5 Ways to QUICKLY Become More Self Sufficient

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

True self-sufficiency is one of those goals that always seems to be just over the horizon. The further you go, the further there is still to go, but that's actually okay. The point was never to reach some finish line where you never need anyone or anything again. The point is to reduce your dependence on systems outside your control, save money in the process, and build a lifestyle that can hold up when things get hard.

You don't have to overhaul your entire life to start making meaningful progress. Even small steps like growing a few vegetables, keeping a couple of chickens, and learning to preserve food can translate into real savings and security over time. And the closer you get to that goal of self-sufficiency, the better off you'll be.

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The ideas below come from Mark over at the YouTube channel, Self Sufficient Me. He's been building and refining his own self-sufficient property since 2006. His approach is practical, low-budget, and refreshingly honest about the learning curve. Here's what he recommends.

1. Grow Fast-Growing Vegetables

The fastest way to start producing your own food is to grow vegetables that don't make you wait long for results. Radishes, lettuce, spinach, green onions, and similar crops can go from seed to table in a matter of weeks, which means you can start supplementing your grocery runs almost immediately.

One of the things that often stops people from getting started is the assumption that you need a proper garden plot, but you really don't. Most vegetables only need about 8 to 12 inches of growing medium, which means containers work just fine. Old plastic bags, buckets, crates, nursery pots, etc. can hold soil and drain water is fair game.

This also gives you the advantage of portability. You can set up a growing area anywhere that gets adequate sunlight, rearrange it as needed, and even bring it indoors under grow lights if your outdoor space is limited.

If you do have yard space, though, use it. Pull up the grass and convert it into productive growing space. Lawn requires constant maintenance and gives you nothing back. A vegetable patch, even a modest one, starts paying dividends almost immediately.

2. Start Keeping Poultry

When it comes to producing your own meat and eggs, poultry is by far the fastest and most accessible option for most people, especially compared to larger livestock like pigs or cattle, which come with significant land requirements, regulatory hurdles, and upfront costs.

Chickens are the obvious starting point. If you want eggs quickly, buy hens at point-of-lay. They're typically 16 to 20 weeks old and will usually start laying within a few weeks of bringing them home. A small flock of four to six hens can keep a household well-supplied with eggs indefinitely, providing a steady source of protein that doesn't require a trip to the store.

If you want to move even faster, consider quail. They hatch in just 18 days, reach adulthood in about six weeks, and start laying eggs at six to eight weeks. If you're raising them for meat, they're ready for the table at around nine weeks.

That's an incredibly fast turnaround, and because they reproduce so quickly, you can scale your flock up in a short amount of time. There are also virtually no regulations on quail keeping in most areas, which is a meaningful advantage over other types of poultry.

Ducks and geese are worth considering as well, particularly if you have a wet or muddy property where chickens tend to struggle. Whatever type of bird you choose, the core appeal is the same: poultry are inexpensive to feed, relatively easy to care for, don't require a lot of space, and start producing food quickly.

3. Embrace DIY — Imperfections Included

A lot of people stall out on self-sufficiency because they don't feel confident enough to build things. Chicken coops, quail runs, raised garden beds, compost bins… The list of structures you might eventually want can feel intimidating if you don't have a construction background.

Here's the reality: none of these projects need to be pretty. They just need to work. A chicken coop with mismatched boards and visible screws does the same job as one that belongs on the cover of a homesteading magazine. What matters is whether it keeps your birds safe, dry, and contained.

Most people significantly underestimate what they're capable of. With a YouTube tutorial, some basic tools, and a willingness to problem-solve as you go, you can build functional structures without professional help. Use what you have. Repurpose materials. Accept that your first attempt might have a few flaws, then fix them and move on.

The DIY mindset also extends well beyond building. Learning to repair things rather than replace them, making do with what's on hand, and figuring things out as you go are all core self-sufficiency skills that save money and build confidence over time.

