Getting started
Prepping for beginners: the first 10 things to do
A calm, practical starting point for UK households. Ten simple steps that make the biggest difference if the power, water or shops are out for a few days.
Reviewed
Start Prepping
You do not need to buy a lot or think about the worst. Being prepared mostly means a few sensible things, done once and checked now and then. Follow these steps in order, at your own pace.
Your path, step by step
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Check where you are
Take the Home Preparedness Score to find your three biggest gaps.
Take the score -
Store 3 days of water
Water matters most. Work out your household total, pets included.
Water calculator -
Stock 3 days of food
Food that needs no fridge or mains power, and that you already eat.
Food calculator -
Get ready for a power cut
Torches, a radio, a charged power bank and ways to keep warm.
Power cut guide -
Gather your documents
Originals safe, copies elsewhere, nothing that helps a fraudster.
Documents guide
Guides
Tools
Emergency Food Storage Calculator
Work out how many calories and roughly how much food your household needs for 3 days to a year, with a printable shopping checklist.
Emergency Water Storage Calculator
Find out how much water to store for your household and pets, in litres and UK and US gallons, with container counts and rotation reminders.
Home Preparedness Score
Answer 30 quick questions across 10 areas to get a score out of 100, your strengths, your biggest gaps and one next step for each.