It’s no secret that homesteaders and off-grid folk are about as independent as they come. When it comes to necessities, making or producing as much as they can on their own land to provide for their basic needs is a major lifestyle goal. However, not all of us are there yet.
For a lot of homesteaders, monthly or bi-monthy trips to town are necessary.
When you can’t make or craft an item that you need for your homestead, there’s a great place to get essentials that you may be overlooking. This place houses a ton of items for a fraction of the cost found at other shops.
Yep, you guessed it — the dollar store!
Perhaps unfairly so, the dollar store is often viewed as having a bad reputation. Sometimes people discredit these shops for being home to stockpiles of plastic “junk” that does little more than collect dust, but this is far from accurate.
You might be surprised to find that there are actually some extremely useful homestead items at dollar stores, especially if you know exactly what to look for.
Duct Tape
It’s no surprise duct tape is the number one homesteading item on our list of dollar store finds.
From temporary fixes to patching up leaks, and even helping in tight survival conditions – duct tape is undeniably useful in many sticky situations.
Some homestead duct tape uses:
- Patch up damaged shoes when you don’t have a sewing kit on hand
- Seal leaks, windows, and holes in your living structure
- DIY bandages and temporary sling or cast in case of injury
- Can be used to weave a sturdy rope
Dental Floss
Dental floss is one of the most important items you can add to your bug out bag or first-aid kit.
Aside from the obvious uses for oral health, this tough waxed string miracle has a host of practical uses in the wilderness and on the homestead.
Some homestead dental floss uses:
- Emergency shoelaces
- Ultra-strong thread alternative for heavy-duty hand sewing
- DIY fishing line
- Makeshift tripwire for protecting campsites
Related: Dental Care after SHTF
Garbage Bags
From water collection to gathering up dead leaves in the fall, chances are the garbage bag is probably already a regularly used item on your homestead.
However, these are far from just your everyday ordinary plastic bags. These rolled up packages of bags are basically biodegradable multi-use tarps.
Plus, you can use them along with duct tape for added effectiveness.
Some survival garbage bag uses:
- Improvised poncho
- Can be cut into a large rectangle for ground covering
- Emergency water storage and DIY rain catcher
- Waterproofing
- Waste collection
- Gardening and composting
- Emergency shelter
Baking Soda
If your home is like most homes, you’ve probably got a few boxes of baking soda laying around.
This fine powdered substance also known as sodium bicarbonate has hundreds of uses and works wonders for both indoor and outdoor purposes.
Some homestead baking soda uses:
- Relieves itchy bug bites and painful stings
- Natural deodorant and antiperspirant
- DIY toothpaste
- Helps to extinguish grease fires
- Cast iron cleaner
- Clears clogged drains
- DIY laundry soap
- Chicken coop cleaner
Related: Baking Soda – 112 Uses (WWII Series)
Sewing Kit
A sewing kit might not be on the top of your list for homestead supplies, but it’s an important item to consider.
Life on the homestead means you’ll probably experience wear and tear of shoes, clothing, and protective gear at a faster rate than you’d expect.
Knowing how to sew and having a reliable sewing kit available to you is a huge relief when you have to make minor repairs.
Sewing kits usually come with other useful items such as a tape measure, scissors, needles, and spare buttons, so you’ll be fully prepared to fix any unexpected rip or tear.
Some homestead sewing kit uses:
- Make an air filtration mask for dust protection
- Darn your socks
- Repair holes in blankets and clothing
- Repair tents and tarps
Related: 7 Prepping Items To Look For At The Amish Store
Gloves
A good pair of gloves is a lifesaver for homesteaders. Naturally, gloves get dirty, burned, torn, and covered with unidentifiable goop almost every day while working on the homestead.
It’s good to have a few backup pairs around so you can use different gloves for different tasks. This is especially true when handling plants and animals.
Most dollar stores offer several types of gloves.
So whether you need back-ups for work, gardening, or for the kitchen — you can pick up a few pairs at the dollar store at a bargain price.
