30 Days of Prepping - 2026

[EBuff75]

Day 22 - Replace filters

Replaced the furnace filter, bedroom air purifier filter, and fridge water filter.  Back during Covid I started running higher quality filters in my furnace and then a while later I added a high-volume air purifier for my bedroom to help my allergies.  Those changes do seem to have helped, as my allergy symptoms have notably dropped off in the last few years. (Other than when I have to deal with oak pollen in the spring; that still sucks)

I've got more furnace filters ready to go, but this was the last of both my air purifier replacement filters and my fridge water filter.  I ordered more of the water filters, but right now the filters I'd gotten for my air purifier aren't in stock.  I'll have to wait until later to get spares for that.  

[EBuff75]

Day 23 - More work on first aid bag, plus Harbor Freight membership and shopping

I've been holding off on a getting a Harbor Freight Inside Track membership until I had something big to buy that was on sale.  Well, until I looked at the list of items that were currently on sale and realized that while there weren't any big things, there were about 8 items from my wishlist that were on sale through it at the moment.  I went ahead with a 2-year membership and then headed over to the store, where it nearly paid for that full two years on my first trip.  I'm sure that I'll be able to make up the remaining $3 worth of expense in the next 2 years!

The most "prepper" of the things I bought is their Braun slim 1000 lumen headlamp, which is currently being charged.  I already tested it a little and the light from it is very wide, which makes it remarkably shadow-free.  So far so good, but I'll have to use it a bit more.

I had a big batch of items arrive today for the first aid bag and spent some time tonight packing them in it.  A dental kit, an eye injury kit, and a burn kit, plus some extras that I pulled out of my own stocks (burn pads and individually wrapped cotton swabs and tongue depressors). I also added a multi-tool to the bag, primarily for the pliers.  New medications include laxatives, burn gel packets, and glucose tabs.  There are still a few items to add, but these were the last major additions that I had on my list. 

At some point I will need to sew on some additional hook strips (as in hook and loop) onto the back of my medication and bandage pouches.  They only have a single strip of hooks to match up to the wide area of loop that are part of the bag already and adding to that will make them more stable.  I may contract that one out though, as a friend of mine has a big commercial sewing machine that could probably attach them in seconds, rather than me trying to do it by hand!

[EBuff75]

Day 24 - Sort through guest room supplies

One of the ways that I'm prepared is for guests!  I've got a whole drawer full of various toiletries for any guests that stay over, so that they don't have to ask me for things.  Things like disposable razors and combs will last forever, but there were a few pain meds in there that need to be replaced.  I went through everything a year or two ago, so most of it's still good.  I added them to my grocery list to pick up the next time I go shopping.

Yes, there are also things like chargers, batteries, and even extra TP. Other things include a few basic clothing items, a radio, flashlight, and nightlights.  The whole idea is that if family / friends are staying and they come across something in the middle of the night that they need, they don't have to wake me up to ask where to find it.  

[EBuff75]

Day 25 - Reading through a first aid book

As part of the updates for my medical bag, I bought a new pocket-size first aid book.  The old one is... old, having been purchased from Waldenbooks about 35 years ago for my very first first aid kit back when I was 16 years old!  Not that the info has changed significantly (other than CPR being compression-only), but the book is falling apart and needed to be replaced.

Rather than just tossing the book in there and calling it good, I'm actually reading through the whole thing as sort of a refresher.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through right now.  It's going fairly quickly if you look at the page count, but that's mainly because each page is only about the size of my palm.  However, it's still about 300 pages, so it still takes a while.

[majorhavoc]

Day 25 - Reading through a first aid book

As part of the updates for my medical bag, I bought a new pocket-size first aid book.  The old one is... old, having been purchased from Waldenbooks about 35 years ago for my very first first aid kit back when I was 16 years old!  Not that the info has changed significantly (other than CPR being compression-only), but the book is falling apart and needed to be replaced.

Rather than just tossing the book in there and calling it good, I'm actually reading through the whole thing as sort of a refresher.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through right now.  It's going fairly quickly if you look at the page count, but that's mainly because each page is only about the size of my palm.  However, it's still about 300 pages, so it still takes a while.

An important thing is to at least know your way around that book, so you can find a particular section in a hurry.

[EBuff75]

Day 26 - Building community

I spent about 5.5 hrs today helping with a cemetery clean-up.  This is a 2x a year thing where volunteers show up to collect trash, trim bushes, etc.  The cemetery is about 10 acres and has a regular lawn service that mows and trims around the gravestones, but it's a historic cemetery that doesn't get many new burials.  That means there isn't a lot of money coming in for routine stuff like this clean-up.  Thus, the volunteers. 

Someone had been in earlier to cut some trees and there was a huge stack of brush that needed to be hauled over to the brush pile at the back of the property.  We loaded up one guy's truck several times, but the rest of it was done by piling it onto tarps and dragging them the 300-500 ft to where they could be dumped.  Needless to say, I got my steps in today!