4. Make Your Own Carbs

Carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and corn are the caloric foundation of most diets, and they're also some of the easiest things to produce and prepare at home. Homemade bread and fresh pasta are both straightforward to make, require minimal equipment, and taste significantly better than their store-bought counterparts.

Growing your own carbohydrate crops is a longer-term goal. Wheat and rice are difficult to grow and process at a backyard scale. Potatoes are more realistic but take several months and require significant storage space.

Corn is probably the most practical grain crop for a home grower. It's not too difficult to cultivate, and once dried, the kernels can be ground into cornmeal using a coffee grinder or small mill, giving you a versatile flour substitute for things like tortillas, cornbread, and porridge.

In the meantime, stocking flour and rice in bulk is one of the smartest and cheapest things you can do. Both store well for extended periods, provide a high-calorie base for a huge variety of meals, and give you a meaningful food reserve without a lot of expense or effort.

Knowing how to cook from scratch using these staples rather than relying on processed or pre-packaged food is itself a valuable form of self-sufficiency.

5. Learn to Preserve Food

Growing food is only half the equation. Knowing how to preserve a surplus so it doesn't go to waste is what transforms a garden or small flock into a genuine long-term food supply.

There are several preservation methods worth having in your toolkit, each with its own strengths:

Freezing is the easiest starting point. Pack your freezer with extra food and you've immediately extended your food supply without much effort.

Pickling is simple, inexpensive, and produces food that many people genuinely prefer to the fresh version. Cucumbers, peppers, onions, and a wide variety of other vegetables take well to a basic vinegar brine.

Fermenting takes a bit more patience but delivers exceptional results. Sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented vegetables are flavorful, nutritious, and shelf-stable without refrigeration once the fermentation process is complete.

Dehydrating removes the moisture from food, dramatically extending its shelf life while reducing its weight and storage footprint. Dried herbs, fruit, vegetables, and jerky are all easy entry points.

Salting and curing is one of the oldest preservation methods in human history and remains entirely practical today for preserving meat without refrigeration.

The broader mindset shift here is moving away from the modern habit of buying exactly what you need when you need it, and toward the older practice of building and maintaining a surplus. That buffer is ultimately what self-sufficiency looks like in practice.

Self-sufficiency isn't an all-or-nothing proposition. Every garden bed you plant, every chicken you raise, every jar of pickles you put up gets you a little further from dependence and a little closer to resilience. Start with whatever makes the most sense for your situation, build from there, and don't worry too much about doing it perfectly.

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Bentonite Clay – The Prepper’s Guide to Nature’s Most Versatile Survival Mineral

Long before anyone stocked a bug out bag or filled a pantry shelf with mylar bags of rice, people were digging clay out of riverbanks and hillsides to heal wounds, settle upset stomachs, and clean their skin. Bentonite clay is one of the oldest survival tools on the planet, and it still earns its place in a modern prep kit. It is cheap, shelf stable for decades if kept dry, and useful for more jobs than almost anything else you can buy in a five pound bag.

This guide breaks down what bentonite clay actually is, why it belongs in your supplies, and the specific ways you can put it to work when the pharmacy is closed, the water is questionable, or you simply want to cut down on what you depend on from the store.

What Is Bentonite Clay

Bentonite clay forms when volcanic ash weathers and settles over thousands of years, usually in ancient seabeds or lake beds. The result is a fine, mineral rich powder made mostly of montmorillonite, which is what gives the clay its powerful negative electrical charge. That charge is the whole reason bentonite works the way it does. According to a review of clay based remedies published by the National Institutes of Health, bentonite has a poly-cationic binding action that allows it to attract and hold onto positively charged toxins, which is the mechanism behind most of its traditional uses.

There are two main types you will run across. Sodium bentonite swells dramatically when wet and is the type used for sealing ponds, lining landfills, and plugging leaks, since it can expand fifteen to eighteen times its dry volume. Calcium bentonite, sometimes labeled as calcium montmorillonite or living clay, is the type most commonly used on skin and taken internally, and it is the version preppers should focus on stockpiling.

