Today I’m celebrating the accomplishment of one of my blogging goals - 1,000 subscribers in less than six months.  As of this morning FeedBurner reports 1001 subscribers - good thing my wife finally signed up.  Just kidding, well, not really!  Admittedly, it was a stretch goal because in the beginning I never imagined I could attract 1,000 daily readers.  Just between us, I would have been happy with 500!  Still, I believe in creating a few goals for yourself that just seem so outlandishly impossible that it forces you to constantly think of new ways to reach them.  Take that second-year business school professor that said all goals must be S.M.A.R.T. goals!

To celebrate the milestone I thought it might be fun to create an All-Star edition of the weekly roundup, sort of a best-of-the best links edition from a few of my favorite blogs.  Before we move on, I would like to thank all of you who have subscribed to Frugal Dad and contributed to the great discussions we’ve shared over the last few months.  I hope you will stick around and even tell a friend or two.  Next stretch goal - 3,000 readers by January 1, 2009! 

If you haven’t already signed up for a free subscription to Frugal Dad, do so today! You may subscribe via RSS feed or email delivery.  Subscribers also gain access to my free eBook, The 7-Day Turnaround!

Now, for the All-Star Roundup

The Life Skills Network.  Not long into my attempt at blogging I joined forces with a few other newbies (and a couple veterans) to form The Life Skills Network.  I subscribe to the feed myself and often marvel at the variety of posts offered on a daily basis - frugal living, career advice, financial planning, environmental concerns and personal development are regularly discussed themes.  Thanks to the other members of TLSN for their encouragement over the past few months.  If you have some time, visit the network site and then each of their blogs for some excellent reads.

Building a Better Blog at The Simple Dollar.  Thirty-one days dedicated to enhancing your blog.  If you write a blog, or have ever wanted to start a blog, this is a must-read series.

Gaining a Readership:  The Frugal Way at The Motherload.  Still one of my favorite frugal living/parenting sites.  Amy shares some great thoughts on how to build your readership without spending tons of money on marketing.

20 Types of Pages Every Blogger Should Consider at ProBlogger.  The ultimate guide for setting up a new blog at the ultimate resource for bloggers.  I should probably revisit this list myself and tweak the navigation here at Frugal Dad.

An Introduction to Square Foot Gardening at Get Rich Slowly.  Ah, the post that started it all!  For those that weren’t around I took on my own square foot gardening project based on J.D.’s post.  My own “how-to” post was featured on Lifehacker.org, and 15,000 overnight visitors later Frugal Dad took off.  Interestingly enough, this article remains one of my most popular posts, as does J.D.’s at his own blog. 

*I can’t mention square foot gardening or the LifeHacker.org mention without thanking Lynnae over at Being Frugal.  After all, it was her own square foot gardening post based on my project that caught the editor’s eye at Life Hacker.  Maybe we should all scrap writing about finances and start writing about square foot gardens! 

Serious Savers Who Died Very Wealthy at The Digerati Life.  This one is a great reminder of how living frugally can pay off down the road!

Good Dad or Good Employee.  Pick One at 21st Century Dad.  A great read from one of my favorite Dad sites out there.  Many dads (and moms) think they can have the best of both worlds.  Unfortunately, something has to give.  My family ALWAYS comes first - even when I am working I’m doing it primarily for them, but as soon as I can break away I’m all about spending time with my family. 

Please Let Me Talk You Out of a New Car at My Super-Charged Life.  Wish this one was posted around every new car lot in my community.  I frequently hear people bemoaning their new car payments after the new car smell has faded.

101 Awesome Sites for Men, Husbands, and Fathers at Building Camelot.  Great resource for guys, or the guys in your life.  I was honored to be mentioned in such great company!

Snowflaking: A Primer from Paid Twice.  This article made “snowflaking” a household word, and even helped the author take home the national championship of blogging during March Madness.