This is done in preparation of the Movie In the Cemetery event next weekend, something our CERT helps with each year.  Most of the volunteers know me from past years and know that I'm involved with that, which gives us things to talk about.  I'm also always "the guy with the tools" when we do the cleanup and that usually gets me some thanks and appreciation for how well-prepared I am (rakes, shovels, spare gloves, string trimmer, blower, clippers, chainsaw, wheelbarrow, tarps, spare gloves, water, first aid bag, garbage bags, garbage tongs, etc.).  

So the day was spent doing volunteer work and helping to build community.  I think that's about as good as I can expect for today's work!

[EBuff75]

Day 27 - Finished reading the first aid book

I'm still recovering from yesterdays efforts, so I stuck with finishing reading the book on first aid.  

It'll do for now, but I'd only give it about 3.5/5 overall.  There are a few cases where it sends you to the appendix for information that should've just been presented right there in the section where it's referenced (such as how to flush an eye injury).  It also tends to give a description and then show the illustrations separately, rather than putting them together.  In some cases, the description is on one page and you have to turn the page to get to the illustration.  Not ideal.  I also noticed a few things that were completely absent in the book, such as treating heat exhaustion or gunshot wounds.  The next time I'm in a book store, I'll see if they have anything better, but I'll keep this one until then.

[EBuff75]

Day 28 - Service LED road flares

I happened to see an article about things to keep in your vehicle and they had LED flares on the list, which reminded me that I haven't checked mine in a while (they're hidden away with the jack, so they're easy to forget). Oddly, when I checked on Amazon, BOTH of the sets that I ordered are still available (Wagan and Gear Gurus), despite having ordered them 10 and 8 years ago respectively!  If I were to order new ones, I'd probably get USB-C rechargeable ones, which would've made servicing them easier and would eliminate the potential battery leakage...

These are all AAA battery-powered, with compartments that require a screwdriver to open (and then have to be pried open, as they have fairly tight o-rings around the edge).  The Wagans, which are 10 years old, still have good batteries in them!  I was shocked, as the name-brand spares that I kept in the bag with them had all leaked and made a mess.  But nope, the no-name AAAs that have been in there for 10 years were all fine and were right in the green when I tested them.  I did have to clean everything off, including the storage bag because of the leaking batteries, after which I pulled some new AAAs to include as spares.

The batteries in the Gear Gurus flares were leaking, but after a quick bit of scrubbing, everything cleaned right up (the metal contacts cleaned off perfectly, didn't even have any rust from the acid!) and they're all working fine again.  

Years ago one of the guys in CERT came across a clearance deal online for LED road flares and bought about 20 kits of them for about $2 each.  Each one had a blow-molded case, some disposable gloves, and 4 flares pre-loaded with batteries in it.  He handed them out to everyone in the group and then we put all the leftovers in our trailer.  They've just been sitting in my garage since then and when I pulled the case out today, they're all dead.  The batteries in all of them had leaked really badly and wrecked the circuit boards, so there's no salvaging them.

However, the case was just the right size for me to store the LED toppers from my collapsible road cones, along with batteries, and some tape (because they're pretty flimsy and the battery compartments don't want to stay closed).  Nice!

[EBuff75]

Day 29 - Shopping for guest room supplies and winter vehicle bag food

I went shopping tonight and picked up a few items for my guest room toiletries stash, so it should be all set now.  

I also made a list of food items to go in my winter emergency bags that I pack for each vehicle.  Basically, a bunch of stuff that won't mind being in a cold car, like peanut butter, trail mix, energy bars, etc.  There are a couple more things that I'd like to add, but I got most of it tonight. Other than the food, the bags are already packed with spare clothes, gloves, hat, blanket, canned heat, lighters, etc.  They won't go into the vehicles just yet, but I usually add them in late October or early November, so I'm not that far off.  

[EBuff75]

Day 30 - Donate to others in need

I get all sorts of charity appeals which I just pile up until I have a chance to go through them.  Well, I did that tonight, picking out a half-dozen or so from the pile and making various donations to them.  Most of them were local organizations that provide food, housing, or other assistance to those in need. 

Sometimes preparedness is helping others out, because we know that someday we might be the ones that need that help.

[EBuff75]

That's a wrap!  I know that this was mostly me posting here, but I'm sure that there were other people out there doing stuff this month.  I know that I've seen postings in other areas about BOBs, vehicle preparedness, and more.  Feel free to claim all that as part of Preparedness Month if you want and post it here.  

Now we've all got an entire month to get ready for Halloween!  

[majorhavoc]

Day 30 - Donate to others in need

Sometimes preparedness is helping others out, because we know that someday we might be the ones that need that help.

Truer words were never spoken.  I also think it ties into the idea that community - before, during and after an emergency - may be the most important prep of all.

[airballrad]

Thank you for this thread! It is good to be reminded once in a while to think back over this stuff. Life can easily get in the way, but seeing someone else go through the process can be a good kick in the pants.

That's a wrap!