How to get your household prepared, one calm step at a time
Getting your home ready for a power cut or a few days indoors is easier than it sounds. Here's where to start, and how to keep it going without thinking about it.
Start with 3 days of food and water for everyone at home, plus a torch, a first aid kit and a simple plan. Then keep it fresh by using the oldest food in everyday meals.
Being prepared doesn't mean a basement full of tins. For most homes it means having enough food, water and a few essentials to get through a power cut, a storm or a week of being unwell, without a dash to the shops.
The hard part isn't buying things. It's remembering what you've got, keeping it in date, and making sure everyone at home knows where it is. That's the bit SupKit is built to take off your mind.
Start with three days
Three days is the usual starting point, and it's very achievable. For two adults it's:
- 18 litres of drinking water, based on 3 litres per person per day. That's nine 2-litre bottles.
- Long-life food, around 13,500 calories for two adults. Tins, crackers, peanut butter and dried fruit all count.
- A manual tin opener, which is one of the most forgotten items.
Most homes are further along than they think. Check the cupboards before you buy anything.
Then cover the basics
Beyond food and water, a good kit covers four more areas:
- Hygiene: hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet roll and bin bags.
- Power and warmth: a torch for each part of the home, spare batteries, a charged power bank and warm layers.
- Health and safety: a stocked first aid kit, plus any medication your household relies on.
- Plans: a meeting point, emergency contacts saved offline, and where to turn off the water, gas and electricity.
Our household emergency kit checklist has the full list, and the water calculator works out your own amounts.
Plan around the people you live with
Every household is different. Babies need feeding supplies and nappies. Pets need food, water and a carrier. If someone takes regular medication or uses powered medical equipment, a backup plan matters more than anything on a shelf.
Keep it going without thinking about it
A kit only helps if it's still in date when you need it. The trick is to treat your reserve as part of your everyday food: eat the oldest items, then replace them. SupKit's Use First list shows exactly what to use this week, and a quick check every few months confirms everything is still where you left it.
Questions
How long should my emergency supplies last?
Start with 3 days for everyone at home. Once that's in place, many households build up to a week.
Do I need special emergency food?
No. Everyday tins, dried food and snacks you already eat are ideal, because you'll use them before they go out of date.
How do I keep track of it all?
Write dates down as you put things away, or let SupKit do it. It reminds you before anything expires and keeps your shopping list up to date.