Supercharging the Debt Snowball from Plonkee Money.  Still one of the best debt snowball ideas I’ve ever read - an instant classic.

Signs You May Be a Megaconsumer from The Wisdom Journal.  This one was so good it made the front page of MSN. com, and knocked Ron offline for a while with the surge in traffic - always a good problem!

35 Low-Cost Ways to Green Your Lifestyle from The Good Human.  I confess, I am not the most “green” individual, but I have really changed my outlook on the environment after becoming a huge fan of David’s site, The Good Human.  After all, living frugally and conserving resources go hand in hand.  Like Kermit said, “It isn’t easy being green,” but The Good Human makes it a little bit easier.

A Penny Saved is Worth More than a Penny Earned at Cash Money Life.  An excellent, updated look at Ben Franklin’s famous quote.

How Do I Organize 181 Accounts from My Dollar Plan.  I get overwhelmed with a dozen or so accounts, but My Dollar Plan seems to have the process down and shares a few tips in this article.

Frugal or Cheap?  Here’s the Test at Moolanomy.  Finally, a definitive test to settle the age-old question, “What’s the Difference in Being Frugal and Being Cheap?”

How to Get My Wife or Husband to Follow a Budget from Gather Little by Little.  One of the more inspirational money blogs around, Gather Little by Little often shares thoughts on family finances.  This is one of the better posts I’ve read on money and relationships.  Unfortunately, money fights are the number one cause of divorce in America.  If only posts like this were required reading.

With over 125 blogs listed on my feed reader, I’m sure I am leaving out a couple favorites.  I encourage you to take a look at my blogroll in the sidebar and visit the sites listed.  I read many of these blogs daily, and they have become a source of inspiration as I continue my quest to be a better parent, a better employee, a better steward of money, a better blogger, and a better citizen.

A Frugal Dad reader (Tracy) recently wrote to get my opinion on a housing dilemma she and her husband find themselves in. To summarize, the couple recently relocated to be closer to both their jobs and bought a “fixer-upper” that turns out to need more work than they originally thought. The purchase was made a bit hastily because their home sold quickly and the buyer wanted to take ownership in just three weeks. With buyer’s remorse setting in, and the couple finding themselves quickly outgrowing their space, they are wondering if a remodel/expansion is in order, or if they should try to find something else to buy (which is difficult given the options in their immediate vicinity).

I asked for Tracy’s permission to post her story here and allow Frugal Dad readers to offer their advice. I’ve provided my response below her original email, and hope you will do the same in the comments section.

From Tracy:

I have a burning question that ties in with a topic you’ve touched on before; your advice was, (I think I remember this correctly): When purchasing a home, “buy a starter home and stay there.” In our situation, our starter home was in a small, suburban tract community about 40 minutes away from my work and an about an hour from my husband’s. Throw in some heinous weekday commuter traffic and a couple of daycare stops (after a couple of years) and we decided we were spending way too much of our lives in vehicles. So, we purchased a 30-yr-old fixer much closer to our places of work and now our commutes are down to about 20 minutes each, one way. Right now, that’s about the only good thing we can say about the place!

We sold our first home much quicker than anticipated, and our buyers were relocating and really wanted to be in our home in three weeks. So we had to find a home and move in very little time. We’d narrowed down our choices to two houses in the same neighborhood. We made an offer on one, a sprawling ranch with an open layout that we both loved. The inspection came back with structural damage, as well as a number of other costly items; the seller was not willing to negotiate the price to offset fixing the items, nor was she willing to fix them, so we rescinded our offer. The other home came back with a clean inspection, but had many cosmetic issues such as 30-yr-old green shag carpet, layers and layers of floral wallpaper, etc.

Now, three years later, we’ve made a few updates but still have a long way to go. The kitchen, which I thought was “quaint” when we were under the gun to find shelter, is actually barely functional and doesn’t really meet our needs as a family of four. It has one operating drawer for utensils, and only about six cabinets for dishes, pots, pans and food. There is no pantry.