Some homestead glove uses:
- Gardening
- Caring for livestock and pets
- Heavy duty protection
- Compost pile handling
- Cold weather protection
- Kitchen and food handling
- Preparing hunted game or field dressing
Food Storage Containers and Glass Jars
Those who homestead are often interested in traditional cooking methods and old-fashioned recipes.
What better way to connect with the past and be self-sufficient than to prepare food for the whole year by using old preservation methods?
At the dollar store, you can find canning jars and food storage containers that rival big box brands for pennies on the dollar.
Some prepping uses:
- Fermenting foods
- Canning and jarring
- Dry storage for grains and legumes
- Dried fruit and nuts storage
- Recycled crafts and creative projects
- Seedling starter
Related: 61 Fruits and Veggies You Can Grow in Buckets
Buckets and Large Bowls
Almost any dollar store you find is sure to carry every imaginable shape and size of bucket or bowl.
You’ll find 5-gallon buckets, metal planters, and extra-large multi-use plastic bowls for storage, cleaning, and more. The practical uses of buckets around the homestead are infinite.
Some homestead bucket and large bowl uses:
- Pest-resistant storage for animal feed
- Outdoor sink set-up
- Container gardening
- Clothes washing basin
- DIY compost toilet
- DIY water dispenser for chickens
The dollar store can be a great place to shop for preppers and homesteaders on a budget.
Although often overlooked in favor of big brand stores, these thrifty items will certainly get the job done.
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What Do You Think About These 5 States’ New Gun Control Bills?
10 Medical Supplies You Need To Stock Up Before It’s Too Late (Video)
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How to Make Your Own Semi-Automatic Off the Grid Washing Machine (No Electricity)
The States with the Most Medicinal Plants. Do You Live in One of Them?
Good list … short, simple and to the point. Thank you, well done.
Just watched the video about the Backayrd Revolution. I’m interested, but nowhere does he tell us how or where to get the supplies needed to build. They may or may not be available. Now do we figure this out?
Dollar Stores are a great place to obtain affordable preps, especially for those on tight or fixed income budgets. Some items to consider from Dollar Tree: Food-Sardines, Mackeral, Corned Beef Hash, dried beans, rice, spices, shelf-stable kinds of milk, Goya flavorings (which are EXCELLENT tasting to add to beans/rice) and come in Ham, Chicken, Vegetable-Some mixed with herbs & tomato powder, packs of Gnocchi potato dumplings-vacuum sealed, BBQ sauces, condiments, comfort foods like pizza crusts, sauces, pepperoni, alfredo sauce, pestos. Those black round OIL CHANGE pans have MANY uses from gardening-harvesting/processing veggies, animal feed pans, chicken dusting bath pans, dishpans, meat processing/mixing pans, etc. Home Medicinal Needs- Antibiotic Ointments, bandaids, bandages, ace bandages, gauze & tape, ointments-athletes foot, hemorrhoids, Vit D for diaper rash or chaffing, anti-diarrheal meds, Pedialyte to rehydrate (in baby needs section), alcohol, peroxide, cold/flu meds, Nyquil, hand sanitizer, etc. Clothesline rope, clothespins, washing powder/liquid, fabric softeners, dishwashing liquids, disinfectants. Plastic toolboxes to make medical kits, sewing kits, other kits to keep things organized & readily available & they stack, Twine for gardening to tie up plants, trip lines, duct tape, masking tape (to mark contents of storage boxes/totes, Sharpies. RAZOR sharp knives in all sizes (love the 4 pack paring knives for skinning animals), funnels, can openers, plastic scoops & measuring cups (glass & plastic)-affordable to have for kitchen use, gardening, animal care dosing, matches, lighters. L, XL, XXL plastic-zippered or zip-lock storage bags to keep clothing, blankets, etc., dry. READING GLASSES in several strengths that work in a pinch if you lose your prescription glasses & in SHTF scenario when getting new glasses not available. BATTERIES of all sizes, even tho not name brand, do work in a pinch when nothing else is available. This is just a partial list of what could be found. Use your imagination when walking around a Dollar Tree. Many items available for other uses can be incorporated for NEW IDEAS/USES. I have used & have every item I have listed (and some I know I have forgotten) and for the price, it will at least give you SOMETHING to start your preps or add to what you already have. Dollar General is also a good place to find canned meats (including canned ham, chicken, turkey, tuna, Spam, roast beef), storage needs, DIY home repair items, and very affordable. These stores are popping up all over rural areas with Frozen foods, fresh veggies, dairy that we call our Mini-Walmart. I advise people to be getting what they can NOW as even these stores I’ve listed are having problems getting stock. Don’t say you don’t have money to prep…there are no excuses when items like these are available. You find a way to do what you MUST DO in order to survive the coming hard times. Just got to use your imagination & be creative to figure out how to use things you can afford.
