Even if you’re well on your way to establishing a stockpile of supplies to hold you over during a major emergency, there may be one or two things that you could be forgetting. While you probably have most of the biggies covered, you’d be sorry if you forgot to have some of the ones that didn’t seem as important at the time. Sometimes you have to go back and consider what your most basic needs are to be sure that you have all your bases covered. Which in fact is what most of these items are. These are 13 things you’ll regret not having when SHTF.
13 Things You’ll Regret Not Having When SHTF
1. Soap
Proper sanitation is one of the first things that goes following a major disaster. Without having soap to keep not only all of you clean, but particularly your hands clean, it will only be a matter of time before you could get terribly sick. And if you don’t have the right medicine or even the convenience of being able to head to your doctor so they can fill out a prescription for you, your situation could wind up deadly. Make sure that when you plan on stocking up on soap, try to purchase a supply that is antibacterial.
2. Hand Sanitizer
No matter how much soap you have set aside, eventually, your stockpile will draw to an end. You will want to have an abundance of hand sanitizer as one of your emergency items so that your soap supply won’t diminish too quickly. We quickly realize that this is one of those things you’ll regret not having when SHTF.
3. Bleach
Bleach is probably the cheapest and one of the most effective ways of disinfecting contaminated water, along with keeping your surroundings sanitary. Be sure to stock up on this one as much as you can. Remember to store the variety without any scent or it will carry over to the flavor of the water, and it may not be as tolerable to your body either. Please only store what you can use within six months.
4. Toilet Paper/Kleenex Tissues
If it came down to it, your family could definitely survive in a world without toilet paper, but would you really want to? This is why it only makes sense for you to create a huge stockpile of toilet paper that you don’t touch until an emergency. And don’t forget Kleenex, I have so many allergies, I have to stock these all the time.
5. Feminine Products
For those of you who have a family with several females living in your home, you’ll be under a lot more pressure to make sure they stay fresh and clean with a stockpile of tampons or sanitary pads. They never go bad and don’t take up that much space when being stored. Don’t be afraid to make homemade ones, you may need them. In case you missed this post, How To Make Reusable Menstrual Pads
Suffering through a headache without any form of pain relief is painful, but it is doable. Yet what about if you are suffering from a toothache or some type of serious injury? Not so easy to do. Be sure to get a number of different kinds of pain relievers because they each have their special uses.
You also don’t have to get caught up in worrying about the expiration date on the bottles once they’re past the date. They never really go bad, but just lessen in strength over time. While you’re at it, go ahead and stock up on other medical supplies and OTC medicines that would be useful.
7. Can Openers
A majority of the food that you’ve stockpiled for emergencies probably comes in a can. It would be a lot harder to get the contents out of them without a manual can opener. Just to be safe, keep more than one of them around in your home. Again, please stock more than one can opener, you never know when that favorite one will break. Can Openers
8. Tools
Having basic tools along with screws, nails, and adhesives will be crucial if you’re forced out of your home and you need to build a shelter for your family. Following a post-collapse, it’s going to take a ton of hardware materials to rebuild again, and it will also give you something that you can barter with too.
9. Matches and Lighters
Unless you’re skilled with making fires by using another method, you will regret not having plenty of matches and lighters set aside for a SHTF scenario. Starting a fire can be difficult as it is, especially if your knowledge is limited in that department. You will need to be able to make a fire for your cooking and lighting purposes. It doesn’t hurt to have the matches in waterproof containers in case the emergency takes place during a storm. That’s also why flashlights and a large stash of batteries would also be a must-have.
10. Ammo
Without ammo, it’s going to be pretty difficult for you to hunt, and your hunting rifles will be completely useless. One thing to keep in mind is that you can never have too much ammo, especially following a major disaster. If you’re in a situation that you don’t want to give away your location, stocking up on bowstrings and arrows may also be something that you should consider.
Even if you have never touched a lick of booze in your life, it would be smart for you to have it on you if ever SHTF. Some people use it to calm their nerves in order to help them relax, but alcohol can be used to help disinfect wounds. It also holds value and would give you another bargaining item that you could use to trade with people for almost anything. This is another item you’ll regret not having in SHTF.
12. Entertainment
When you’re left with a useless mobile device in your pocket following an SHTF scenario, you will have wished you had another form of entertainment to help you pass the time. For some people, it will take only be a short time before they experience withdrawals and a case of the jitters if they aren’t able to check their email or their social media.
Make sure that you have plenty of books, board games, playing cards, pencils, and pads of paper to keep you busy. While you may not need to be entertained, these are things you’ll regret not having when SHTF.
13. Valuable Skills
You could have every survival item that should be included in your stockpile, but if you don’t have the skills that go along with them, your family probably isn’t going to make it. Hunting, fishing, gardening, foraging, husbandry, welding, carpentry, are just some of the useful skills that you could find very helpful to have. Your skills could be yet another bargaining chip that you could barter with. Survival skills are another area that you may need to brush up on and practice. This is one of my top posts, 30 Pioneer Skills We Cannot Lose
13 Things You’ll Regret Not Having When SHTF
Final Word
Hopefully, you and I will never have to experience an SHTF situation in our lifetime, but there’s always that slim possibility. These are several items that you will regret not having if that day were to one day show up. Of course, having sufficient food and water are critical and that should go without saying if you are at all prepared. A camp stove, plenty of fuel, and enough warm clothing are also some that you shouldn’t forget. What are some things you’ll regret not having when SHTF? May God Bless this world, Linda.
This content was originally published here.
