#16 The life your rubber band saves may be your own

If you’ve never had to live without rubber bands then you won’t understand what I mean when I say, you can’t live without them.

After the cataclysm, it will all be clear. But by then it will be too late.

If all you’ve ever used a rubber band for is to keep a rolled-up poster from unrolling, you’re in for a surprise. In a pinch, rubber bands can be used for

1. Holding bandages pressed against a bleeding wound;
2. Keeping your precious supply of resealable plastic baggies together;
3. Preventing a sliced apple from going brown;
4. Making clothes;
5. Building a ball that will win you a spot in the Book of World Records (although world record recordists probably won’t exist after the cataclysm);
6. Practicing target shooting without wasting bullets (see Illustration 1);
7. And much, much more.

If you want to be ready to survive the cataclysm, prepare now by stockpiling rubber bands in your cataclysm survival kit. They’re made of rubber and latex, which means they won’t last forever. Like water, they’re good for a very long time but ought to be replaced every six months (just in case the cataclysm doesn’t come along before then). Even though they’re very stretchy and bendy, the truth is they aren’t all that elastic – they have a limit to how far you can pull them, and over time won’t shrink back to their original shape. That’s why you want to have a lot of different shapes and sizes on hand. That, and an opportunity to make the right post-cataclysm fashion statement.

Look for rubber bands to add to your stockpile wherever you go. I’m especially fond of the thick purple ones that come on broccoli bunches. If you’re a hard-core DIY type, you can even make your own rubber bands from a few simple store-bought supplies.

However you choose to build your stockpile, plan ahead to survive the cataclysm. The life your rubber band saves may be your own.