I have decided to buy survival items which cost less than a dollar every time I go to a store, and I am looking for suggestions.

I believe that all who agree that preparedness is a good thing will also agree that it is beneficial psychologically as well as substantively to develop the good habit of preparing regualrly.

For some time now, I have purchased extra groceries *every* time I shop, and as a result the larder is painlessly growing.

I know that I would benefit from this group's suggestions regarding those items whose price is insignificant. I intend to purchase these same items *every time* I shop.

I suppose that we could mention a million and one food items which cost less than a dollar, so let's skip those.

Except: Let's consider items whose containers have value other than that of the food inside. For example, I always purchase at 59 cents a two liter jug of house brand soft drink, because the jug itself will be valuable to use for water storage. And I always buy a can of tuna because the tuna cans are good for candles and other uses.

Smitty mentioned the other day that every time he shops he buys book matches because they are so cheap and may one day be valuable barter items.

I have recently begun to buy cigarette tobacco for 99 cents a pack.

How about items from drug stores or other merchants?

Can anyone recommend other survival items which cost less than a dollar?

-- GA Russell (garussell@russellga.com), April 27, 1999

Answers

disposable razors - about 10 for a buck?

can openers

fishing hooks

-- (cannot-say@this.time), April 27, 1999.

I get rolls of flypaper at the dollar store. Pack of 4 for one dollar. I think that there will be one hell of an insect problem if this thing goes into summer. They also sell butane fireplace lighters for a dollar each. Fanny packs for my .22 Cal ammo and beach bags for my 12 gage ammo. I have found lots of good stuff at the dollar store, and if it doesn't work too well, its only a dollar.

Bill in South Carolina

-- Bill Solorzano (notaclue@webtv.net), April 27, 1999.

for self or trade...

box of fish hooks and/or sinkers fishing line and/or string roll antacids jar of crushed black pepper (i'm keepin' mine, yum!) box of 50 .22 shells bottle aspirin misc bandages & wraps toothpaste - use the coupon in the sunday paper toothbrushes chapstick nail clippers & tweezers garden seeds (10/$1.00 @ walgreen's, and long's drugs) cans of iodized salt duct tape bottle iodine (for med use and purifying h2o) rubbing alcohol & hydrogen peroxide cheap tp for trade bars of soap tin foil napkins, paper plates, cups, plastic bags, utensils cheap batteries on sale tea bags for the caffene dependent razor blades & utility knife pencils/pens & cheap notebooks more cheap tp handi-wipe type cleaners bleach (oh, so many uses - 2 gal/$1.00 now) coffee filters matches, of course lots of can openers - p-38 mil surplus 2/$1.00 zip lock baggies

hope this helps, i'm sure i'll think of a dozen more after i hit the "submit" button.

good luck all, ian

-- ian (nospam@please.now), April 27, 1999.

ugh.

sorry for the run on post, was trying to make a vertical list. hit enter after each item but it came up this way. any posting advice for next time?

thanks, ian

-- ian (nospam@please.now), April 27, 1999.

Hey, this is great. Keep the list going and I'll print the top 100 items in a future WRP.

If matt, the smart colledge kyd, will assemble the list of 100 for me, I'll send him a genuine simulated Swiss-style army knife.

-- cory (kiyoinc@ibm.XOUT.net), April 27, 1999.

Needles and thread. You'll be wearing some things for a LONG time ! Box of salt. If you get fresh meat, by have no refig that works, will keep it for a week at least (also, GOOD TO ADD TO water when soaking fresh meat that has not been bled properly; i.e. mix it with water to cover meat overnight and it will draw out most of remaining blood.) Buy cola soda cheap; use it for people who have to stand guard duty that get heartburn from coffee/tea . Could also be good to lift spirits of depresseed people and/or make it the "party" drink for the kids. Eagle

-- Hal Walker (a999eagle@freewwweb.com), April 27, 1999.

Canning lids, globes for kerosene lamps and bic lighters.

-- Johnny (jljtm@bellsouth.net), April 27, 1999.

Coffee filters for coarse pre-filtering of water work gloves
sponges
hand towels

Save your vacuum-capable jars and bottles (such as those for artichoke hearts, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, which have the special rubberized inner lid), then buy a $12 Pump-N-Seal for vacuum storage of food and leftovers in the absence of refrigeration (works well with jars, but not with plastic bags). -- Oh oops! Not under $1. (But the jars are - they're free.)

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), April 27, 1999.

Unbold sesame.

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), April 27, 1999.

Kevin, you da man!

What can be learned from this? The tag-off code can not be the first code on a line?

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), April 27, 1999.

