shapes are all I need. The designer bandaids come in all sort of weird shapes you'll never use, but you pay for them as part of the designer assortment anyways - like they're made to go inside your ear or up your nose or something. Then you got the ones covered with silver, or aloe vera, or some other strange unneeded stuff. And you pay extra to have Sponge Bob's face on your bandaid too.

TeacherRO,

Here is a link you may enjoy.

Yes, it is shameless self-aggrandizement; I can live with it.

http://forums.equipped.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=177566&page=1

True - as people feel the pinch, there is little spare for emergency kit. While we all like quality tools, for the average urban dweller who doesn't use this stuff, brand names seem a waste. $10 in the dollar store for water, spare food, trash bags gives a huge advantage over nothing. But dropping $000s on quality kit just won't happen

Right again, Sue!