Expedient Methods

The whole purpose of this section is to list all those little "quick and dirty" ways of doing things.

F'rinstance....

You've got your 72-hour Emergency Kit all set up, right? (Right?) In that kit, you've probably got a few things that use batteries, as well as some spare batteries. If so, you probably have those batteries stored separately in a water-tight container.

But what about that flashlight or radio that you rarely use, but still need fresh batteries in? I've got a compact fluorescent light that a friend gave me that I keep stored in the Jahnmobile. Once, when I went to use it, I noticed that the batteries were dead. Bummer.

After getting fresh batteries (I believe it takes 4 AAs), an idea struck me. I took an old plastic milk carton, cut out a piece that just fit the top of the opening to the battery compartment, and put it in on top of the batteries. No connection, no battery drain. Last I knew, the batteries were still fresh.

Did you know that if you sew something together with dental floss, it'll probably never come undone?

Speaking of batteries, if you coat your car battery's posts and the cable terminals with petroleum jelly, it will not only provide an excellent moisture barrier and prevent corrosion, but it will also give you a better connection.

72-Hour Emergency Kit

Everyone should be prepared for whatever emergency is likely to happen in the local area. Here in the Scenic City, we're really not all that concerned about blizzards, but tornadoes are another matter altogether. Hence, my kit is biased in that direction.

When an emergency hits, the first 72 hours are critical. If you can come thru that unscathed, you're probably ahead of the power curve. Following is a list (to be updated as needed) of what I see as the essentials to get me thru just about any local emergency. I highly recommend using a backpack to carry everything in.

And just for practice, you might try putting that backpack on and carrying around for a little while every so often.

My list:

P-38 can opener*
Leatherman
Pistol w/ ammo
Orange Whistle
Mess kit
50-mile map**
Water filter bottle
TN Map
Film cans w/ coins***
Small clipboard?
Roll-up hat
Pup tent
Hall’s lozenges
Poncho
Metal cup
Mini light(s)
Small binoculars
Sony radio
Bandana
Mylar blanket
Sunglasses w/ hard case
ZipLoc bags (quart & gallon)
TP in ZipLoc bag
Wet Wipes
Matches, strike anywhere, in film can
Lint fire-starter, in film can
MP3 player
Batteries (AA, AAA)
Padlock (w/ encrypted combo)
Eye Patch
Anti-biotic ointment (blue)****
Hankies (in ZipLoc)
Multi-vitamins (double)
Work gloves
Jerky
Sewing kit
Dental floss
Small magnifying glass*****
Shaving mirror, metal
Medications


*This is a military item, available at most surplus or outdoor places. Very small, very reliable

**I found this in Books-A-Million. It shows Chattanooga and a 50-mile radius around the city. Nice if you have to leave town.

***One film can holds $7 in quarters.

****I get it from Dollar Tree. It comes in a blue box, brand name "Natureplex". Good stuff.

*****Great not only for reading maps, but also starting fires in bright sunlight. (Doesn't work so well at night, though. YMMV)

Recommended Home Toolkit

I've come up with a list of really basic tools that no home should do without. I might amend this in the future to include other things, but this is a great starter. Just about any job that the average person could expect to be doing can be done with these tools:

16oz hammer*
tack hammer
WD-40
8" Vise grips
Hack saw
Caulk gun
Vaseline
1' level
Nails, screws, washers
9.6v cordless drill
Tape (Teflon/electrical)
Plumber's helper
12' or 16' tape measure
Emergency flashlight (w/ 3-posn. switch)
Wood glue
Combination square
8" adj. crescent wrench
6-part screwdriver
8" slipjoint pliers
duct tape**
picture wire
needlenose pliers
small & large putty knives
long-nose butane lighter
safety goggles

*Get a 20-oz hammer if you can handle it, but never anything less than 16.

**Remember: duct tape is like the Force -- it has a light side and a dark side and it binds everything in the universe together.

$aving$

Over the years, I've gotten to know quite a few families who save money by having the mother cut the children's hair.

But.... did any of them think to actually pay Mom the money that was saved? Doubtful.

For quite some years now, I've mostly cut my own hair. (Not that you'd noticed. I've actually gotten rather good at it. Of course, when I was only 14..... But I digress.)

Recently, I decided that I deserve to get paid for my efforts (if not the actual results). So, I set up a haircut jar. Since I keep my hair extremely short and cut it every other week, I figure -- all things considered -- that each haircut is worth about $4 to me. So every time I cut my hair, four bucks goes into the haircut jar. And the money mounts up.

When times have been a bit tight, I've borrowed from the fund, each time leaving an IOU in place of the money I've borrowed. And when funds are available, I redeem the IOUs.

I also do the same thing with laundry (which I should have started doing about three years ago!). Every time I do a load of laundry, the money I would have spent in a laundromat goes into the laundry jar.

Nice.