I’m so thankful to you guys for this valuable information. Keep doing what you’re doing!
Bleach.
White Vinegar in a big jug, excellent non-toxic “disinfectant” and “cleaner”. But also some pint-size spray bottles and fill with straight vinegar. Excellent deoderizer too!!
You can spray toilet seats(wipe dry) and the handle to flush, plus sinks and faucets and bath-tubs and shower curtains and walls, etc.,etc. Stove topps, pots and pans, silverware. ect. The list goes on… White Vinegar for cleaning mirrors and windows.
*Use you common sense. Make All Your Choices Wisely. “Remain~Happy!”
Daniel: It also makes a good herbicide. niio
If you get large jugs you should break it down into smaller bottles. That way it the jugs springs a leak you don’t lose it all. That goes for any household item that comes in a large jug.
DPP: Sorry to rain on your parade, but 6% vinegar as sold in supermarkets and other retail stores is not a disinfectant. It does not kill pathogens. It will kill ants if a drop or two of dishwashing soap is added to the vinegar. I know that from first hand experience when I had ant infestations in my kitchen.
In order to use vinegar as a bactericide it is necessary to use industrial strength vinegar which is industrial acetic acid and must be handled with the same care as other industrial acids. Back when the faux plague first started, I did research on vinegar as a bactericide because there were a lot of postings by folks who had been misled by urban legend. If you are unconvinced by my post, do the research for yourself. Research vinegar as a bactericide.
Mild carbolic acid is a bactericide. In fact it was the first bactericide in the early days of medical sanitation. LifeBuoy soap used to have very mild carbolic acid in the soap which is what gave it its very distinctive oder. The theory was that it killed the germs in one’s armpits and elsewhere and eliminated body odor. It was the first deodorant soap on the market.
I have picked up several dog and cat collars and leashes. They do have a plastic clip so won’t hold a whole lot of weight but make it amazing fastener to snap something to a strap on your bag, hold a bundle together, …. use your imagination
Well, there are plenty of Dollar Stores here in the big city and I have to say I do stop in from time to time. I look for paper party and holiday items, Recently I purchased red and green little kids mittens to string them up and make an advent calendar. I purchased felt numbers from the craft store and glued them on with liquid stitch. Once I had them strung together, I started to fill them up! I inserted Bible verses and little pictures with the Christmas Story from recycled Christmas cards. The little mittens are just the right size for a whole host of festive sweet treats too, from little chocolate figures, to favorite candies. Any surprise really could be tucked in. Just use your imagination!
CC: That sounds cool! niio
Mr Claude ———- just an Observation —— in THIS Article ———- You Promote —- DUCT TAPE ——– YES YES YES ! ! ———- Your PICTURE —- Show s D U C K ! ! ——- I received D U C K Tape as a gift ——– Bottom Line —— it s crap compared to D U C T Tape —— just say’n —-
Actual Duct tape in the stores is barely worth the price as it comes in such small rolls, maybe 1/4 inch thick. You need much more!!!
