This week's item

We already got bandaids a few months ago, but if you're like me your little ones used all yours up!  So this week we'll be working on  Band-Aids, Sunscreen and Bug repellant

I'd recommend a couple of bottles of each of these items, just because they manage to get lost a lot.

We all know how important sunscreen and bug repellant are this time of year so don't be caught without!

Ack, allergies!

This doesn't really have anything to do with preparedness, but since a lot of people here in Austin suffer from allergies I thought it might be good info to have on hand.

This is a very interesting blog featuring pictures and descriptions of all the allergy-causing plants around this part of our fair state.  No wonder everyone is always popping allergy medication!

This week's item

Tampons & Pads

These are definitely products you don't want to be caught without!  Can you imagine how terrible (and messy!) that would be?  Yuck.

If you've gone through menopause, you're off the hook for this one.  Otherwise consider your needs and the needs of your daughters.  Remember your preteens since these girls are growing fast.  Better to be safe than sorry, so you might want to have extras on hand.

Get at least two boxes of whatever you (or your daughters) use per person.

Maybe this would work in Texas

Have you ever wondered what people in hot countries use for refrigeration when electricity is not an option?  Here's a really ingenious system used by the people of the Sudan (one of the sunniest and hottest countries in the world).

Go here to see the article with photos!

This week's item

Toilet Paper

This one is self-explanatory!  It's something every single person needs and nobody wants to run out of.  If you don't feel like buying toilet paper then make sure you've got a lot of leaves in your backyard!

Toilet paper is bulky so it can be a pain to store if you are short on space.  It's such an important item, though, so try to find a way.  

I recommend 1-3 six-packs per person. It's also one of the few things you can store in your garage since it won't be affected by the hot weather, so keep that in mind.

Got seeds?

I found a link to a wonderful site that lists the proper planting times for growing vegetable and fruits here in Austin.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that you're a little too late for the summer growing season.  That gets underway in March.  You still have time to get things ready for the fall growing season which gets underway in the late summer.  So check out this chart and get your seeds all ready!

Go to the chart by clicking here.

I've missed a few updates, but they're there over on the sidebar in case you need to catch up!