Why Bentonite Clay Belongs in Your Prep Supplies

A true survival item earns its shelf space by doing more than one job. Bentonite clay checks that box better than almost anything else in a prepper’s inventory. A single bag can serve as a wound dressing, a stomach remedy, a water treatment aid, a soap substitute, a toothpaste, an insect bite treatment, and a livestock and garden additive. It never expires if kept dry and sealed, it weighs little relative to how far it stretches, and it requires no electricity, refrigeration, or special equipment to use.

1. Wound Care and Skin Infections

Bentonite has a long documented history as a wound treatment, and modern lab research backs up why. Studies collected by PMC researchers in Korea found that bentonite demonstrates measurable antibacterial activity against pathogens including E. coli, Salmonella, and Staphylococcus aureus. Separate animal research on burn injuries, also published through the National Institutes of Health, found that a bentonite based treatment reduced inflammation and supported tissue regeneration.

For a field wound care paste, mix bentonite powder with distilled or boiled and cooled water until it forms a thick, spreadable consistency. Apply a thin layer directly to a cleaned cut, scrape, or minor burn, cover loosely, and let it draw out debris and moisture. This is not a substitute for proper wound irrigation and stitches on a serious injury, but for the scrapes and small cuts that happen constantly during outdoor and survival work, it is a genuinely useful first layer of defense.

2. Insect Bites, Stings, and Poison Ivy

The same drawing action that helps wounds works well on bug bites, bee stings, and the itchy misery of poison ivy or poison oak. A thick clay paste applied directly to the affected area and left to dry can pull out some of the irritating compounds sitting near the skin surface and reduce swelling. This makes bentonite one of the more practical items to keep in an outdoor first aid kit, especially for anyone spending long stretches in the woods or garden where store bought anti itch cream is not always on hand.

3. Internal Toxin and Heavy Metal Binding

This is the use bentonite is most famous for, and it comes down to that same negative charge attracting positively charged particles. Heavy metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury carry a positive charge, and exposure to them is linked to a wide range of health problems including kidney damage, neurological effects, and cardiovascular issues, according to research summarized by the National Institutes of Health. Animal studies have repeatedly shown that bentonite binds aflatoxins, a dangerous mold byproduct that can contaminate grain and feed stores, reducing how much of the toxin reaches the bloodstream.

In a grid down or long term survival scenario where food and water sources are uncertain, that binding ability matters. Preppers who store grain, beans, or other bulk foods sometimes mix a small amount of food grade bentonite into stored grain as an added layer of protection against mold toxins, in addition to proper drying and sealed storage.

4. Digestive Upset

Diarrhea in a survival situation is more than an inconvenience. It drains fluids and electrolytes fast, and in a scenario without easy access to medical care, that can turn dangerous quickly. Bentonite has a long history of use for calming digestive upset, and it works by binding loosely to bacteria, toxins, and excess fluid in the gut. To use it internally, stir a small amount of food grade bentonite into a glass of water and drink on an empty stomach. Start with a small amount and always keep drinking water throughout the day, since the clay itself will absorb fluid as it moves through the digestive tract.

5. Emergency Water Clarification

Muddy, cloudy water is a serious problem when you are trying to filter or purify for drinking, since suspended particles can clog filters and shield pathogens from purification methods like chlorine or UV light. Adding a small amount of bentonite clay to a bucket of cloudy water and letting it sit causes the fine particles to clump together and settle to the bottom, a process called flocculation. This will not disinfect the water on its own, so it should always be followed by boiling, filtering, or chemical treatment, but it dramatically improves the clarity of water before that final step.

6. Natural Toothpaste and Oral Care

Bentonite has been used as a tooth and gum cleanser across multiple cultures for generations, and researchers reviewing bentonite’s cosmetic and biomedical applications through PMC note its inclusion in oral care products for its ability to lift impurities from teeth and gums along with its antibacterial potential. In a scenario where store bought toothpaste runs out, a simple paste of bentonite clay, water, and a pinch of salt makes a workable substitute that will not damage enamel with harsh abrasives.