Finding good Duct tape isn’t an easy task. You have to pay a premium price for anything that will endure time in storage. I just bought a bunch of Rexall dental floss at the dollar store which is crap. It frays and gets stuck in-between my teeth.
In general, you get what you pay for and stocking for long term storage is not a place to skimp on.
Imagine the situation in which you bartered some inferior products to someone after SHTF. Could have a bad outcome for everyone.
Buyer beware.
In a world where resorting to courts and regulatory agencies will be non-existent, “buyer beware” may not be the best course of action to follow. Self help sometimes exceeds the bounds of what a lot of us would consider reasonable. All one has to do is look at how many times a disgruntled employee, fired for whatever justification the management considers sufficient, returns to wreak vengeance upon management and innocent former fellow employees. That beyond-the-norm sort of behavior also extends to disgruntled customers. In an end of the world scenario, ripping off a customer by selling known shoddy goods may well lead to self-help that is way beyond what one would normally expect.
I would submit being completely up front with the customer about the known or unknown attributes of the product being sold has always been the wise long range course of action. Conducting a caveat emptor type of business plan has always been, in my view, very shortsighted and militates against repeat business.
Dollar Store type business make no bones about the fact that they are selling cheap junk. What you buy there, you know is made in some remote factory in some third world or even fourth world country under conditions we can’t even begin to imagine. Unless you are extremely dull-witted, expecting something beyond what you see is inhaling fairy dust.
At one time Made IN U.S.A. was the hallmark of quality. Alas vendors went for cheap. It was partly driven by buyers who expected the same quality at half the price. We have been able to see the results of such short-term thinking in the last year and a half and hopefully we will see a turn-around in such short term thinking. I also hope to win the Powerball lottery too even though I don’t waste money on a ticket. I expect that both fairy dust dreams have the same chances of coming to pass.
My thought and experience also. It’s okay to buy stuff that is short term use from the dollar stores but in a life or death situation, do you really want to depend on something made offshore by the lowest bidder in the world?
It’s like Harbor Freight. If I want a tool for a one time use, Harbor Freight is the place to shop. If I think I am going to use it perhaps a few more times then HF definitely isn’t the place to spend my money.
Just as a matter of what I consider uncommon sense, I would be loath to put in my mouth something that came from the dollar store. This is a product made in some third world country in who knows what kind of factory. I recall seeing pictures of face masks being made in India for shipment to the U.S. during the height of the pandemonium over masks. Mosts folks wouldn’t let their pets sleep on the floor of the shop where the masks were stacked on the floor as they were being assembled.
So, plastic buckets for other than food items, metal cans for cheap Faraday cages, trinkets for Advent decorations, all fine and good. Foodstuffs, medicines, health products in my view not so much. Even consider a simple product like bandaids. Sterility is guaranteed by the integrity of the paper wrapping if using major brand bandaids. For off brand similar items, whose country of origin is in small print or else it reads “XYZ Co. headquartered in Denver CO” which is your tip-off that it was manufactured in some unidentified third world country in who knows what conditions, not so much. In my view saving a couple of bucks for an item that protects from infection is poor savings.
Each of us is free, still, to make our own choices when it comes to decisions such as those required for where we shop. I just thought I would point out some of the considerations that run through my mind when shopping at a dollar store. Reasonable minds can differ.
When it comes to anything I put in my mouth or on my body, or purchase for little kiddies, I make sure it’s good to go and for that reason, I do not buy that stuff at Dollar Stores. I don’t trust where and how it was made, how it was handled, or if it’s fake. Be very careful when you make a purchase. Can’t image anything more iffy, than depending on item purchased in a Dollar Store in an emergency!
While yes I know that some items are not going to last as long due to thinner materials being used etc. Example ST tarps At&t thinner than most you would buy at say a hardware store, but they will still get the job done quite well for most jobs..
I personally have used their allergy, cough and pain reliever meds for yrs. They work as good as name brands with no side effects. I also use their hand can openers. They last as long as regular store brands and since they fit my disability budget I have several extras for kits bartering etc. I have currently been using the same one for daily use for almost 4 yrs.
