This kit is real, not a gimmick — but it's the floor, not the ceiling. It assumes you already own a phone charger, blankets and a tin opener, it leaves the radio as an add-on, and its first-aid line is plasters, not a kit. If £30 is the budget, spend it exactly like this and you're better prepared than most of the street. When there's another £30, the upgrades section is the honest order to spend it in.

The honest bit

A genuine three-day emergency kit from one supermarket shop, for about thirty pounds — what to buy, what it costs, and the two upgrades worth making later.

The £30 supermarket 72-hour kit

You don't need storm-specific kit — no storm shutters, no chainsaw, no generator. Every item that matters in a UK storm is the boring universal kit this site already recommends: torches, power bank, radio, warm layers, a few days of easy food and water. The only genuinely storm-specific preparation is free: the hour of garden-securing when the amber warning lands, and the decision, made in advance, not to drive through a red.

How UK storm warnings work, what Arwen and Éowyn taught households, and the short pre-storm checklist that matters — sourced to the Met Office and Ofgem.

Preparing for winter storms & power cuts

You do not need to spend hundreds of pounds on emergency food, and this page won't tell you Britain is about to run out — the government's own assessment says supply is stable and food inflation is low single digits. The entire preparation is a slightly deeper cupboard of food you already eat, built for maybe £40–60 spread over two months, costing nothing in waste because you eat it anyway. That's it. Anyone selling you more than that is selling the fear, not the food.

What UK food security actually looks like, why shelves occasionally gap, and the calm two-week larder that makes shortages a non-event — sourced to Defra and the ONS.

How to prepare for food shortages in the UK

You can get through almost any UK heatwave with curtains, timing, water and a £30 fan. A portable air conditioner is the right call only for a genuinely uncoolable room or a vulnerable person — it's the most expensive way to fix what shade and airflow usually fix free. If you do buy one, buy it in spring: in the first hot week, prices jump and stock vanishes.

What actually cools a UK home — curtains, timing, fans and water — plus the heat-health alerts to watch and who to check on. Sourced to UKHSA and the NHS.

Keeping cool in a heatwave without air conditioning

If the EA checker says your risk is very low, don't buy flood kit — the two free actions (knowing your risk, and understanding the warning levels for travel and work) are all this page owes you. Spend the money on the boring universal kit instead: water, torch, power bank, CO alarm.

Know your risk, get warnings, and what to do before, during and after a flood — the practical checklist, sourced to the Environment Agency.

Flood preparation checklist for UK homes

You don't need to buy anything because of a hosepipe ban. A watering can and a water butt cover nearly everything a ban restricts. If you're tempted by rainwater-harvesting kit, fit it before the next dry summer, not during one — demand and prices both spike the moment bans are announced.

What a Temporary Use Ban actually restricts, what's still allowed, the exemptions, the £1,000 fine, and how to keep a garden alive — in plain English.

Hosepipe ban rules: what you can and can't do

You don't need to buy any water-storage product at all. Supermarket multipacks rotated through normal use are the cheapest, simplest answer for almost every household, and a hosepipe ban is never a reason to stockpile drinking water. Dedicated containers and filters earn their place only for larger households, longer-duration planning, or if you're relying on an uncertain source.

How much water your household actually needs, the cheapest way to store it, how to keep it safe, and what to do in a drought — from official UK guidance.

How to store emergency water at home

You almost certainly don't need a petrol generator. Most UK power cuts are over within hours, and a torch, a power bank and warm layers cover the realistic case for a fraction of the cost — with none of the noise, fuel or carbon-monoxide risk. If you're considering backup power for medical equipment, register on the Priority Services Register and talk to your network operator first; a quiet indoor-safe power station is usually the better answer than a generator.

The free number to save today, what to have ready, food safety, staying warm safely, and the compensation you may be owed — from official UK guidance.

How to prepare for a power cut

What the UK government's 2026 risk assessment says — and the calm, practical steps every household can take.

The National Risk Register 2026, explained for households

The Government's recommended kit — with the best products for each item at every budget.

Guides & explainers