7. Skin Care, Soap, and Hygiene

Bentonite absorbs excess oil and draws impurities out of pores, which is why it shows up in commercial face masks and cleansers. For preppers, that means it doubles as a low resource hygiene option when soap and skincare products are limited. A clay and water paste applied to oily or irritated skin, left to dry, then rinsed off works as a simple cleansing mask, and it can be blended into homemade soap recipes for added exfoliation and oil control.

8. Livestock and Garden Uses

If your prep plan includes chickens, goats, or a garden, bentonite has a role there too. It is commonly added to livestock feed to bind mycotoxins and reduce the impact of moldy or lower quality feed, a use supported by decades of animal studies referenced in research on heavy metal and toxin impacts on livestock health. In the garden, bentonite improves the water and nutrient holding capacity of sandy or fast draining soil, since its fine particles bind more moisture and minerals than sandy soil can hold on its own.

9. Sealant and Waterproofing

Sodium bentonite in particular is used commercially to seal ponds, retention basins, and even patch small leaks in roofing or foundations because of how dramatically it swells and seals when wet. If your homestead includes a pond or rainwater catchment system that has developed a slow leak, bentonite worked into the problem area can plug small gaps without needing specialized construction materials.

How to Choose and Store Bentonite Clay

Not all bentonite is created equal, and sourcing matters more than most people realize. For internal use, only buy clay explicitly labeled food grade or sold for human consumption. Industrial bentonite used in cat litter, drilling mud, or construction has not been tested or processed to the same purity standard and should never be ingested. Good quality clay should be a soft gray, cream, or greenish tone, with little to no smell and a fine, smooth texture.

• Store bentonite clay in a glass, ceramic, or food grade plastic container. Avoid direct contact with metal utensils or containers, since the clay’s charge can react with metal over time and reduce its effectiveness.
• Keep it sealed and dry. Moisture is the only real threat to bentonite’s shelf life, and properly stored dry powder can last for decades without losing potency.
• Buy in bulk from a supplier that tests for heavy metal contamination, since clay sourced from unverified locations can occasionally carry unwanted contaminants of its own.
• Label your containers with the purchase date and source so you know what you are working with years down the line.

Safety and Precautions

Bentonite clay is generally well tolerated, but it is not without limits. Because it binds broadly, it can also bind and reduce the absorption of medications and some nutrients, so internal use should be separated from any prescription medication by at least a couple of hours. People with kidney disease should be cautious with internal use, since the added mineral load can be harder for compromised kidneys to process. Pregnant or nursing women, young children, and anyone managing a chronic health condition should talk with a doctor before using bentonite internally.

Internal use is generally recommended in short courses rather than continuously, and it should always be paired with plenty of water since the clay’s absorbent nature can contribute to constipation if fluid intake is too low. Anyone trying bentonite topically for the first time should do a small patch test, since a small percentage of people experience skin irritation from any clay based product.

Discover More Forgotten Survival Wisdom

Bentonite clay is just one of dozens of time-tested remedies that families relied on long before modern medicine. If you want to learn more practical, old-world skills—from natural remedies and food preservation to self-sufficiency and emergency preparedness—The Amish Ways Book is packed with the kind of knowledge that’s becoming harder to find.

Discover The Amish Ways Book Here!

Bottom Line

Bentonite clay will not replace your entire first aid kit or water filtration system, and it should never be treated as a cure for anything serious. What it does offer is a genuinely multipurpose, shelf stable, low cost material that can support wound care, digestive health, water clarity, hygiene, and even your garden and livestock, all from the same bag. For a prepper working to build resilience with fewer single use items, that kind of versatility is exactly what earns a permanent spot on the shelf.

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What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die?

