Emergency Matters

Is it an emergency if you are out of kids' toothpaste but still have plenty of the regular stuff? If you have a 3-year-old having a meltdown over it, then YES IT IS!!! That caused me to think about my 72-hr. kit, where I had conveniently stashed a new bottle of kids' toothpaste a while back.

Not all emergencies are of the fire/earthquake variety. Sometimes you just need a tube of toothpaste a week before payday! I went through an emergency preparedness "phase" when I was a homeowner where I bought a big storage container with a lid and proceeded to put in bungee cords, medical supplies (bandage, hot/ice packs, bandaids, neosporin, gauze, medical tape, thermometer...), a crowbar, bleach, paper towels, toilet paper, toothpaste (both kids' and adults'), deodorants, soaps, dish soap, a videotape (for recording personal belongings in case they were destroyed), cleanser, and more. Have I undergone a natural disaster where I have needed it? Thankfully no. Have I needed it at all? Absolutely!

I used the bungee cords to secure a tarp over our belongings when we moved, the crowbar for a demolition project we had, the thermometer when the kids broke my good one, the toilet paper & paper towels to see us through until payday, the bandaids when Christopher used our last 10 for a tiny scrape so there were none when Haleigh got a cut, and the kids' toothpaste to calm a toddler meltdown!

I view it as my non-food storage. I rotate the products and replace the ones I use when I can. It has been a real life-saver! I absolutely recommend that anyone who doesn't have a 72-hour kit start one right away! After all, you never know when an empty bottle of kids' toothpaste will become a life-or-death matter of emergency!