Safety pins, mixture of buttons, shirt buttons, combs, brushes, elastic thingies for holding hair in a pony tail, small notebooks, pens, pencils and pencil sharpeners, and (may be a bit more than a dollar) one of those small kits for repairing glasses. By the way, you can sometimes get reading glasses ("cheaters") for around $4 at Big Lots.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), April 27, 1999.

Ian, Next time you're submitting a list, hit the enter button twice after each item... Same thing happened to me a few months ago.

-- Libby Alexander (libbyalex@aol.com), April 27, 1999.

Ian's list:

box of fish hooks and/or sinkers
fishing line and/or string
roll antacids
jar of crushed black pepper (i'm keepin' mine, yum!)
box of 50 .22 shells
bottle aspirin
misc bandages & wraps
toothpaste - use the coupon in the sunday paper
toothbrushes
chapstick
nail clippers & tweezers
garden seeds (10/$1.00 @ walgreen's, and long's drugs)
cans of iodized salt
duct tape
bottle iodine (for med use and purifying h2o)
rubbing alcohol & hydrogen peroxide
cheap tp for trade
bars of soap
tin foil
napkins, paper plates, cups, plastic bags, utensils
cheap batteries on sale
tea bags for the caffene dependent
razor blades & utility knife
pencils/pens & cheap notebooks
more cheap tp
handi-wipe type cleaners
bleach (oh, so many uses - 2 gal/$1.00 now)
coffee filters
matches, of course
lots of can openers - p-38 mil surplus 2/$1.00
zip lock baggies

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 27, 1999.

Debbie,

In your first posting, twice you entered "<b>" where you apparently intended "<br>". This set the bold tag twice.

In your second posting, you closed one of the bold tags with your "</b>", but the other bold tag was still active.

In your third posting, you had "<b></b>", thus setting a new bold tag then closing it but not the other outstanding still-active one.

It had nothing to do with any code's being the first on a line.

It was computer voodoo. :-)

-- No Spam Please (No_Spam_Please@anon_ymous.com), April 27, 1999.

Dollar stores are great. I visit them all of the time. I purchase gardening gloves, gardening tools, OTC medicines with long expiration dates, items for the first-aid kit, bandages, shampoos, deoderants, toiletries, sewing items, coloring books and cheap games for the kids, etc., etc. The list is mighty long.

I also like to frequently visit several "freebie" sites on the web. I get samples of tea, coffee, seasonings, vegetable seeds, medicines such as antacids, pain relievers, toiletries, toothpaste, deoderants, tampons, shampoos, lotions, diapers, etc. The samples may be small, but they add up. I've also received regular-sized bottles (not samples) of vitamins, full cans of baby formula, barbeque sauce, etc. Most of these items don't have expiration dates and, if they do, they're usually good beyond 2000. I've put it all in my preparation stash. Best of all, it doesn't cost me one cent!

One of my favorite freebie sites is www.myjungle.com/freebies/ Check out the archive section at the bottom of the page.

Best of luck to all.

-- Angelface (lurking@around.com), April 27, 1999.

Lamp oil, a box of matches (especially blue tip matches), a roll of toilet paper.

-- John Doe (preparations@are.personal), April 27, 1999.

Steelwool - gtreat firestarter

sharpening stone(s)

pool chorline - ask for help

plastic grocery bags - great boot or shoe liners for wet areas

wide brim straw hat - sun shade where appropriate

Neosporin - I consider it a must

canteen w/strap - we'll be walking or riding a bike a lot ?budabag

bike tire repair kit

-- spun@lright (mikeymac@uswest.net), April 27, 1999.

Shoelaces, string, wool sweaters from Goodwill (if you don't like them, you can unravel them and knit something else), knitting needles, crochet hooks, pattern books for simple sweaters and socks, replacement zippers, staples (for your stapler, not your kitchen), elastic bands, paper clips, garbage bags, cheesecloth, assorted nails, screws, bolts, nuts & washers, drill bits, exacto knives, screw drivers, cheap shower curtains (hundreds of uses for these), spare stoppers for the sink/bathtub, crazy glue, vegetable peelers, wire whisks (or manual egg beaters), extra stainless steel flatware, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, throat lozenges, Tums(tm), tweezers, condoms, fertilizer for seedlings, and, of course, underwear.

-- Jo Anne Slaven (slaven@home.com), April 27, 1999.

Thanks, Nospam. I didn't realize I put in TWO bold codes by mistake, so the one bold-off wasn't doing anything! (That's what I get for not first test-posting in a forum that allows Preview--such as GN's forums).