What will happen to your stuff after you die? None of us loves thinking about the day we’ll no longer be here. But here’s the truth. If you don’t tell your family what you want done with your things, they’ll have to guess. And guessing during grief is hard on everyone. Today, I want to walk you through why this conversation matters so much, and I’m going to give you a simple list you can use to talk with your family about your wishes.

Sid Dickens Memory Blocks

The Sid Dickens tiles you see in this post are handmade tiles I have collected for about 20+ years. Each one has a saying on the back. Some have been gifted to me; most I’ve purchased over the years because I love the sayings and the designs on tiles or memory blocks. They are hung on my wall, and they give me joy every single day.

What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die?

Why This Conversation Matters

Most of us don’t avoid this topic because we don’t care. We avoid it because it feels uncomfortable. Nobody wants to sit around the dinner table talking about who gets Grandma’s quilt. But I promise you, having this conversation now is a gift to the people you love. It saves them from confusion, arguments, and second-guessing themselves during a time when they’re already hurting.

I’ve talked before about wills and trusts, and those legal documents are so important. But a will or a trust doesn’t always cover the personal side of things. It might say who inherits the house or the savings account. It usually won’t tell your daughter that you wanted her to have your recipe box, or tell your son that the old fishing tackle box was supposed to go to his son someday. That’s where a personal conversation and a written list fill in the gaps.

There’s also a practical reason to have this talk. Families sometimes end up in painful disagreements after a loved one passes, not because anyone is greedy, but because nobody knows what mom or dad actually wanted. A misunderstanding over a small item can create hurt feelings that could last for years. A short conversation now can prevent that, in most cases.

Start With A Conversation, Not Just A Document

Paper is important, but paper can’t answer questions unless things are spelled out in detail. A conversation lets your family ask you things in real time. It also lets them hear your reasoning, which often matters more than the item itself. When you explain why something matters to you, it becomes easier for your family to honor that wish later, even if there’s a disagreement.

Pick a calm moment for this talk. It doesn’t need to be heavy or sad. Some families do this over a Sunday dinner. Others bring it up during a holiday visit when everyone is already together. The goal is simply to open the door so nobody feels blindsided.

If your family tends to get emotional or uncomfortable with this subject, consider breaking the conversation into smaller pieces over time rather than covering everything at once. You might talk about funeral wishes one week and household items another week. There’s no rule that says all of this has to happen in one sitting.

It also helps to invite questions. Your children or grandchildren may have things they’re curious about but feel awkward asking. Permitting them to ask questions openly often brings relief to everyone in the room.

A Simple List To Guide The Conversation

Here’s a list of topics to walk through with your family. You can use this as an outline for your talk, and then write down the answers during the dialogue or afterward so nothing gets forgotten.

