This Week’s Tip Sheet: Medicine Cabinet, First Aid Kit and Emergency Contact Lists

Hello beautiful friends and welcome to week 24 of the Simplified and Organized Home Challenge.

This week, we’re decluttering our medicine cabinets, organizing our first aid kits and updating our emergency contact lists.

It’s a great idea to declutter and organize these spaces throughout the year but most especially during busy seasons where there are lots of extra activities to enjoy.

As always, your doctor or healthcare provider will be able to advise you about what items will be best for your kit based on your specific needs and lifestyle.

Now on to this week’s Tip Sheet!

This Week’s Tip Sheet…

Quote of the Week:

“There’s no harm in hoping for the best as long as you’re prepared for the worst.” ~ Stephen King

This Week’s Big To-Do’s:

• Declutter and Organize Medicine Cabinet, First Aid Kit and Emergency Contact List
• Shop and Prep for Father’s Day Celebrations
• Make an Appointment with Your Doctor
• Commemorate Loving Day, Random Acts of Light or Making Life Beautiful Day  
• Weed Your Garden

This Week’s Tidy Tip:

Decluttering and Organizing Your Medicine Cabinet and First Aid Kits

Decluttering and organizing your medicine cabinet, first aid kit and emergency contact list can easily be maintained.

I keep a reminder in my calendar and go through everything once a quarter.

It takes around 20 minutes or less depending on how many products you have to declutter.

Look for and toss items that have expired such as:

• Medications (prescriptions and over the counter)
• Vitamins
• First Aid Supplies (including antibiotic ointment, burn creams, alcohol wipes, bandages, gauze pads etc.)
• Sunscreen
• Liquid Solutions (contact lens, saline, antiseptics, etc.)
• Self-Care, Makeup, Beauty and Bath Products
• Perfume
• Essential Oils

• Be sure to safely throw away expired medication as recommended by the FDA or your local authority.
• You can safely dispose of other items according to their package labels, by seeking further advice on the company’s website or talking to your pharmacist.
• No matter what organizing system you use, make sure medications and other potentially dangerous items are out of the reach of those it could harm.
• Pair like items together so they will be easier to find when you need them.
• Store frequently used items up front so they’ll be easier to access.
• If you live in a natural disaster zone, be sure to check the kits you’ve put together for hurricanes, fires, tornados, earthquakes, flooding, blizzards etc., especially if you keep them in multiple areas around your home or property.
• Make sure you have plenty of seasonally appropriate or seasonally specific supplies on hand, so you’ll have what you need when you need it.
• Make a list of the items you need to replace as you declutter. It will make shopping easier.

Emergency Contact List

• Creating an emergency contact list that’s clear, concise, convenient to locate and easy to read in a time of crisis is vital at every age.
• Be sure to add your full name, address, age or date of birth, current list of medications, allergies and any devices you might have or use such as a pacemaker, oxygen, medical alert necklace, etc.
• 911 should be at the top of your emergency contact list. Followed by the non-emergency number of your local police department for problems that aren’t life threatening but need to be addressed, the hotline number for poison control, and the numbers for your power, gas, propane, and water utility companies.
• Next, add the name and phone number of your primary care physician, other medical specialists on your healthcare team, and your lawyer.
• Then add the primary contact information for two or three trusted family members who live close by and will be able to get to you quickly.  Be sure you include how they’re related to you.
• If you don’t have family members who live close by, consider adding a trusted neighbor to your emergency contact list.
• Make sure to let your family members or neighbors know they’re on your contact list. You can either give them a copy of your list or tell them where to find the list should you have an emergency.  
• Keep a card size emergency contact list in your wallet.

This Week’s Wellness Tip:

While we can’t always predict emergencies, we can be well prepared when faced with one. Here are a few additional tips to consider…

• Make an emergency preparedness checklist.
• Inform your family of your emergency preparedness plan.
• Create emergency kits of essential items with your family members so they’ll know what to expect.
• Stock up on supplies, gas and cash early.
• Know your evacuation route in case of a fire.  
• Know your evacuation zone in case of a natural disaster, even when you’re on vacation.  
• Create a family safe word.
• Practice your emergency preparedness plan often.
• Communicate with your family your wishes and the roles each person will have. My parents hold a mandatory “State of the Estate” meeting every year so my sisters and I are all on the same page.
• Make sure your will, advanced directives, power of attorney, digitial beneficiary and estate are up to date and in order,

As always, I hope this week’s Tip Sheet has helped.

Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Cheering you on as you prepare and plan this season,

CoCo

PS: You can catch up on all the Tip Sheets here if you’ve missed any.

Additional Organization Posts to Explore…

Budget Friendly Bathroom Organization Ideas