Not hoarding — simply being two weeks ahead instead of two days behind.
Shortages are usually short and local, and they are made worse by everyone reacting at once. A household that already keeps a fortnight of ordinary supplies never has to react at all.
The trick is to store what you already eat and use, so nothing expires and nothing is wasted. This is a rotation habit rather than a stockpile.
Food and water
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Things you genuinely eat, bought slightly ahead.
Shelf-stable food
Three days of food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking removes the pressure to shop during exactly the week everyone else is shopping.
Why you need it. Three days of food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking removes the pressure to shop during exactly the week everyone else is shopping.
What to look for. Tins, dried pasta, rice, nut butter and long-life milk you actually like eating, so the stock quietly rotates through normal meals instead of expiring in a cupboard.
Stored drinking water
Water is the first thing to run short and the hardest to improvise. Three litres per person per day covers drinking and basic cooking, and having it already in the house means you never join the queue for it.
Why you need it. Water is the first thing to run short and the hardest to improvise. Three litres per person per day covers drinking and basic cooking, and having it already in the house means you never join the queue for it.
What to look for. Sealed bottles or food-grade containers holding three days' worth per person, kept somewhere cool and dark. Write the date on them and swap the stock out twice a year.
Manual can opener
A cupboard of tins and no way into them is the most avoidable failure on this list, and electric openers are useless the moment the power goes.
Why you need it. A cupboard of tins and no way into them is the most avoidable failure on this list, and electric openers are useless the moment the power goes.
What to look for. A simple metal opener with a comfortable handle. Keep it in the same place as the emergency food, not in the general kitchen drawer where it wanders off.
Purification tablets
Tablets weigh nothing, never clog and work as the backup to a filter — which matters because filters are exactly the thing that breaks when you need one.
Why you need it. Tablets weigh nothing, never clog and work as the backup to a filter — which matters because filters are exactly the thing that breaks when you need one.
What to look for. Chlorine dioxide or chlorine tablets with a clear dose per litre and a long shelf life. Check the expiry date whenever you check your smoke alarms.
Health and hygiene
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The category that runs out quietly.
Medication buffer
For anyone on regular medication this is the most important item here, and it is the one that takes planning rather than shopping.
Why you need it. For anyone on regular medication this is the most important item here, and it is the one that takes planning rather than shopping.
What to look for. A few extra days of any prescription, arranged with your pharmacy in advance, plus a written list of doses in your document pack.
First aid kit
Blisters, grazes and headaches are the everyday injuries, and all of them are far more manageable with a small kit in the bag.
Why you need it. Blisters, grazes and headaches are the everyday injuries, and all of them are far more manageable with a small kit in the bag.
What to look for. Blister plasters, adhesive dressings, antiseptic wipes, painkillers and a bandage. Restock it after every trip rather than before the next one.
Wet wipes and sanitiser
When water is limited or the drains stop working, basic hygiene is the difference between an inconvenience and an illness.
Why you need it. When water is limited or the drains stop working, basic hygiene is the difference between an inconvenience and an illness.
What to look for. Large packs of wipes, alcohol gel and a few heavy-duty bin bags. Unscented is more useful than scented.
Cleaning supplies
You usually need to clean the place you are leaving and the place you are arriving at, often on the same day.
Why you need it. You usually need to clean the place you are leaving and the place you are arriving at, often on the same day.
What to look for. A multi-surface spray, cloths, a mop and a bucket kept accessible rather than packed deep in the van.
Bin bags
Moving generates a surprising volume of packaging, and bags double as clothes carriers and soft padding.
Why you need it. Moving generates a surprising volume of packaging, and bags double as clothes carriers and soft padding.
What to look for. Heavy-duty bags in two sizes. Keep a roll in the car so nothing gets left behind in the old place.
Household
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Small things that are annoying to be without.
Spare batteries
Torches, radios and smoke alarms all fail in the same quiet way: the batteries were flat, and nobody knew.
Why you need it. Torches, radios and smoke alarms all fail in the same quiet way: the batteries were flat, and nobody knew.
What to look for. A sealed pack in each size your kit actually uses, stored away from heat. Rechargeables are excellent day to day and a poor sole plan for a power cut.
Candles and matches
Light you cannot switch off by accident, and a way to start a flame that needs no charge. Keep them boring and keep them dry.
Why you need it. Light you cannot switch off by accident, and a way to start a flame that needs no charge. Keep them boring and keep them dry.
What to look for. Long-burning candles in stable holders, plus storm-proof matches or a lighter in a sealed bag. Candles near curtains cause more emergencies than they solve — use holders.
Duct tape
Broken windows, split bags, cracked pipes and taped-up boxes. It is the least glamorous and most reused thing in any kit.
Why you need it. Broken windows, split bags, cracked pipes and taped-up boxes. It is the least glamorous and most reused thing in any kit.
What to look for. One good-quality wide roll — cheap tape peels off exactly when the repair matters.
Small cash reserve
Card terminals and cash machines are the first things to stop working in a power cut, and small notes still buy fuel, food and a taxi.
Why you need it. Card terminals and cash machines are the first things to stop working in a power cut, and small notes still buy fuel, food and a taxi.
What to look for. Enough small notes and coins for a couple of days of essentials, stored with your documents rather than in a wallet you carry.