1. Sentimental items. Talk about specific belongings that carry meaning, such as jewelry, photographs, quilts, tools, or family heirlooms. Explain who you’d like to receive each item and why. Sharing the story behind an item often means more to your family than the item itself.
2. Digital accounts and passwords. Let your family know where to find a list of your important accounts, including email, banking, and social media. Decide whether you want any accounts deleted, memorialized, or kept active. Many families are surprised by how much time it takes to close out digital accounts without this information.
3. Important documents. Tell your family where you keep your will, trust, insurance policies, deed, and other paperwork. A locked box or a folder in a filing cabinet only helps if someone knows it exists. Consider giving a trusted family member a spare key or the combination in advance.
4. Pets. If you have animals, decide who’ll care for them and make sure that person has agreed in advance. Include information about your pet’s routine, medical needs, and their veterinarian so the transition is easier on the animal as well.
5. Funeral or memorial preferences. Share whether you want a burial or cremation, a specific location, particular songs or readings, or a simple gathering instead of a large event. This single conversation can lift an enormous weight off your family. Many families report that funeral planning is one of the hardest parts of losing someone simply because they were never told what their loved one wanted.
6. Charitable wishes. If there are causes or organizations close to your heart, let your family know so they can consider a memorial donation or ongoing support in your name.
7. Family recipes and traditions. Many of us keep recipes in our heads or on scraps of paper. Write them down and decide who’ll carry them forward. Consider including small notes about why a recipe was special, such as whose birthday it was always made for.
8. Photos and family history. Talk about who’ll keep photo albums, journals, or genealogy records so your family story doesn’t get lost. If you’ve done any family history research, write down where that information is stored.
9. Final messages. Some people like to write letters or record videos for children or grandchildren to open later. This is entirely personal, but it’s worth mentioning as an option. A short letter can bring comfort for years to come.
10. Household and everyday items. Furniture, tools, kitchen items, and other everyday belongings often get overlooked, yet they can cause tension if nobody knows your wishes. A simple written note prevents confusion.
11. Vehicles and equipment. If you own a car, tractor, boat, RV, or other equipment, decide who will take ownership or whether it should be sold. Include information about maintenance records or where the title is kept.
12. Collections and hobbies. If you’ve collected coins, stamps, tools, quilting fabric, gardening supplies, or anything else over the years, let your family know whether these items should be kept, sold, or given to someone who shares your interest.
13. Outstanding debts or financial obligations. While your will or trust may address this, it can help to give your family a general idea of any loans, subscriptions, or recurring payments so nothing catches them off guard.
14. Home and property care. If you own land, a garden, or livestock, explain what ongoing care is needed and who might be willing to take that on, even temporarily, while the family figures out next steps.

Write It Down

Once you have talked through the list, take time to write everything down. This doesn’t need to be fancy or formal. A notebook, a typed document, or even a letter works fine. The important part is that it exists somewhere your family can find it, and that more than one person knows where to look.

Consider keeping a copy with your important documents and giving a second copy to someone you trust who doesn’t live in your home. This way, if something happens to your house or your records, the information isn’t lost.

Update this list every so often, especially after a big life change like a move, a new grandchild, or the loss of an item you once listed. A list from ten years ago may no longer reflect your current wishes. Many families choose to revisit this list once a year, perhaps around the new year or a birthday, simply as a gentle reminder to keep it current.

Involving Younger Family Members

It can feel strange to include children or grandchildren in these conversations, but doing so in an age-appropriate way can be valuable. Younger family members often carry forward traditions, recipes, and family stories long after older generations are gone. Even a simple explanation, such as why a certain quilt has been in the family for generations, can help a child understand and appreciate their family history.

What Happens If You Don’t Have This Conversation

Families who never have this talk often end up relying on assumptions. One sibling may assume an item was meant for them, while another sibling remembers a different conversation entirely. Without something written down, there’s no way to settle these differences, and disagreements can linger long after the funeral. Taking the time now to have an open conversation, paired with a written list, removes this uncertainty and protects relationships during an already difficult time.

A Gift Of Peace

Talking about what happens after you’re gone isn’t a morbid task. It’s an act of love. When you take the time to share your wishes clearly, you protect your family from unnecessary stress and give them the freedom to grieve without added pressure. That’s one of the most caring things you can do for the people you love.

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Final Word

None of us knows exactly when our time here will end, but we do know that a little preparation now can spare our families a great deal of heartache later. Sitting down and sharing your wishes is not about focusing on death. It’s about focusing on the people you love and making their path a little easier during a season that’ll already be hard. A conversation, paired with a written list, is one of the simplest and most meaningful gifts you can leave behind. Take the time to complete it soon. Your family will be grateful you did. May God bless the world, Linda

P.S. No one in my family will want any of my food storage or emergency preps! LOL! I’m being honest!

The post What Will Happen To Your Stuff After You Die? appeared first on Food Storage Moms.

from Food Storage Moms

Traditional Floor And Surface Cleaning Without Chemicals

A clean home is easier to defend than a filthy one. That may sound plain, but it matters. Dirt brings pests. Grease brings smell. Rot spreads. Sickness moves faster where waste, spoiled food, standing water, and grime are allowed to settle. In a long emergency, hygiene is not a luxury. It is one of the […]

from Survivopedia

14 Weird Items That Belong in Your Survival Kit

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

When most people think about emergency preparedness, their minds jump to classic survival items like flashlights, matches, water filters, and so forth. But some of the most useful items aren't the ones you'd find on a typical prepper checklist.