The huge yard with lots of flowering shrubs (mostly azaleas) was a big plus when we were buying the place, but last summer they contracted a disease and promptly died, leaving us with gaping holes in the yard after mercifully putting them out of their misery earlier this year. There are also drainage issues with the property that we’ve been told would cost about $3500 to correct. Also, our minivan barely fits in the narrow one-car driveway, and when people stop by to visit–forget it. We’re forever moving vehicles to prevent blocking someone in.

The other items add up to about $14,000 in repairs/upgrades: Painting or removing the dark paneling in the den, replacing the green carpet with hardwoods or laminate, adding a freestanding pantry to the kitchen, replacing cracked tile in the bathrooms, replacing a cracked shower door, widening the driveway, etc.

We’ve only been there three years, so we don’t have a lot of equity to tap into for a second mortgage, nor do we want the added expense. Our current mortgage is about $1300. The average cost of homes in the neighborhood is around $190,000 (up from $165,000 when we bought the place). Most of the homes for sale in the neighborhood are about the same age with virtually no upgrades; ones that are fully updates go for much more, around $250,000, which is out of our price range. Newer homes in our range are generally about 30-40 minutes away, which would put us back at square one.

What do you recommend? My husband is reluctant to move, knowing that it’s a stressful ordeal, and often costly, even if the new mortgage ends up being less than what we’re currently paying. Thanks for any help!

Tracy, your story is probably not that uncommon from others around the country. I’ve known people who have taken on “fixer-uppers” for a variety of reasons and suddenly they find themselves without the motivation or means to continue. It’s a cautionary tale for taking on such projects, but you are here now, so let’s consider your options.

I guess my first question would be how much of the “cosmetic” issues could you live with, in the short term? Ugly carpet, a narrow driveway, and paneling in need of paint are certainly not ideal, but far from untenable. I’d recommend prioritizing these jobs and saving for them in a dedicated savings account. Things like drainage issues and leaky shower doors should be a priority as they can lead to further damage, while cosmetic items can be prioritized much lower.

Depending on how handy you and your husband are, perhaps some of the work can be done yourselves. Painting is a relatively low-cost project that can make dramatic changes to a space without much investment, assuming you don’t have to pay a paint crew to do the work. I’m not particularly good with flooring and tile work, so I’d probably have to hire someone for those projects. Ask around at work or at church to see if you can find someone reputable to do the work, or perhaps find a colleague who would like to tackle the project on the side.

Basically, my advice is to move slowly. What’s gotten many of us into trouble as a consumer society is impatience - the need for instant gratification. It sounds like you aren’t interested in taking on new debt, and that’s a good thing. Stick to that! It will take longer to make these repairs if you have to save up the cash, but at least you will own your new driveway, new floor and additional pantry, outright.

For the benefit of other readers, this is a good example of why I stress that there is no shame in renting. I’m not sure it was even an option in Tracy’s case, but assuming her and her husband had rented for six months to a year they could have bought some time to fully explore all available options before buying their next home. What would be your advice to Tracy and her husband?

Photo by justinbaeder

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It seems a bit like a rite of passage for every personal finance writer to share their opinion of Dave Ramsey. That alone speaks volumes about Ramsey’s reach in the personal finance sector, but not all of the reviews have been glowing. I personally consider his book, The Total Money Makeover, one of my all-time top three favorite personal finance reads. The book is not overly technical, and is written with an inspirational, “can-do” tone. It is hard to argue with his success in motivating people to finally pay attention to their finances.

Is it time for Ramsey to Update His Plan?

Just last week Jennifer wrote about her issues with Dave Ramsey’s plan in, Falling Off the Dave Ramsey Diet. I have my own issues with some of the numbers, but basically agree with the concept of following “baby steps” towards financial freedom. Here is a look at the original baby steps, as they appear on Dave Ramsey’s website:

1. 1,000 to start an Emergency Fund
2. Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball
3. 3 to 6 months of expenses in savings
4. Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement
5. College funding for children
6. Pay off home early
7. Build wealth and give! Invest in mutual funds and real estate.