I personally use their IN pain rel
LCC is right on the money here. When I have been off the grid, or if I am in a SHTF situation, I want quality goods and quality equipment. So, I research and spend the extra money to ensure (to the best of my ability) that when the time comes to use my cache and stash – it will perform over and over again. I can think of very few things worse then thinking you are prepared, only to have a catastrophic failure due to buying a bargain item. Spend wisely of course, but when my life or the lives of my loved ones are on the line, the only thing I want to worry about is execution.
Agree with you, thanks for the post! What I look for first in a DG, name brands. Borateen plus, dry Clorox bleach, then their brand of liquid bleach,, and so on. niio
Please make your own sewing kit. I sew a lot and when I see one of those sewing kits I cringe. The thread, scissors and needles in those cheap little kits are useless. The thread breaks, often while sewing, the needles aren’t smooth and bend easily and the scissors might cut the thread, MIGHT, but won’t cut fabric. For a few extra dollars, buy a small box, buttons and scissors at the dollar store, but separately. Then buy thread, needles, and patches at Walmart.
Rebecca. – Made In Chins equals broken needle!
https://welovequilting.com/sewing-needles-made-in-the-usa/
https://simplyamericandotnet.wordpress.com/
Altoid tins are a great size for a sewing kit, pocket first aid kit (bandaids, alcohol wipes, Tums), or a tinder box.
I also keep a small amount of cash in an altoid tin in the center console of the car. A couple times, someone has rummaged through the car and skipped right over the “mints”
Wally World is the foremost buyer from third world countries. Without Wally World, China would still be an agricultural country producing goods for local consumption that had all the quality of products mass produced using 19th century or earlier techniques. That said, WW has reached the point where they do care a bit about customer dissatisfaction. I think they probably exercise more product quality control, perhaps, than other retail vendors. I think this is especially true where the retail outlet is not company owned but is owned by some other investment company or individual who can purchase directly from the manufacturer in China or Malaysia on line just as we can. And in so doing has the same knowledge of the vendor as we do when we buy from some unknown source, especially if that source is located in some third world country. Hope that says to others what I think it says. It is somewhat convoluted. Sorry. Haven’t had my second cup of coffee yet.
LCC: Sam Walton would be rolling in his grave if he know what Wally World was like now. The original company policy was always to buy as local as possible. Yep, I buy some things there, but they’re made in the US. Because I heard WW is getting into a ‘national pricing’ trying to keep prices ‘average with the 50 states, so even shopping there may soon be a thing of the past. niio
I buy a lot of my stock up items at The Dollar Tree. I do not buy baking soda there. Supermarkets (Kroger, Walmart, etc..) carry baking soda for $0.65 a box. Any money I can save lets me buy more of other items needed.
My husband and I are heading out for our 10 days off the grid. We do this every season (we are New Englanders). We live in the woods with what we can carry on our backs. Now, we are not young in years. But we do this to train. One thing we do buy at the dollar stores for this trip is backup batteries. JUST IN CASE.
As long as you have enough batteries to cover the extent of your expedition, I would say go for it.
When Harbor Freight had coupons for free batteries, I used as many of those coupons as I could to augment my stock of batteries. I knew full well that they would not last as long as one of the two major brands. There is a variety of different brand names, although I suspect that they all came from the same factory. I make quite sure I only leave them in flashlights that are subject to constant use. I wouldn’t store them in a flashlight that I wanted to use in an emergency situation. The flashlights I store in my car are empty of batteries. I store the batteries, wrapped in plastic wrap and then in a baggie next to the flashlight they are intended for. Worst case, the batteries are dead but the flashlight is not ruined by corrosion. I have numerous flashlights in the passenger compartment as well as the trunk and under the front seats. I especially like PrincetonTec small flashlights for long term storage. They take a single battery, button type which seems to last much longer than acid cell batteries. For emergency get home purposes, I think a small flashlight is more tactically sound than an eyeball-searing 1500 lumen flashlight which will alert your presence to all who are in direct vision line of your position as far as the horizon and probably by indirect illumination to a great many more who will see the reflected bloom of light. That’s more than welcome if it is not the end of the world and I really want to be found by a search party. That said, my days of wandering the woods are somewhat behind me and I have road flares for attracting attention in a non-end-of-the-world situation, especially here in SoCal where any open flame is cause for general alarm.