Consider the garbage bag: it's cheap, lightweight, and most people already have them around the house, yet it can serve as an improvised rain poncho, a water collector, a ground cover, an emergency flotation device, and many other things. The lesson? Ordinary, overlooked items can be very valuable if you know how to use them.

Recently, I can across a video from the YouTube channel DIY Prepper TV, where the host talks about 14 items that most survival lists tend to ignore. And not because they're useless, but because they're…a little weird. You can watch the video and see the list below.

1. Condoms

Yes, really. An unlubricated, spermicide-free condom can hold a surprising amount of water, making it a lightweight emergency water carrier. They can also be used to waterproof small items like matches, lighters, phones, and medical supplies, or even to cover the end of a rifle barrel in muddy or sandy conditions (and you can shoot right through it).

Thanks to their elasticity, they can also function as improvised tie-offs or compression bandages. Just wrap gauze over a wound, then use the condom to hold it in place with steady pressure. Here are some other unusual uses for condoms that might surprise you.

2. Pool Noodles

Those foam cylinders collecting dust in your garage have more going for them than you might think. Pool noodles are structurally similar to pipe insulation and can be used to protect pipes from freezing in winter. They can pad the sharp corners of tables, doors, and tools, which is especially handy if you have young children around.

In a flood or water emergency, they can serve as improvised flotation devices when life jackets aren't available. Cut them into flat sections to cushion and separate fragile gear like radios and optics. They can also be used to make an emergency toilet.

3. Pepto-Bismol

This one might seem obvious, but it earns its place on the weird list because people rarely think of it as a survival item. In a grid-down or travel scenario, gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting can hit unexpectedly and quickly become dangerous due to dehydration.

Pepto-Bismol addresses all of those issues in one bottle (or tablet). One important caution: it's chemically similar to aspirin, so anyone who can't take aspirin should avoid it. It should also not be given to children 16 and under due to the risk of Reye's syndrome.

4. Trash Cans

A large, clean plastic trash can is an excellent for water storage. Put one under a downspout or at the end of a tarp funnel to collect rainwater for garden irrigation, toilet flushing, and general cleaning.

A galvanized steel trash can can also function as an improvised Faraday cage to protect electronics from electromagnetic interference. Trash cans are also useful for protecting stored supplies like animal feed or seed corn. Just remember that they're not food-safe, so line it with a trash bag instead of putting it in direct contact with the interior.

You can also use a trash can to make a huge survival kit. Just pack your supplies inside, put it in the corner of your shed or somewhere it would likely be overlooked by intruders, and you'll have it when you need.

5. Shower Curtains

Pair one with your trash can and you've got a functional rainwater catchment system. The curtain funnels water right into the container. Beyond that, shower curtains can serve as ground cloths under a tent, privacy screens, window coverings after storm damage, or drop cloths for messy repair work.

Two caveats worth keeping in mind: they're not particularly durable, and many have anti-mold chemical coatings, so water collected from them shouldn't be consumed unless it's run through a good filtration system first.

6. Kitty Litter

One of the more versatile sanitation items on this list. In a bucket toilet setup, kitty litter works just as well for humans as it does for cats. It absorbs and consolidates liquid waste and cuts down on odor. It also excels at soaking up oil and fuel spills in the garage.

Scattered on icy or muddy surfaces, it provides good traction underfoot. And in any situation involving human waste cleanup (illness, flooding, loss of plumbing) kitty litter helps contain and manage the mess.

7. Kiddie Pools

Inexpensive and surprisingly capable. In advance of a storm or power outage, a kiddie pool can be filled quickly and stored in a garage as an emergency water reserve, similar in concept to a commercial WaterBOB.

