A first aid kit is a must have for anyone who is going out for camping. You can either buy the pre-made or custom made first aid kit. The latter is the most recommended as it can be personalized in relation to your specific needs. The commercial first aid kit is usually made of plastic that is durable, cabinets mounted on walls or pouches made from fabric.

 As you plan your camping trip, it is important to include a first aid kit for any emergencies that may arise. The following essentials need to be included in the kit. 

A small flashlight and pack an extra pair of batteries
 A whistle for each camper which are used to wade of the bears in back country and also locate each other incase they are separated. 
Cayenne pepper that helps to stop the bleeding on cuts which are minor. 
An antiseptic for cleaning the wounds 
Extra pack of matches or lighter 
Burn ointment for emergencies incase of an accident in front of an open camp fire 
Cheap disposable thermometer 
To avoid any itching, the kit should be packed with hydrocortisone cream. 
Antacids incase of any stomach upsets 
Packing the athletic tape is good for hiking and camping. It has at least two uses that is tying a splint together where there are injuries of the legs and ankle tapping. 
Hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol are other essentials that one will need to use to clean the wounds. 
In case one is camping in hot weather, sun screen and lip balm will make the camping trip more comfortable 
Have an eye wash kit and a kit to repair your glasses if one wears glasses as these helps in making any necessary repairs when accidents occur.
Pack any medication that any camper or family member is required to take to avoid cutting the camping experience short. 
Liquid pain reliever and Q- tips are good for bites and minor scratches and cuts. 
Tweezers for removing thorns and tweezers, scissors for cutting bandages and knives for cutting bindings 
For internal relief from pain one needs to pack aspirin and Tylenol in the first aid kit. 
Kit for snake bites just incase the camping area is infested with snakes. 

Even as we pack our first aid kits we should keep in mind the kind of accidents that may occur.

This may result from exposure to the elements, hiking through thorn bushes and even as we unpack the equipment and set up the camp one can get some minor scrapes and cuts as they move the equipment around. 

It is important to always check the supplies in the kit before any trip and replace what has been used and also replace any expired or outdated supplies and medications. The first aid kit should always be well stocked for any camping trip as one does not know what to expect.

 

 

Imagine a situation like this:

You’ve just selected your tent campsite and have started to set-up your tent, when one of your kids comes running to you with a cut finger. Im sure you can think of other scenarios when you might need to administer first aid. If you didnt remember to pack a first aid kit youll need to improvise with what you have with you and if its something more serious, you may need to curtail your camping experience. Many campers and hikers often set-out without any sort of first aid equipment and dont give it a second thought until its too late. Accidents, as you can see, can and do happen from time to time. However, with a little time and money you can be prepared for most emergencies.

First, you should make sure each vehicle you have has a first aid kit. You can always use these when youre camping. These types of first aid kits may not have everything youll need, but its better than nothing.

You have a couple of options when it comes to putting together a camping first aid kit – buy a pre-made one or build your own. When you decide to design your own first aid kit, think of the probable injuries you may encounter: cuts, scrapes, sprains, strains, dislocations and breaks, burns, bites and stings, headaches and minor aches, nausea and diarrhea.

Here’s a basic list of items for your camping first aid kit:

*Brightly colored fanny pack – to hold your first aid kit ingredients

*Flashlight w/batteries – a small one that fits in a pocket of your fanny pack

*Whistle and mirror – for signaling for help

*Tweezers and a magnifying glass – for removing slivers or ticks

*Scissors – to cut gauze and bandage tape

*Alcohol wipes – for cleaning needles, clippers, tweezers, and to clean off the affected area you’re treating

*Aloe Vera Gel – for minor burns – including sunburn, and skin rashes

*Neosporin – for minor cuts

*Bandages – various sizes, 4×4 gauze, roll gauze, and adhesive tape

*Splint material – bandana and large safety pins

*Antiseptic – to wash out cuts and scrapes

*Handbook for first aid – provides instructions for most emergencies

*Tylenol or Motrin for adults and children

*Benadryl – for allergic reactions

*Pepto-Bismol (chewable tablets) – for anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea, and antacid

*Saline solution – eye wash and to irrigate other wounds

*Bug spray

*Non-latex medical gloves – for those performing first aid

*Bee sting and snake bite kit as appropriate

Also its a good idea to bring any medications specific to those at your campsite (prescriptions, inhalers, diabetic supplies, etc).

Im sure you can think of other items or think some of these suggestions are not necessary. The most cost effective way to get what youll need is to buy a basic kit and add camping specific items to it.

As you can see, you don’t want to leave home without a Camping First Aid Kit. You never know when you might need one. Be prepared.

We could do with some extra money these days. Here we will explore 5 money saving tips that will help you keep some cash.