It’s hard to argue with the simplicity of Dave Ramsey’s approach, however I have found by tweaking a few of the baby steps, and rearranging them slightly, the plan has worked well for our family. We tried the original baby steps as written several times, but struggled to reach beyond baby step 2. It didn’t take much of an emergency for us to blow through the $1,000 baby emergency fund, and large emergencies still required us to use credit cards to cover. We would restart our savings plan from $0, and kicked ourselves for turning to credit cards again. This also made us hesitant to get rid of credit cards entirely because it was our only safety net against a complete financial meltdown. Here is a look at the approach my family has taken.

The Baby Steps, Frugal Dad Style

1. Cut up all but one credit card. This card should have the highest limit, and lowest interest rate, and should only be used for genuine emergencies. The older the card the better, as keeping your oldest trade line active will improve your FICO score. I recommend removing if from your wallet and stashing it in a sock drawer at home. Do carry the card with you on vacations or extended trips, but again, only use it in an emergency.

2. Six months of expenses in an emergency fund. As I mentioned above, $1,000 just didn’t provide enough safety net for our family. A dead transmission, busted hot water heater, or serious medical emergency could easily wipe out your entire emergency savings, forcing you to turn to credit cards to keep your head above water. This is counterproductive. Instead, we are working to save a full six months of expenses in an emergency fund. Three months may be enough for some families, but since we live on just one income we have little to fall back on. A shaky job market, or general angst over the broader economy may influence the amount you decide to save.

3. Cut up the last (emergency) credit card. With six months of savings in place you are “self-insured” against emergencies and can cut up your last credit card. If you have a credit card with a $10,000 limit, but now have $10,000 in savings, you have essentially replaced the need for an emergency credit card by building your own personal line of credit.

4. Implement the debt snowball. For this step, we follow Dave Ramsey’s plan as written. Pay off debts smallest to largest, regardless of the interest rate. Some will argue this is bad math - higher interest rate cards should go first. Well, we’ve already experienced the momentum Dave Ramsey writes about by paying off several small debts, quickly. These quick wins motivate us to keep going. If you prefer to pay off high-interest cards first, do it. It’s really not worth getting heartburn over. The point is to get busy getting out of debt, one way or another. Get a part time job, snowflake every single amount you can find, have a yard sale, look for “wasted money” in your budget, and make getting out of debt a top priority. Whatever you do, don’t give up! There will be many obstacles in your path to debt freedom, but clearing each one will make it that much sweeter when you reach the finish line.

4a. Invest in your retirement plan up to an employer match. This step should be happening at the same time you are working baby step 4, so I have labeled it step 4a. If your employer offers a match of 401(k) contributions, invest in the minimum percentage to receive that match. Three or four percent of your income isn’t going to make or break your get-out-of-debt plan, and passing up “free” money from your employer just doesn’t make much sense, financially. You’ll also benefit from the added months of compounding growth.

4b. If your employer doesn’t offer a match, skip the 401(k), open a Roth IRA and contribute 3% of your income. The earnings grow tax free! Many people will say it is impossible to save and get out of debt at the same time. True, you divert some financial resources that could be used to pay down debt, but by getting into the habit of saving you are setting yourself up for a much brighter financial future.

5. Max Roth IRA contributions. Now that you are debt free, use the money you were spending to pay off debts to fully fund Roth IRA contributions for you and your spouse. Check the IRS website for maximum contribution amounts and eligibility information. Again, if your employer offers to match 401(k) contributions, continue making the minimum contribution required to get the match. With any amount above that, fund Roth IRAs.