I tried Harbor Freight batteries many years ago, the dang things would grow and expand and burst out of their cases and ruin whatever they were powering. On the other hand, also years ago at Harbor Freight, I bought a 25.00 reciprocating saw, 110V, for a work crew to use and tear up, that saw is 20 years old and I have now used it for years pruning trees around the house, up to 4″ branches.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwrfp2fA_i8
Shiny ribs sings about the poor people’s store.
It is funny you mention PrincetonTec flashlights. Both the husband and I have them strapped to our backpacks. There were times in our lives when we needed extra money and as outdoors people, REI hired my husband. He worked midnight to 8:00 AM in his “regular job”. Then he went to REI for the day shift. He bought the flashlights when they were on sale and used his employee discount. We were able to pay off our mortgage this way. We also were able to save and invest. BUT… we never let ANYONE know that we were doing okay. They thought we were having a tough time because we were both working two jobs. Meanwhile we were saving, investing, and prepping. NOBODY knows except yo’all.
Judge Holden,
I am still laughing at the song you posted. Harbor Freight has THE BEST rifle cases for the money. A few years ago HF (Harbor Freight) had Apache gun cases on sale for $115. Plus we used our 20% coupon. AND… the cases came with pick foam. I was saving to buy a Pelican case. We were able to get three Apache cases for the price of one Pelican. We have often had to ship rifles ahead of us so that we were not driving through New York state with a semi automatic with a thumb hole stock. The $92 Apache case meets every requirement. We are always sure to use an FFL, smith, or outfitter to receive and hold our equipment. I used to remove my optics before shipping. Then when we would arrive at our destination, we would have to spend time balancing, re zeroing and sighting in. Now, we have shipped four times in the HF cases and I have not had to think about removing my scopes. I LOVE my scopes. I do not have any jewelry. I don’t have expensive shoes or purses. When my husband (Jay) asked me what I wanted for our twenty fifth wedding anniversary, I asked for a Meopta. The HF cases have held up well and have kept my optics in tact. All for $92.
Jay bought an impact wrench at HF (I don’t even know what an impact wrench is). He found it at one of their tent sales. It was made in Germany. Jay lent it to our friend who is a mechanic teacher at a tech school. The wrench gets used almost daily and the friend has had it for four years and it keeps working.
So the items we have bought at the ‘Poor people’s tool store’ (see Judge Holden’s link) are first rate so far.
Most super high powered flashlights also have a lower setting. Blinding an attacker temporarily is a good tactic to avoid a physical confrontation. Love the idea of storing batteries separately. I’ve lost several car flashlights to acid ‘reflux’ (ha ha). Would leaving the batteries in but adding a tiny piece of plastic in between the battery and the connections work to prevent a problem? Like the plastic present when you buy a new flashlight that includes batteries inside? I’ve also gone to rechargeable battery powered flashlights in most cases so I hope they last.
Shelf Stable milk. last years past the use by date. cartons are sturdy. alot of these items can be ordered by the case and shipped to your local dollar tree for pick up.
oh…. another thing we buy at the dollar store, – toiletries. My husband is the sexiest man I have ever known. I cannot get enough of him. However, if he stinks and we are living in a 2 person tent for ten days… Toiletries are a wonderful thing.
If you are going to prepare, use the best quality you can get. If you are in a SHTF or similar scenario where you’re grabbing what’s available instead, then I suppose you make do with what you have. If you are just starting, however, I stand by still getting the best you can get. Gorilla and 3M have some of the best glues and tapes. And learn how to make some of these supplies you use. Like bleach. Sodium Hypochlorate is the powdered version. Learn how to improvise.