1) Recreation vs. Entertainment

There are alternative ways to keep you entertained besides going to the movies, concerts and theme parks. These entertainments can be expensive and last for a couple of hours. Instead, choose activities like camping, going to the beach, skating or get a low cost hobby.

2) Use the Library

Instead of going to the movies or renting DVD movies, you can go to your public library and borrow them. Also, check out books at the library instead of buying it at the local bookstore. You can use the library to browse magazines as well. This will save you around $10 – $30.

3) Avoid the mall

This may sound unreasonable for many people. However, if you want to save money, this is truly one of the best ways to do it. Most of the time, we buy things that we want, not need. By going to the mall, we often end up buying more things than we have set out for. Buy only when you really need it. You will thank your credit card bill a month later.

4) Skip the gourmet

You may not be aware of it but skipping 2 lattes a week can save you $24! Be moderate with your splurge on food. This is especially true when it comes to things like pizza delivery, gourmet deli, etc. This does not mean that you have to give up all your favorite food. Instead reduce the frequency of consuming them. For example, instead of having latte everyday, you can try to alternate with regular coffee. The key here is moderation. At the same time, you will probably end up with a trimmer body too.

When it comes to saving money, make it realistic and achievable. You can set mini goals and try to accomplish that on a timed basis. You will be glad to have money saved.

If you are on a tight budget there are still many ways for you to travel cheaply. The main factors to think about are the most common expenses you will encounter when you travel. These are accommodation, food, drink and activities. What you spend on these expenses will determine how expensive your trip will be. The following are 7 tips to help you save money:

Tip 1: When you travel you can make a huge difference to how much your holiday will cost. For example, many holiday operators can double, even triple the prices of holidays during the peak season. The peak season will include the summer months and periods when the schools are closed and children are on holiday. You can save considerable money by traveling during the off-peak season.

Tip 2: Along with the cost of the flight the accommodation can be the most expensive cost during the holiday. If you prefer the comforts of staying in a hotel then make sure you shop around for the best deal. Hotels are always doing special deals therefore, it pays to ask what deals are on offer.

Tip 3: Camping is becoming more and more popular these days. It is also considerably cheaper than staying in a hotel. You also have the added advantage of not having to queue up at the airport to catch a flight. And the kids love it.

Tip 4: Timeshares have had a bad reputation in the past however, they have become far better regulated and are becoming popular again. It basically means that you buy a time share of a condo or apartment for a certain period during each year that you have the timeshare.

tip 5: Home swapping is becoming more popular and there are many companies that help you with this. However, you can also do a house swap with a friend who lives in another part of the world. All you have to pay is the flights, food and eating out.

Tip 6: Before you know it you can run up a massive food bill while you are on vacation. If your hotel has inclusive meals such as breakfast or lunch then, take full advantage of them. Many hotels serve buffet breakfasts so use this as an opportunity to fill up. Take some fruit and bread with you for snacks later.

Tip 7: You will probably want to eat out sometime during the holiday. Go to restaurants where the locals eat as they usually do not charge tourist prices. Also, eat out during lunch if you can as the tourist restaurants tend to charge more for the dinner menu when it is basically the same food being served on the lunch menu.

Setting up a personal budget for you and your family isn’t as hard as you might think. What’s hard is maintaining and keeping it working for you for any length of time. If you are setting up a personal finance budget, here’s 3 tips to keep in mind.

1. KEEP IT PERSONAL

That might sound like a given, but with so many budget programs and plans out there, you’d be amazed just how easy it is to try and shoe-horn your personal finance situation into another person’s perfect design. Don’t do it.

By trying to make someone else’s ideal, your own, it will only be that much easier to give up on it later when it turns out that it doesn’t work for you. This means setting up categories that are specific to your situation and lifestyle. If you do a lot of camping, for example, and that’s not one of the categories on your pre-formated budget sheet, don’t try to squeeze it into “Recreation” or “Entertainment.” Make a category for “Camping.”

2. KEEP IT SIMPLE

One of the quickest ways to give up on a personal finance budget is to have it be so complicated that the week after you set it up, you’re not sure why you did what you did and can’t figure out how to update it. Keep it simple.

Keeping the budget simple also means not having it be too much work to maintain. If it’s too much work, then you are really not going to feel like doing what needs to be done, because, it’s too much work.

3. AUTOMATE TASKS

Do what you can to make things happen automatically so that keeping and maintaining a budget doesn’t wear you out. For example, if you want to track how much you are spending on entertainment during the month, just keep your receipts and stash them in an envelope somewhere. At the end of the month, just add them up and you know how much you spent. This is much easier and “automatic” than writing down everything on a daily basis.

As I mentioned at the start, this article was about how to keep the budget going once it gets started. You could sit down tonight and make up a budget, but will it work for you? Will you be able to maintain it over the long-term?

Follow the 3 budgeting strategies above and you will greatly increase your chances of designing a personal finance budget that will last as long as you need it to.