6. Save for kid’s college. With credit card debt behind you, and retirement savings on track, now is the time to focus on saving for your children’s education. Many people, myself included, feel compelled to move this step up in the process because we care so much about our children’s future. However, unless we want to become a burden to our kids in retirement, it is important to get our own finances in order before concentrating on saving for children. We are currently investing gifts and the occasional “found” money in 529 College Saving Plans for both our kids, and will ramp up these contributions when the previous baby steps are complete.

6a. Save for non-educational expenses for kids. In addition to college savings, we have also invested a small amount in single stocks for our kids, allowing them to help in the selection process and in monitoring the stock’s performance. My son now owns a few shares of McDonalds and my daughter owns shares of Disney. Both were purchased with birthday money from relatives. I don’t think they will ever become rich with their investments, but it has sparked an interest in saving and investing. We also set up a sub-account at ING in our names, but labeled for each of our kids, and contribute $50 a month or so for expenses we know are coming down the road: orthodontics, prom dresses, cars, etc.

7. Pay off the mortgage early. Probably the most controversial of Dave Ramsey’s baby steps, this one causes math geeks to go into hysteria! And this hysteria runs even higher in periods of super-low interest rates. Trying to justify to a financial guru paying off a mortgage early at 5.5% versus investing in the market is like trying to pull teeth from a hippopotamus - it just isn’t going to happen! I generally like the idea because one day I hope to “retire” early, and to do that I’ll need to eliminate as many of my monthly expenses as possible. Without a mortgage, it is quite possible for passive income streams to cover our basic expenses, and we could live off a much-reduced salary or income from freelance jobs.

8. Build non-retirement wealth. The problem with only investing inside retirement accounts is that it is nearly impossible to get to your money before age 60. What if I don’t plan on working until age 60? Short of paying penalties, or turning to a 72t distribution (which is based on life expectancy and is nearly impossible to change or stop), there isn’t much choice other than waiting for the magical retirement age to arrive. When we reach this step I plan to invest money above and beyond retirement savings in low-cost, low-turnover index mutual funds such as the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index fund and the Vanguard International Index Fund. Both offer incredibly low expenses, and with low turnover, do not produce high capital gains taxes at the end of the year. It might also make sense to investigate other types of financial products such as low-cost annuities, or bond funds to hedge against fluctuations in the equities market. These funds may then be tapped early to allow for a comfortable lifestyle between an early retirement and the minimum age to access funds from retirement accounts.

I’ll wrap this up by saying that while I am a fan of Dave Ramsey and other financial advisors, no one should blindly follow advice they read in a book, on a blog, or on television (nope, not even on Frugal Dad!). I’ve shared with you what works for our family, but take time to investigate the different options yourself, and implement the best financial plan for you and yours. The great thing about finances is there is rarely only one way to do something, but opinions abound when it comes to money matters so take each one with a grain of salt.

If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to Frugal Dad for free via RSS feed or email delivery. Subscribers also receive my free eBook, The 7-Day Turnaround!

Attention couponers out there! I received an email from Gaby Wilson, casting producer for the television show, Wife Swap. She is looking for families who know how to save a buck. I told her I knew several hundred people who may be interested and asked if I could post the information here. If you are interested in being part of the show, read on.

Email from Gaby:

The premise of Wife Swap is that one parent from each household swaps places for a week to experience how another family lives. It is an incredible family experience and opportunity to both learn and teach different family values.

Wife Swap is a fascinating story of what happens when two couples see themselves and their partners in a whole new light. The New York Post says, “It should be called ‘Life Swap’ because it’s not just the wives who learn something here. It’s the families.”

Potential families can live anywhere in the United States, but we ask that families applying for the show consist of two parents and have at least one child, age 7 or older, living at home. Specifically, I’m looking for families who know how to save a buck by clipping coupons! If you’re serious about your coupon regime, I want to hear from you! To submit for the show please email a family photo and description to Gaby.

Families featured on the show will receive a $20,000 honorarium. If you refer a family that is selected you receive $1,000.