Their wide surface area also makes them excellent for passive rainwater collection. During an extended emergency, they can be pressed into service for hand-washing laundry, dishwashing, bathing, or watering pets and livestock. In warmer months, a dark-colored pool left in the sun can serve as a solar water heater.

8. Car Floor Mats

Heavy-duty rubber floor mats can provide traction under a tire when you're stuck in ice or mud. They also work as kneeling pads when changing a flat in wet or dirty conditions, keeping your clothes reasonably clean.

Beyond the vehicle, they make decent protective work surfaces for setting down tools, batteries, fuel cans, or doing messy repairs. Old mats that you've already cycled out of your vehicle are perfect candidates for this kind of repurposing.

9. Pantyhose

These are good for pre-filtering dirty water. Just stretch a section over a container before pouring water through, and it will catch leaves, insects, and larger debris before the water hits your main purifier. Because pantyhose are made from synthetic materials, they may not be entirely food-safe, so pairing them with a quality filter like a Grayl purifier is a good idea.

They also work well for organizing gear inside a pack. Loose small items stay contained and quiet. Their elasticity makes them great as light-duty tie-downs, or as slings and wraps to hold ice packs and bandages in place. Here are some other survival uses for pantyhose.

10. Binder Clips

Simple, cheap, and endlessly handy. The most obvious use is keeping open bags of food sealed, but they're also good for organizing cables and cords, hanging up tarps for shelter, or stringing up lights during a power outage. Larger binder clips can be used to secure tarps to ropes or poles when rigging improvised shelters. Keep a handful in your kit and you'll find uses for them constantly.

11. Tampons and Pads

Feminine hygiene supplies are frequently overlooked in preparedness planning, and that's a significant oversight for any household with women. However, I'm gonna have to disagree with the video's suggestion that tampons are useful for wound care.

This is a claim that has circulated widely in survival and prepper circles, but medical professionals are pretty skeptical of it. The core problem is that tampons are designed to absorb passively, not to apply outward pressure against wound walls, and pressure is what actually stops serious bleeding.

Beyond that, the cotton fibers can stick to a clotting wound, to the point where when you remove it, the wound will start bleeding again. There's no solid evidence that tampons effectively slow or stop a significant bleed, and the American College of Surgeons points out that ordinary clothing pressed firmly against a wound is actually more useful.

Pads are a different story. Because they're used externally rather than inserted, the adherence problem is less of an issue, and they can reasonably serve as an improvised dressing for surface wounds, absorbing blood and providing a barrier while you work on a better solution.

The cotton material in tampons does have one legitimate survival application that the video mentions: it ignites relatively easily, making it useful as tinder for fire starting, especially if treated with petroleum jelly beforehand.

12. Medical Clamps (Hemostats)

These look like surgical scissors and are available cheaply at many hardware or sporting goods stores. Beyond their obvious medical applications, hemostats shine as precision maintenance tools. They're excellent for holding small springs during firearm or mechanical repairs.

They can also be used to reach into tight spaces, mop out the inside of a small fuel tank, or clamp off a fuel line while you remove a part from a small engine without soaking everything in gasoline.

13. Old Bed Sheets

Cotton bed sheets, in particular, have a lot of life left in them after they're retired from the bedroom. Cut or torn into strips, they become bandages, cleaning rags, and general utility cloth.

A pillowcase stretched over a bucket and held in place with a bungee cord makes an effective pre-filter for dirty water, catching sediment and debris before it reaches your main filtration system. Sheets can also serve as sun shades, privacy barriers, improvised slings, or emergency bedding in a pinch.

14. Guitar Strings

Guitar strings can be used to set snares for small game or as tripwire for perimeter alarms. Because they tolerate heat better than most improvised binding materials, they're useful for securing things near heat sources.

The same wire-cutting principle that lets a thin wire slice through cheese means guitar strings can also cut through soft materials. One important safety note: guitar strings are sharp enough to cut skin easily, so always handle them with gloves.

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