72-Hour Kits

In theory, I update our 72-hour kits around Christmas time every year. I didn't get to it last year, so the 72-hour kit inventory was a priority this year. Miles' kit graduated from formula, a bottle, diapers, and small-sized clothes to a sippy cup, "real" food, underwear, and a little bit bigger clothes! Nolan inherited Jonathan's 72-hour kit clothes while Jonathan got new sweats- brown and orange (because, evidently, a lot of people are getting sweats for Christmas as the store didn't have any other options for Jonathan in his size; in fact, the bulk of the sizes remaining were XXL and larger!). The food was inventoried and sampled for edibility. Then I had to go out and replace all the food. Many people keep MREs in their emergency kits. My mother-in-law's 72 hours emergency food consists of a case of Pork and Beans and a can opener. While there's nothing wrong with either one of those food options, I go the route of "food my kids like means one less thing to have to worry about during the emergency situation." But, wow!; it's expensive to do the food "my way". I buy the single serve boxes of sugar cereal for breakfast. There's apple juice to go along with it. Jonathan and Nolan will be getting their nourishment from Ramen noodles in the styrofoam cup and peanut butter crackers. There's beef jerky, spaghetti-o's, black beans, barley vegetable soup, Thai chili spiced tuna, oatmeal for Dan, Ritz crackers, fruit snacks, Cheese-itz, fruit cups, squeezy applesauce, trail mix, gum, hard candy, and Oreos, among other things. Jonathan and Nolan each tell me what they want and I buy it. Since frozen fish sticks and Lunchables aren't shelf stable, I worry about finding foods Miles will like. This year, I figured that worst case scenario meant that he will survive off Oreos, fruit snacks, and candy.