If you are a family unit (two parents and children between the ages of 7 and 17 who love an adventure, I would love to hear from you today! Also, please feel free to send this casting along to any families you feel would be appropriate!

*More information is available at: http://abc.go.com/primetime/wifeswap

If you apply for the show, be sure to tell Gaby that FrugalDad.com sent you!

If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to Frugal Dad for free via RSS feed or email delivery. Subscribers also receive my free eBook, The 7-Day Turnaround!

We have been loyal Kroger shoppers for some time, and thanks to their double-coupon deals we’ve managed to save quite a bit of money on sale items. As an added bonus, Kroger stores also offer a loyalty card that allows members to receive a $0.10 per gallon discount on gasoline for every $100 you spend on groceries. For several months I refused to shop anywhere else because I was convinced this was saving us money. That line of thinking came to a screeching halt when I finally sat down to do the math, and a little comparison shopping.

My Car Can’t Hold More Gas

Gas prices are steadily climbing, but Kroger’s fuel discount only provides a flat discount off the retail price of gasoline. Since my car can’t hold any additional gasoline this means my savings are fairly well capped to $2.00 per fill up (assuming an average of about 20 gallons per fill up). During the last few shopping trips I’ve noticed significant price increases at Kroger, particularly on dairy, meats and a few packaged dried goods (crackers, cookies, etc.). I knew prices were up everywhere, but I decided to shop around.

Wal-Mart vs. Kroger

I visited a local Wal-Mart Supercenter last weekend armed with the receipt from my last trip to Kroger. What I found confirmed my suspicions - Kroger was more expensive. Several items were significantly higher at the Kroger store - some even as much as $1.25 higher for the exact same product and size. It wouldn’t take a lot of shopping at Wal-Mart to offset the $2.00 I saved per weekly fill-up at the Kroger gas pumps. In fact, we could save quite a bit of money by moving the majority of our grocery shopping to Wal-Mart.

The Kroger fuel discount, and the Kroger Plus card, are great examples of how loyalty programs work. Companies create the perception that by sticking with them you will automatically save money. As my impromptu research has shown, that is not always the case. Be sure to shop around, and stop to do the math to figure out if saving money is costing you more than you think.

photo by szlea

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In today’s society where nearly all forms of payment have been converted to plastic, it is hard to convince people to carry cash. Mostly citing security concerns or convenience issues, people just aren’t into carrying cash these days. However, there are still several good reasons to carry cash, and occasions when only cash will do. For these scenarios, just how much cash should we have on hand?

Walking Around Money ($20)

I try to keep at least twenty dollars on my person at all times. Twenty dollars is enough to cover tips, or small purchases from a vendor who does not accept credit cards. A small amount of cash may also be needed for gas or food purchases in a pinch should your debit or credit cards decide to not work. After my “soggy hotdog” experience, I’ve made it a point to try and leave an extra $20 bill tucked away in the back of my wallet.

Travel Money ($250)

For regional travel, a couple hundred dollars seems like a prudent amount of cash to keep handy. While traveling there will be more opportunities to engage in cash-only transactions, such as cab fares, tips for hotel staff, and picking up the latest copy of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance from a magaine stand. I like to separate my travel “walking around money” from my total travel cash by leaving $100 or so tucked away in my suitcase, or similar hiding place and replenish as needed. In the event my wallet (along with debt/credit cards) is lost or stolen, I am not completely without money for meals, gas, etc.

Cash Kept at Home ($500)

Along with a fully-funded emergency fund, and a smaller local emergency fund, it also makes sense to keep some cash around the house. Home safes and lock boxes are fairly inexpensive and can provide security for your cash and other valuables that you don’t want to leave in a safe deposit box. In the event of a disaster (natural, or otherwise) it would be good to have a few hundred dollars in cash at your disposal. You never know when access to your money at the bank could become inaccessible, or roads impassible, so keep a small amount handy in the event of a large scale emergency.

photo by stopnlook

If you liked this article, please consider subscribing to Frugal Dad for free via RSS feed or email delivery. Subscribers also receive my free eBook, The 7-Day Turnaround!

