A calm UK guide to the three-day household kit
Steady on.Be prepared, not panicked.
The government now asks every household to be able to manage for three days without power, water or the shops. Here is how to do it sensibly, cheaply, and without a single bunker.
- 9 litreswater per person for three days
- 6 mealsno-cook food per person
- £40 to £80to complete a typical family kit
What is being asked
Three days. That's the whole brief.
In October 2026 the Prime Minister urged households to keep tinned food and bottled water, following the government's Be Ready checklist. "It's not about panicking," he said. We agree. Why three days, and why now →
The kit
Ten short guides, one tickable list
Each guide covers one part of the kit with quantities, what to buy, what not to, and the mistakes people make. Ticks are saved on your device and show up on the master checklist.
Water: how much and how
9 litres per person, how long it keeps, where to put it, and what to do about cooking and washing.
Read the guide02The kit · FoodFood: what to stock
No-cook tins and pouches, how many per person, and how to rotate the stock so nothing is wasted.
Read the guide03The kit · Light and warmthLight and warmth
Torches not candles, which batteries, and how to keep a house warm with no heating.
Read the guide04The kit · InformationRadio and communication
Wind-up FM radio, the frequencies to write down, power banks and how to reach people when networks are jammed.
Read the guide05The kit · Money and paperworkCash and documents
How much cash, in what notes, and the one folder of copied documents that saves weeks after a flood or fire.
Read the guide06The kit · HealthFirst aid and medication
Kit contents, the repeat-prescription buffer, insulin and fridge medicines in a power cut, and basic first aid worth learning.
Read the guide07The kit · FamilyBabies, children and pets
Ready-to-feed formula, nappies, keeping children calm and busy, and three days of pet food and water.
Read the guide08The kit · LeavingThe grab bag
The one-hand bag by the door: documents, medication, cash, charger, a change of clothes. Weight and location matter.
Read the guide09The kit · On the roadCar emergency kit
Torch, charger, blankets, hi-vis, jump leads, food and drink, shovel, first aid. And what to do if you are stranded.
Read the guideScenarios
What would actually happen, and what would I do?
The kit is the same whatever happens. What changes is the routine. Before, during and after, with the numbers to call. All scenarios →
Power cut
Call 105, fridge shut, torch not candle, one room warm. The routine for the most common emergency there is.
Read the guideScenario 02 · The seasonal oneStorm
What the warning colours mean, what to secure and charge before it hits, and what to check once it has passed.
Read the guideScenario 03 · The expensive oneFlood
Check your risk, sign up for free warnings, the three warning levels, protecting the house, and never walking or driving through floodwater.
Read the guideScenario 04 · The modern oneCyber attack and online outage
Cash, paper copies, a second bank card, and the scam-proofing that matters when systems fail.
Read the guideScenario 05 · The one nobody plans forWater supply interruption
Who to call, bottled water stations, boil notices, flushing without mains water, and the register that gets water delivered.
Read the guideScenario 06 · The quiet killerHeatwave
Heat-health alerts, cooling a house without air con, heatstroke signs, and why the vulnerable need a knock on the door.
Read the guideScenario 07 · The winter oneCold snap and snow
Cold-health alerts, pipes and boilers, heating failures, snow travel and who needs a knock on the door.
Read the guideScenario 08 · The one in the newsFood supply disruption
What shortages really look like, why panic buying makes them worse, and how the kit lets you shop normally.
Read the guideScenario 09 · The new oneWildfire
Reducing risk around the home, smoke, and the evacuation routine for homes near moor, heath, forest or grass.
Read the guideThe calculator
How much does my household need?
Quantities scale with people, not fear. Put your household in and get a shopping list based on the official guidance.
How much does my household need?
Quantities appear here. Turn on JavaScript to use the calculator, or see the full checklist.
Plan, home and people
The parts that cost nothing
A written plan, a free register that gets you help in an outage, and a street that talks to each other are worth more than any gadget.
Household emergency plan
Escape routes, a meeting point, who checks on whom, numbers on paper. One side of A4, one evening.
Read the guidePlan · Free supportPriority Services Register
A free register that puts eligible households first for help in an outage. Who qualifies, what you get, how to join.
Read the guidePlan · PeopleNeighbours and community
A street group chat, knowing who needs help, who checks on whom, and the volunteering routes that exist.
Read the guidePlan · The housePrepare your home
Fire safety check, alarms, shut-offs, insurance, flood protection and the autumn maintenance list.
Read the guidePlan · MoneyKit on a budget
Five weekly shops at £10 each, what is free, what to skip, and the £20 version.
Read the guidePlan · MaintenanceSix-month kit check
Rotate water and food, recharge, test, check dates and documents. Twice a year, when the clocks change.
Read the guideOur position
This is not prepping
A box of tins and a torch is the household equivalent of a spare tyre. You do not expect to need it, you do not think about it, and when you do need it you are very glad it is there. The UK guidance is deliberately modest. We keep it that way: no fear, no gadgets you will never use, no suggestion that society is about to end. Just the sensible version, written for people who have a job and a life.
Printables
Stick it on the fridge
A one-page checklist to tick with a pen, and a household plan with space for the numbers, the meeting point and the people you will check on. Free, no sign-up, A4.