My Top Ten picks from The Dollar Store

    Assuming you have stocked canned goods, a heat source, a can opener, bottled water, and you are bugging in.....  
      My Top Ten products available at the "everything for a dollar store" for camping are:

Glow sticks.  (multi pack bracelets make a great glowing path marker. 
Plastic Drop cloth (9' x 12')                Thick socks
Multi tool                                        auto dashboard compass
L.E.D. flashlight                               Three pack small bungee cords
batteries for light                             Twine or clothes line cord
First aid kit

Care Package Ideas:
Disaster Relief Buckets
http://www.dollartree.com

     Glow sticks make for great signal devices after dark, or you could pick up a mirror in the health and beauty aisle if you don't want to be seen at night.  The drop cloth will substitute for a tent and provide instant shelter for you and your gear in a sudden rain.   Everybody needs a band-aid from time to time and a compass is priceless.  Bungee cords can keep your gear together, or help make a temporary shelter.  The cord and multi tool can make traps for hunting game and self defense tools.

      You can pack all the food and gear you want, but if you overlook the little things, the basic things, those are the only things you will need, and you will only need them when you are a hundred miles from a store!


     My top Ten Picks for hurricane readiness from the dollar store are:

Candles                                                  batteries 
Flashlights (some come with batteries)       FM radio scanner
First aid kit                                             puzzle book or                                                              coloring-
Headache relief tablets                             book and crayons                                                                          for the kids
Baby wipes (for personal hygiene)              healthy snacks
freezer packs (put them in the freezer to protect food if power is off for a short time, just don't open the freezer door.  

     When the power is off, all you want is light, so stock plenty of sources as well as solar garden lights that charge in the window and keep the home lit in the dark for hours.  Life without power is boring, keep yourself and the kids busy with puzzle books or a good book to read in the daytime.  A small FM radio will give you the news you need without alarming the children and can be used as a reward for good behavior, it uses only one battery.  Personal fans are available at dollar stores seasonally and I stock extra bug spray and damp rid because all the windows and doors are open for days.

     My top ten picks for the prepper are:

Plastic drop cloths                                   Shoe boxes, plastic(to sort supplies)
First aid products                                    Plastic food containers(w/gasket seals)
Solar lights                                            Glow sticks in all sizes
L.E.D. flashlights                                    Antibacterial soap
Cleaning products (bleach & ammonia)               Rope and twine

     Also, while you are at the dollar store, the floral decor department offers a bag of spanish moss and a candle is available on their home decor shelves.  A candle and moss make fire starters.  Lighters are available usually near the registers.