DO NOT forget the most important tool you have! YOUR BRAIN! Learn, educate, remember. Just as a friend once told me- you may kill a man, but you can never kill a dream. Likewise, you can outlaw or prohibit or ban any of the supplies you need to survive in an emergency, but if you know how to make/improvise/create, what good is the ban?
CK: People used to use wood ashes and a lot of cold water to sterilize things, then several rinses in cold water to clean that off. Ashes scour, as well. niio
I use a paste of ashes and water with sometimes a few drops of Dawn dish soap to clean my grill outside.
I buy some things from both Harbor Freight, Wallet World, and Dollar stores. Storage containers, cheap buckets, cooking utensils, cheap metal knives, forks, spoons to throw in the camping gear. Small glass storage jars for a special shelf in my kitchen. Where they fit just right. Metal cutoff tool and blades cut all the metal for the siding for a mobile home plus more jobs. My rechargeable drill is from HF. I have a reciprocating saw thats lasted for years. A cheap tarp for a short time cover. I don’t always need the best for every use. I’ve used the free tarps for seasonal shelter for my rabbits. Windbreaker and and keep them dry. I use the $1 tiny flashlights from WW to hang on key rings. I use rechargeable batteries in them. Charge in solar powered chargers. The little LED lights last for several years. Some thing yes and some things no. The cheap dishes I use when we eat outside were change of season colors from WW $.25 and $.50 each for plates, bowls, and 16 oz glasses. If one gets carried home by a neighbor its no big deal.
WW(15 miles) is my nearest place to shop. Its another 10 miles to groceries and over an hour to other shopping.
most items shown if this is dollar tee except for duct tape i used it to temp seal a leaky sunroof on my SUV
i put it on seemed to stick went in house came out and the modest wind took all of it off
the dollar tree does have good medical items i filled several first aid kits for much lower than Walmart
The cheap over the counter meds are ok. Never heard a complaint. Carry some in my vehicles.
I’ve used the cheaper duck tape to put plastic on home windows for winter. It comes off pretty easy. If I want something to really hold I use Gorilla Tape or Duct tape.
Rebecca: I have never been able to get that little plastic separator back into the flashlight so that I felt secure in its placement. I would be suspect of any plastic wrapping I did followed by insertion into the flashlight. It only take a little pinhole to let the acid leak into the flashlight.
I have tried time and again to try to clean the acid from the terminals in flashlights. I have tried a Q-tip soaked in a baking soda solution. I have tried little riffle files. I have cut down the pasteboard fingernail files you buy at the beauty section of CVS. I have tried fine emery paper glued around a Q-tip.
I have had limited success and finally gave up trying to save ruined flashlights. If you think the batteries might get misplaced, use a small piece of duct tape that completely encircles the batteries and the flashlight so that the tape overlaps. That way at least you will lose both together. I always go for overlap of the tap and assure myself that I have a good tight bond in the overlap.
When I’ve had to clean corrosion off of a flashlight terminal I’ve used a Q-Tip with rubbing alcohol and it works. Sometimes those little flashlights are just dead.
We are back from our off the grid trip. A Harbor Freight tarp saved our butt when hurricane winds and rain decided to visit us. As it turns out, my husband has decided that 50 years of this kind of training is enough for him. He said that if he has not gotten the idea by now… I do agree. The trip was not a vacation. It was survival training. We survived. Jerky, and potato sticks, and veggie sticks get old after three days. At five days brook trout was looking delicious and I hate eating fish. I actually ate squirrel. YUK!!!!! The husband said next vacation we will stay in a hotel/motel. I have worked in both as a college student. I would NEVER, EVER, EVER, stay in a motel or motel now. We may be looking for a camper soon…
Most pre-made sewing kits have very weak thread. The needles are okay, but the thread breaks easily. Make your own kit up using a supply of good quality thread on a spool