As part of the government’s Be Prepared campaign, households have been asked to keep a supply of 17 items on hand in the event of unforeseen circumstances like extreme weather or a cyber-attack.
This includes less-expensive items you might already have at home, like blankets, alongside things you’d probably need to buy, like a battery-powered torch or wind-up radio.
And the recommendations suggest storing nine litres of water (three litres per day for a three-day period) for each member of your household, along with a decent supply of non-perishable foods, too.
As you might imagine, some people have called this plan “unrealistic”, citing limited storage space and the cost of living.
Here, HuffPost UK spoke to Mike Chappell, who goes by UK Urban Prepper online, about how best to cheaply and slowly build your supplies.
Try building your supplies “little and often”
Chappell suggested a kind of ‘soft stockpiling’ – rather than buying all of your supplies at once, try buying in “little and often”.
He added, “An extra tin here or bag of rice there will set you back usually less than £1; within a few shopping trips you can easily have three days of food”.
The government says that three days’ worth of food and water ought to be enough time for the people most in need to be attended to.
“Its not crazy prepping its simply good housekeeping,” the self-confessed “prepper” added.
Brits have posted similar sentiments on sites like Reddit. “I wouldn’t say stockpiling, but more, consciously moving away from never having anything in the cupboards”, one poster wrote.
“Buy what you can afford with each shop you do, even if it’s a 30p pack of paracetamol or bar of soap, that is how I am doing it,” another added.
What’s actually on the government’s Be Ready list?
This includes:
- Water: three litres per day, per person. Given the three-day advice, that’s nine litres per person.
- Non-perishable food: we’ve written before at HuffPost UK about what a dietitian thinks we should keep in stock. The government stresses we should store non-perishable food like dried fruits, nuts, tinned meat, fish, and vegetables; both recommended buying items you already eat and like.
- Hand sanitiser (this can help to keep you clean if water suplies are low).
- Wet wipes.
- “Bathroom products”, including toilet roll, pads, and tampons.
- A torch and spare batteries – torches are safer than candles in case of a power cut.
- Blankets, sleeping bags, and warm clothing, as households can become cold quickly without heat.
- A battery or wind-up FM radio: write down the frequencies of your local stations if you need to, as this can keep you up to date with important information.
- A charged power bank, to keep your phone and other devices charged.
- Cash, in case ATMs get disrupted. “The amount of cash you should keep depends on your family’s specific needs for essentials,” the government said.
- Printed copies of IDs and important documents, like passports, birth certificates, and instructions for crucial medical equipment.
- Written phone numbers for people you might need to contact in an emergency, including those you want to check up on.
- A first aid kit, which includes “waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers”.
- Essential medication – request repeat prescriptions at least five working days before you need it, the government said, so there’s no lag.
- Ready-made baby formula, if needed – remember, the government said, that you might not be able to boil water for other kinds of baby formula.
- Nappies and baby wipes, if needed.
- Pet water and pet food, if needed.
You might want to consider giving any surplus to neighbours with less resources should they need them, the Government added.
To read the government’s Be Ready campaign in full, go to their site through this link.