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases along to the consumer. A recent stroll through the camping section of Wal-Mart did give me pause - what kinds of things are prudent to have on hand in the event of a worldwide shortage of food and/or fuel?

Survivalist in Training

I’ve been interested in survival stories since I was a kid, which is funny considering I grew up in a city. Maybe that’s why the idea of living off the land appealed to me. My grandfather and I frequently took camping trips along the Blue Ridge Parkway and around the Smoky Mountains. Looking back, some of the best times we had were when we stayed at campgrounds without electricity hookups, because it forced us to use what we had to get by. My grandfather was well-prepared with a camp stove and lanterns (which ran off propane), and when the sun went to bed we usually did along with it. We played cards for entertainment, and in the absence of televisions, games, etc. we shared many great conversations.

Survivalist in the Neighborhood

I have a neighbor who recently converted his entire side yard into a vegetable garden. I don’t know his motivation, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he was a sort of “urban survivalist,” planning to grow his own food to live off in an emergency. Maybe he is simply hedging against higher food prices. Either way, he is growing an impressive amount of food. We recently upsized our square foot garden into an in-ground garden in our backyard. By no means could we live off the harvest at this point, but we may have a few veggies to supplement summer salads. Perhaps I need to follow my neighbor’s trend, and borrow his tiller!

Survival Gear

Having a few basic necessities on hand makes a lot of sense, not only in the face of recession, but as a practical homeowner who at times may face natural disasters, power outages, etc. Within this post, I’m going to start a list of items to have on hand in the event of an emergency - sort of a home emergency kit. Over time, the list will grow much larger as I remember new items, or as readers share their lists with me. We keep our home emergency kit in an old school backpack (the contents are stored in gallon-sized Ziploc bags to make them waterproof) and stored high in a closet. In the event of an emergency we could easily grab it and have all the smaller contents close by.

