Cheap Chuck's $20 Emergency Kit Version 1

Hi all.. I apologize if you came by before this page was completely set up. Since there seems to be a lot of interest in this subject, I'm going to put up a bare bones post to give everyone the basic information. If you have any questions, just leave a comment and I'll answer it fort you. Thanks for reading.

I think i will post several different versions of the $20 emergency kit, so you can select the one that best fits your needs.

Version 1: A battery operated radio is worth more than gold in a disaster situation. Cell phone towers, TV broadcasting antennas and phone lines will be down, so it will be difficult to get information or news. There are a lot of examples of people with a little portable radio being the ONLY communication that's available in a damaged neighborhood, or in an emergency shelter. our radio maybe they sole lifeline to the outside world to get weather reports - is there another storm coming??-  or finding out when they may reopen roads or highways in the area.

The best value I've found in portable radios is the Sony ICF-S10MK2 Pocket Radio. It costs about $10-$15, has good reception and clarity. In a short term (less than 30 days) emergency, I'd trust batteries more than I would a radio with a plastic crank handle and plastic gears.

After a radio, a flashlight is the most important piece of equipment to have in an emergency. 
You can literally find decent LED flashlights for $1. at the dollar stores. I like the ones that are made from aluminum and come with batteries already installed.  You can also find them at Harbor Freight- sometime free with a purchase- like $1 work gloves.
(Bonus Tip: dollar stores usually have really good prices on batteries) 

So now that you have a radio and a flashlight, the next necessity is water. If you look around a bit, you can find gallon bottles of water for under$1.  

The radio, flashlight and water will give you a basic kit to make it through most minor emergencies. 
If you have a dollar or two left over, but  some Snickers or Cliff Bars to put in your emergency kit and you'll be well on your way to being prepared.


Remember this is just a bare bones kit- and can be supplemented with things you should already have around the house - like canned food and some first aid supplies. 


Version 2 of the kit will focus more on food and first aid. If you already have put together your version 1 of the it, you can just add your version 2 kit to it and they will compliment each other. 
so this week, you can put together version 1, and then next week.month.payday you can add to it with version 2. 




I hope you all find this useful, so feel free to leave comments, suggestions or questions if you have them.