99-cent dental kits - found in the Dollar and Under store (in LA, CA). This has mirror, light (w/ battery) and pick. Use with an antibacterial such as dilute grapefruit seed extract, dilute hydrogen peroxide (or possibly colloidal silver?). As an adjunct to flossing, makes plaque disinfection more thorough. In case we don't have access to dentists.

(There is a dentist-approved, more expensive kit like the above, that I'm testing out and hope to report on, if it works out well. You get the kit and have your dentist show you the trouble spots, you can then treat your own teeth so as to keep gum disease down.)

I'm buying some of the 99-cent ones, while they are there.

-- Debbie (dbspence@usa.net), April 27, 1999.

Personally, I'd forget the chap stick and buy plain old vaseline petroleum jelly. The stuff has a hundred and one uses, including lubricating a squeaky hinge if you don't have any oil, and just a little of it goes a long,long way. I guess my age is gonna show here, because several of the items mentioned were never "bought" in earlier years. When an item of clothing was worn out, it was dismembered. The buttons were cut off and saved. (No home in the early part of this century was without a button jar.) Depending on the type of material the clothing was made of, it was cut up for various purposes. Old cotton t-shirts had the sleeves cut off and the body cut into squares for cleaning, dusting, or dish rags. Denim was saved to make patches for other overalls with a hole in the knee. Flannel was used to strain fruit for jelly (as well as cheesecloth), or made into strips for bandages, or any number of other uses. Sheets were torn up for various uses. "Rag bags" (anything big enough to hold all the worn out towels and any other cloth items)were a standard, and considered indispensable. Paper towels were first marketed in the mid-thirties, if I remember correctly, and were thought to be a total luxury then, if not downright wasteful. Pretty patterned old clothes were cut into quilt squares or shapes.

Hopefully no one will be put off by this, but what we now think of as female sanitary protection was invented by an Army nurse towards the end of W.W.II. Prior to that time, a system of folded rags was used. Hence the phrase, "on the rag" for the menstrual cycle.

In short, before you think about what to buy for a dollar or less, think about what you can save that can be used again. "Free" has a nice sound to it, doesn't it? If you're going to try imagining yourself in a depression or rationing situation, then the recycling mindset of the past is what you need to get into. Don't think about what you can buy. First think about how you can get away with NOT buying something!

-- Bonnie Camp (bonniec@mail.odyssey.net), April 28, 1999.

Many thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

Sewing supplies are something I had not given any thought to.

All of these items, like food, constitute harmless purchases if the bump in the road scenario proves to be true.

By the way, last week at Eckerd I paid $1.19 for a pack of Top cigarette tobacco. Today I found it at K-Mart for 69 cents!+

-- GA Russell (garussell@russellga.com), April 28, 1999.

did anybody say chocolate??

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 28, 1999.

Tea-lites,votive candles,matches,box matches, long(BBQ) lighters

-- thomasB.collins (SAMTOMLISA @aol.com), June 02, 1999.

Out west we have lots of outdoor swapmeets. You find lots of both used and new (imports & closeouts) items. I know they are popular all over the country but esp in the so, sw & west. I set up on the week-ends with mostly surplus items but lots of one dollar retail items. I have 20 years experience and I can beat K Mart on everything I sell. So include swaps along with dollar stores and yard sales as great places to shop. I sell cory's knife for a buck...11 tool swiss type...made in china...costs me 2 bits....how do they make it, package it and ship thousand of miles and I get it for 50 cents and a nickle freight from LA? Beats me ...even with no labor cost. This week-end I picked up a quanity of machetes with sheaths for $2.50 each and I will mark up a dollar each. I sell good reading glassses for $2. that cost me 65 cents. 4 pack GP Panasonic batteries for a dollar..cost 60 cents. Any surplus dealer in any town knows how to get thousands of items at very cheap prices. BTW cory's knife may be better than a buck or schrade for all I know.

You know you can have a nice lunch any day eating the food samples at Costco or Sams. A friend told my wife that her son had invited her out to lunch (for the first time in years) (and it brought tears to her eyes) and he took her to Sams for samples.

-- entrepreneur (x@y.net.), June 04, 1999.

Thats 4 bits on that china knife and remember to get some K Y too for y2k

-- etc (x@y.org.), June 04, 1999.

Along with the needles, thread and straight pins, remember the safety pins. My mom was in Ghana and wrote to ask us to send her some, they were hard to get. Zinc lotion (Zincofax/Penaten) for rashes/burns. Cold remedies. Vitamins (yes, I know they lose potency - get extra and take more [except the fat solubles - A and D]). Rubbing alcohol. Replacements for your first aid kit (do you know what's in it and how to use it - better learn now!)

-- Tricia the Canuck (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), June 04, 1999.