What This Prepper Buys: The Dollar Tree Pandemic Edition!

What This Prepper Buys: The Dollar Tree Pandemic Edition!

Comments 2 comments


If you have been here for a while, you know I occasionally post a What The Prepper Buys post. These posts give you a glimpse into what I put into my stockpiles as well as how I save money doing it. I actually had the chance to go shopping recently to get what I needed for the house and thought I would put this together.

Why should you prepare for pandemics? I like to compare it to being prepared for anyone who could be sick. You always want to be prepared for likely illnesses that could happen in your home. Pandemics are just a step above that. With pandemics, you are preparing not just for an illness, but for possible quarantine and being hyper-aware of any germ that can enter your home.

My purchases for this trip came from Dollar Tree. We all know that Dollar Tree stores are different from store to store. Similar to Dollar General, they carry a lot of the same things, but they also get what they get from the corporate warehouses. Some of the things I was looking for were not in stock this time at this store.

I wanted to put together some pandemic supplies due to recent events and the fact that the influenza season has arrived here. While I do have quite a few things at home, I wanted to bump up my supplies as well as fill a few holes. I did not purchase any food on this trip to Dollar Tree, but I would encourage you to also look to Dollar Tree to help with your food stockpiles. If you are going to be quarantined, you want to have plenty of food on hand.


What you are seeing above is the basic supplies I purchased. There are a lot more things you can buy at Dollar Tree for pandemics, but this is what I needed. I would look to get the basic items first like disinfectants and cleaners. I would also look to purchase disposable items like gloves, paper items, trash bags, storage bags, and disinfectant wipes (cleaning and hands). 

This is a list of what I purchased that is shown in the picture:

1 roll of paper towels (I had plenty at home, but you may want more.)

3 small bottles of Clorox bleach (I like the smaller bottles of this. Less to waste.)

1 spray bottle of cleaner with bleach

2 small bottles of Lysol concentrated cleaner

1 spray bottle of Spic and Span disinfectant cleaner
2 bottles of Fabuloso concentrated cleaner
1 canister of antibacterial hand wipes
2 canisters of disinfecting room spray

1 container of regular size hand sanitizer
1 package of two travel-sized hand sanitizers
1 box of trash bags
1 box of gallon size storage bags
2 anti-bacterial hand soaps
1 box of facial tissues
1 package of anti-bacterial hand wipes
1 package of premoistened washcloths
1 bottle of ibuprofen
1 package of rubber cleaning gloves
1 package of nitrile exam gloves

Those items cost $25.00 and will give me peace of mind that I can keep people and items clean for awhile. I do have quite a bit in my stockpiles already, but this is what I would purchase to keep germs and viruses at bay for as long as I could. If I was doing this as a beginning prepper or was just wanting to get stocked up in a hurry, I would be buying multiples of all those items and more.

Some things I was looking for and didn’t find was some N95 dust masks and surgical masks. While the effectiveness of these has been debated, I say any measure taken to prevent illness or getting infected is not a bad one. I also have plenty of five-gallon buckets, but I would use those as a trash can as well as puke buckets for anyone who is sick. They are easy to clean, sanitize, and reuse.

For the storage and organization of these items, I would encourage you to look at getting baskets or tubs to hold these items. I choose these red bins because they stood out and I can easily identify these bins as pandemic/illness supplies.


I also looked for a travel/work kit I could put together in case I was in public and thought I have been exposed. I also would use this kit during and after being at work or in any public gatherings. You might also want to have these around while hanging out with extended family. Sometimes, you can’t be too careful.


For this kit, I purchased:

1 bottle of ibuprofen
1 package of 2 travel-sized facial tissues
1 package of 2 travel-sized hand sanitizers
1 package of nitrile exam gloves
2 different packages of antibacterial wipes
1 small package of trash bags

I also included some refillable containers. You could fill one with hand soap, another with hand sanitizer, and the spray bottle with alcohol to quickly sanitize surfaces. I would also encourage you to include some N95 masks and/or surgical masks as another layer of protection. I would add resealable plastic storage bags to keep the dirtied and used supplies contained until you can find a trash can or dumpster.

You will notice I have included trash bags with both the home supplies and travel supplies. Trash bags can hold a large number of items if they need to. They can hold infected clothing, blankets, towels, sheets, and more until they can be washed and sanitized. They naturally can hold a large amount of trash and dirtied supplies until you can dispose of them.

While we are on the subject of sanitation, you may also want to pick up a couple of these:


You may want to consider burning your trash, infected items, and any disposable items used by the sick people. Fire will take care of those germs/viruses in a hurry and eliminate any possibility of infecting those who handle the trash.

While this isn’t a complete list of everything you can buy for pandemic items at Dollar Tree, it will give you an idea of the possibilities they offer. You may feel like you need different items or more than what I have purchased or listed here and that is fine. I will remind you that not all Dollar Tree stores are the same so you may find different things than what I did.

For purchasing and stockpiling cost-effective supplies, Dollar Tree can’t be beaten. The size or quantity of the items may not be ideal, but I find that the smaller size items are not a bad thing. I usually waste less when using smaller sizes. 

If you are interested in purchasing more than what you can find at Dollar Tree, check out my Amazon store for pandemic and prepping supply ideas. 

Thanks for reading,
Erica

I was not paid or approached by Dollar Tree for the purposes of this post. I just love shopping there!

(Notice: I am an affiliate for Amazon LLC. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it certainly helps to bring a little extra income into my home. Thanks in advance for any links you use!)

Check out these books also to help you be more prepared for the future! 

Sharing is caring!

2 thoughts on “What This Prepper Buys: The Dollar Tree Pandemic Edition!”

  1. Those N95 masks are not available right now for the most part. The companies that manufacture them can't keep up with the demand. Standard hygiene practices are important, just as they are for the cold and flu season anyway. Everyone remember to wash your hands.

    Reply

  2. I'e been slowly stocking up on Gossner brand whole milk from Dollar Tree. USA made, hormone free, longer term storable. I have a love/hate relationship with DT, I always end up walking out with more than I intended to!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *