With Thanksgiving just behind us, most of us turn our attention to preparing for Christmas and gift-giving. For those of us who also are still trying to help our loved ones along the path of preparedness, this could be the perfect opportunity to give something truly useful. True, there’s nothing like Santa Claus boxers, paper weights, and bobble-head trolls, but maybe you could still be a hit with one of these items.
Soap-making Supplies
I have recently been blessed with a soap-making lesson hosted at my dear friend Melissa’s house, so supplies are one of the things presently on my mind. I did some searching online and found these beginner’s kits.
- Dianna’s Sugar Plum Sundries– I am told by the friend who gave us the lesson that this site has frequent holiday sales that are good deals.
- Ye Olde Soap Shop– This kit costs a bit more, but it includes an instructional DVD and a mold too. Molds can add a lot to the cost of the supplies.
Emergency Weather Radios
Something we gave to our family members a couple of years ago was a crank-style weather radio. They come with all kinds of features now including solar powered batteries and the ability to charge your cell-phones. Here are some I found:
- Cabela’s is where we purchased ours and they have many styles and price ranges.
- L.L. Beans carries two kinds.
- Amazon carries a number of them; here’s one that’s similar to the one we have.
- Check the ads and sidebars of other preparedness blogs and I’m sure some of those companies carry them too.
Kitchen Items
I’m a fan of cast iron cookware and I am trying to slowly add to my collection. For the newbie, a skillet would be a good start. For someone with a few basics, these caught my eye.
- Loaf pans
- Waffle Iron– goes right on the stovetop, but I assume you could use it on a grate over a campfire too.
- Muffin pans- This 11-hole one would speed things along, though I don’t know anything about this brand. Alternately, two or more of these 6-hole pans would be good.
- Stainless steel popcorn popper– this is a family and scout favorite!
I am on Lehman’s email list and they have been running frequent sales, sometimes only for 24 hours though. If you are not on the list, you may want to check frequently if there are some items you are considering. I got the loaf pans a couple weeks ago for about 30% off during a 1-day sale.
(BTW, we do not receive any compensation from any manufacturer we have recommended. We only mention them by name if we have been pleased enough with the quality of the items we’ve bought to feel confident to suggest them to you).
Magazine Subscriptions
I mentioned a couple weeks ago that there are some great magazines that you ought to consider to expand your preparedness and self-sufficiency knowledge. If you have someone on your gift list who is interested at the moment with a particular animal (for example, chickens), there is a magazine devoted to just about anything you can think of. For a while, we got Backyard Poultry and I see a whole line-up of things on the rack at Tractor Supply Company every time I check out.
Additionally, you may begin to entice loved ones to think more about the lifestyle if you choose something related to an interest they already have. For example, for the animal-loving homemaker, you may try Hobby Farms Home. For the gardener, maybe The Herb Companion.
As this joyous season progresses, I will probably think of some more suggestions. If you have any, please list them in the comments section.
PreppingToSurvive.com 
November 28, 2011 at 12:41 pm
A Prepper Starter Kit
Take a 5 galon bucket, fill with prepps…
First Aid Kit
Food
Flashlight
Water Filtration
Energency Blanket
What ever you can think to put into it, fill it up full, now at least they have a start on the prepps!!!
Jeff
November 28, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Great idea! Several things like that occurred to me after I published this piece, so I have a follow-up one for later this week.