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#234063 - 10/20/11 04:13 PM Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
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.

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#234069 - 10/20/11 05:27 PM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: TeacherRO]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
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

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#234102 - 10/20/11 11:14 PM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: Susan]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
Originally Posted By: Susan
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!

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#234111 - 10/21/11 12:31 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: ]
hikermor Offline
Geezer in Chief
Geezer

Registered: 08/26/06
Posts: 7705
Loc: southern Cal
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.
_________________________
Geezer in Chief

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#234115 - 10/21/11 01:01 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: TeacherRO]
Richlacal Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 02/11/10
Posts: 778
Loc: Los Angeles, CA
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!

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#234120 - 10/21/11 04:20 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: Richlacal]
Susan Offline
Geezer

Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
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

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#234121 - 10/21/11 04:37 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: Susan]
haertig Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 03/13/05
Posts: 2322
Loc: Colorado
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.

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#234123 - 10/21/11 04:52 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: TeacherRO]
MoBOB Offline
Veteran

Registered: 09/17/07
Posts: 1219
Loc: here
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
_________________________
"Its not a matter of being ready as it is being prepared" -- B. E. J. Taylor

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#234132 - 10/21/11 07:52 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: Susan]
bigreddog Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 07/02/06
Posts: 253
Originally Posted By: Susan
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


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

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#234134 - 10/21/11 10:54 AM Re: Beginners tip - The $1 first aid kit [Re: Susan]
bacpacjac Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 3601
Loc: Ontario, Canada
Right again, Sue!
_________________________
Mom & Adventurer

You can find me on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT9fpZEy5XSWkYy7sgz-mSA

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