1. Gallon of water per person, per day of required survival. A general rule I’ve read from others is to keep about three gallons of water on hand per person. Hopefully, in a small scale disaster water treatment facilities could make necessary repairs of diversions to get water back online within a few days.
2. Water purification tablets. Pickup a few of these at a camping supply store. In the event you can’t generate heat and boil water these tablets may provide the only way to make drinking water safe.
3. Can opener. I sort of chuckled as I wrote this, because we always hear jokes of people being stranded with canned goods and no can opener. Think of all the things in your pantry - how would you open them without a can opener? I guess you could resort to smashing them against a sharp object, but save yourself some time and effort by picking up an inexpensive, manual can opener.
4. Weather radio. Just a couple weeks ago tornadoes ripped through the town just to our north, knocking out power, and taking several radio stations down. Without a battery-operated weather radio tuned to the NOAA emergency station you would have no way of knowing what was going on outside your home.
5. Spare container of propane for gas grills. Grilling out is kind of a luxury now, but in the event of losing power for several days it may be the only way to heat food.
6. Ramen noodles. A cheap way to store several days worth of carbs and necessary fats. Add a little water and you have a meal in a real crunch. Hey, if college kids can live off these things, you could in a pinch.
7. Gatorade. In a hot summer I can go through gallons of Gatorade when working outdoors. In an emergency situation, Gatorade can be a great way to replenish salts and electrolytes robbed by dehydration.
8. Waterproof matches. Along with a torch lighter or two, waterproof matches may be your best bet for lighting candles, fires or the grill mentioned above.
9. Whistle. Whistles are great to carry along on hikes because they can make a lot of noise without wasting a lot of energy. They are also good to keep at home in case of a structural collapse as a way of communicating with rescuers.
10. Swiss army knife. Many of these have multiple tools such as screw drivers, corkscrews and bottle opener, in addition to a variety of cutting tools.
11. Flashlights. Every home should have a few flashlights and spare batteries.
12. Gun and backup ammunition. Gun-control advocates won’t like this one, but I believe in our right to bear arms. Make them safe and out of reach of kids if you have them. In the event of a disaster you may be forced to defend your food and other supplies from those who failed to prepare wisely. It is a scary proposition, but unfortunately it is human nature - survival of the fittest.
13. First aid kit. Every home should have a well-stocked first aid kit. Most of the larger retail stores sell pre-packaged first aid kits, but you may find you can stock your own cheaper. I like to add to ours occasionally by picking up trial-size items at Wal-Mart or Target. It’s nice to toss a small bottle of aspirin or acetaminophen in the kit without having to buy 100 tablets in larger packaging.
14. Dust masks. I have a box of these on hand anyway to help fight allergies while mowing our lawn. They also offer protection from dust and debris in the event of a structural collapse. We all remember the images of 9/11 when the towers collapsed, spreading toxic dust hundreds of feet.
15. Prescriptions. It’s a good idea to never let everyday prescription supplies run low. Those taking medicines such as insulin or blood pressure medication should always keep a fresh supply on hand in the event they are unable to venture out for refills.
16. Hand sanitizer. Sanitizing wipes or squirt bottles are an effective way to clean hands before eating without using up precious drinking water. Again, keep out of the reach of children as sanitizers are toxic if ingested.
17. Vitamins. Vitamins may help supplement important nutrients missing from an emergency food diet, such as iron and potassium. For purposes of an emergency kit I recommend a bottle of generic Sam’s Club vitamins or similar because a large quantity can be purchased dirt cheap. Look for vitamins that can be halved and given to children making it unnecessary to purchase separate bottles.
18. Protein bars. Inexpensive way to store individually wrapped servings of protein.
19. Antibiotic cream. To ward off infection to cuts and scrapes.
20. Gallon Ziploc bags. We store the contents of our emergency kit in Ziploc bags, but we also store a few extras in case we need to separate things during an emergency, or to store opened food, etc.
21. Duct tape. Can be used to seal off windows and doors in the event of a biological attack. (submitted by Gretchen)
22. Surgical mask. Offers some protection against the spread of airborne biological agents. (submitted by Gretchen)
23. Books to read, a deck of cards, a travel game, and note book and pen. All good ways to pass the time if forced to “wait it out.” (submitted by Greg)
24. A wad of small bills, mostly ones and fives. Stores would soon run out of change and most vending machines only take small bills. (submitted by Greg)
25. Waterproof copies of legal documents.  Keep copies of birth certificates and other personal papers in a Ziploc bag. (submitted by Jenni)
26. Include a book about edible plants.  This is a great idea, and a topic I took great interest in when I first read the SAS Survival Handbook - in fact, I may just pick up a new copy of this excellent book and toss it in the pack. (submitted by lootsdw)
27. Stockpile seeds for your garden. (submitted by lootsdw)
28. Don’t forget pet food. I try to have an extra bag on hand for the dogs and when I’ve used up the current bag I rotate and go buy a new backup. Doggies need to eat too! (submitted by castocreations)
     

Be sure to rotate your stock of food, water, vitamins and prescriptions so that they are fresh and effective. Most canned goods can easily be stored up to one year, and most dried goods may be consumed up to six months from their purchase date. If no expiration date is present on items, label the date you added them to the emergency kit with a marker so you’ll know when it is time to replace them. I’m not advocating you rush out and buy all these things today (unless you are ready to make a significant investment), simply add a few items from the list to your grocery budget over the next few weeks and begin to build your own family emergency kit.

Ask the Readers: What kinds of things are in your home emergency kits? I’ll add new items to the list and make this a group project.

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photo by: ktylerconk

Additional Resources:

• Original Yahoo Article on Survivalists
• American Red Cross
• Department of Homeland Security Preparedness Checklist