Two Life Hacks

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

I'm going to flying to Utah on Wednesday, so that means posts by other authors may be late because I'm not around to edit them before publishing. It also means this article is going to be quick because I need to pack. 

Yes, I'm the kind of worry-wart who stresses out about packing days before I need to leave. If I could manage it, I'd have a suitcase that I could keep 100% packed and ready so all I'd need to do is grab it and go. That probably explains some of my prepping tendencies and why I find the concept of bug-out bags so comforting. 

Because I can't keep a prepped suitcase, I have a packing list saved on Google Sheets which I print out every time I pack for a trip. I cross out everything I don't need (for example, I don't need cold weather clothes for a summer trip) and then I check off items as I pack them. When I'm done, everything should be marked, and I can throw the paper away. When I return, if there's something I wish I'd had with me then I add it to the sheet. 

My second life hack is a follow-up to David's RANGE-R Card. I found it difficult to read the etchings in the clear plastic, so I rubbed an orange crayon into the grooves and then wiped the surface clean. I picked orange because it's high-visibility against foliage and I don't get a lot of fall colors here in Florida, depending on your environment, you might want a different color. 

You can really see the difference it makes in this picture:

I apologize for the glare, but it's difficult to take pictures of glossy plastic with overhead lights. Still, it pretty clearly illustrates proof of concept. 

If you have any tips, tricks, or life hacks useful to preppers, please leave them in the comments below.