If you have a big trip coming up or you live in an area where natural disasters are fairly common, it may be in your best interest to put together a first aid kit just in case. Sure, you could buy one but you never really know what’s in it in times of distress and you can most definitely make your own for much cheaper. In fact, most first aid kits come with stuff that you’ll probably never even need and little of what you will need. So, with that being said, we put together a small list of things that you’ll need in your first aid kit that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. However, they very well may save you an arm and a leg.

Peroxide

The first thing on our list isn’t necessarily the most important but it is definitely something that you’ll want to have in your first aid kit. Yes, peroxide. It helps fight infection and will come in very handy in the event that someone gets a nasty cut, scrape, or any other kind of wound for that matter. Best of all, you can find this stuff for as little as $1 per bottle. Don’t worry though kids. It’s the clear bottle that burns, not the peroxide bottle (brown).

Bandaids

Next on the list is something that you’ll find in most every medicine cabinet and first aid kit in the world. Yes, the good old fashioned bandaid. These are very affordable and should be in any first aid kit that you assemble. We also recommend getting them in various sizes as the smaller ones won’t work for bigger injuries. Also consider throwing in some dressings (for wounds) as well. It should only cost you a few bucks to get an entire box.

Antibiotic Ointment

Next, we recommend getting yourself a cheap tube of antibiotic ointment. It all works just the same so don’t worry about the difference in this and triple antibiotic ointment. Just make sure you have a tube handy and in your first aid kit at all times. You just never know when you’re going to need this. Like the other items on our list, this is also super cheap.

Aspirin

This last item may seem a little weird to you at first but let us explain. You see, aspirin is used for a lot more than just head and body aches. In fact, aspirin can even work wonders against fevers and inflammation. If you buy off brand aspirin such as Equate which is found in any Walmart store in the country, an entire bottle should only run you about a dollar. And trust us when we say this. You definitely want to have a bottle of aspirin in your kit.

Now, what are you still sitting here reading for? It’s time to get out there and gather all of the supplies that you need to make your very own first aid kit. You’ll want something to store these supplies (and whatever else you get for your kit) in. We recommend a gym bag or even a tackle box for fishing. All in all, you should only have to spend around $20 or so to build a very effective first aid kit. If you have more, spend more but you don’t need to.