If you ask most preppers or survival enthusiasts why they prep ? The answer is always focused on the big stuff : hurricanes , earthquakes ... economic collapse ..etc. However, when you make prepping a lifestyle , you notice that you get - along the way - small bonus dividends time to time.

Let's share these smallish gains that do not make it to the news , or not given as possible insentives to reluctant would-be preppers.

Last few weeks , my hand is having some medical issues. Even small tasks like writing is becoming painful or at least uncomfortable. I ended up bribing the kids to write for me shopping lists ..etc.

One of the most annoying part of this is that small stuff like opening a snack packet is becoming very painful. Having a granola bar in a coffee break at the office is something welcome ususally, but the pain assciated with it has become a burden.

So comes the little pocket knife. Usually a knife is not needed for opening these packets, but in my case, having the knife offered me lots of relief.

The knife has made so much difference for me, that I thought it was worth to write and say it.

So, has your prepper lifestyle offered you any "hedges" against life small but frequent problems like it did for me ?

I use the scissors or Fenix at least a couple of times a week

I routinely carry and aids in my wallet. Routinely I use them up dealing with micro emergencies when a fellow worker gets an owwie. It is much faster and more effective than opening the office FAK, with its usual assortment of junk.

In my right rear pocket I carry a cotton bandanna for more copious blood letting. I also now toss in a couple of nitrile gloves, ever since the last office incident. It turned out the fellow worker I treated was on illegal drugs. Gotta be careful....

I am constantly digging into my FAK for boo-boos, mine and others. Once, while waiting to pick up my daughter from pre-K, her classmate's very attractive mom was stung by a bee high on her inner thigh. I had my FAK out so fast I'm surprised I didn't trip and fall on the way to be of assistance. Disposable ice packs are often used and replaced.

Flashlights and multitools are the next most frequently-used Items in my BOB. I carry several contractor bags, and those have saved the day for various trash-related crises.

Batteries regularly are taken out and then replaced. Most everything else comes out only for the quarterly BOB check and review.

Your devotion to easing the sufferings of humanity is highly commendable........

Ha-ha!!
...and now back to the OP...

I use Doug's gear pico light daily.
Too many to count band-aids and instant ice packs have found there way out of my FAK and onto friends and co-workers.
The bit set to my Leatherman gets used all the time.

Wow - I could ruminate on this question for quite awhile.

The e-Pico light mention reminds me that I've used one I keep on a house key lanyard many times to find dog poop when I and neighbors take our pups out for after-dark walks.

A Petzl Zipka I began carrying after 9/11 lit the way home from work during a power outage that occurred mid-commute.

This summer after a historic storm (the mid-Atlantic's "derecho"), one of my prep tools (a Gransfors Bruks "American Felling Axe") was used to open up the road after a tree fell.

On a weekend vacation, my car's first aid kit recently gave a pregnant friend relief from a headache (no one else had Tylenol).

The Bic lighters and matches I now keep in vehicles and numerous purses, packs and bags have come in handy countless times.

I've been thankful for the spork in my glove compartment when grabbing a meal at Taco Bell.

I'm often called upon to come up with a knife or Leatherman since many friends know I've probably got one (or more) on me.

The hiking boots and jacket I keep in my car came in handy when I unexpectedly had the opportunity to take a Harley for a spin on a mild summer evening.

My preparedness efforts began with the good fortune of experiencing the utility of having camping gear on hand during a power outage.

So kudos to camping-preparedness gear, for me - an avid camper - they tend to blur.

I could count it as dividend that some incidents are just minor mishaps instead of major inconvenience.
The snow plow pushed a barrier of snow along a row of parking cars. There is no way of just driving over it. It´s not a big deal if you just have to take your shovel from the trunk. The poor blokes who had to dig with their bare hand did not look exactly happy.
A lose screw on the sun glasses is tight in no time with the screw driver of a multitool.
A Trangia stove means hot coffee and warm meal even when there is a blackout. The candles can turn the meal into a romantic dinner for two.
The hardest part about finding the car keys dropped in the darkest part of the parking lot is deciding which of my flashlights I should use.
HAM offers information while driving somewhere. Helped me to avoid a few traffic jams. As member of the club it´s easy to make contacts in many places.
Matches, lighters, fresnel lenses, tweezers, thread and needle were useful on too many occasions to count.
Not getting thirsty in a traffic jam in hot weather is just normal. I don´t wish I had drink. I just have it handy.
Occasionally the multitools and pocket knife could be used to fix minor damages on the toys of niece and nephew. It´s priceless to see a sad face turn into a smile. Somehow it may have influenced the kids´ choice of their favorite uncle.

Being prepared for lots of things means that issues which would be a big problem for most, are just routine bumps in the road for us.

Digging out of a snow berm with your just-in-case shovel vs doing it with a credit card or bare hands is a great example!

I try to extend the execution of doing things earlier at a time and place of my choosing rather than waiting for the problem to my auto maintenance and home maintenance. And I have tools aboard the cars so I can even do some stuff in the parking lot of the auto parts store if necessary.

People look at me funny when I tell them I do these things but... I'm the guy who gets to work from 50 miles away when they can't manage it from 10..... I'm the guy who pulls out the folding shovel from the car when somebody says "boy, I sure wish we had a shovel...."

It's kind of a sickness :-)

Jumper cables and work gloves in the car. I know these are things that(I thought) most people carried, but apparently most people don't. My wife's car suffered a dead battery a few weeks ago. Two city trucks, an Orkin truck, and two private vehicles didn't have cables. A third private vehicle had cables, but didn't know where the battery or owners manual was in his car?!? If I wasn't able to get down there, she would have needed AAA for a jump.