Getting started
Where to begin: what the official 3-day advice asks for, and a calm, sensible first week of prep.
The 3-day government kit: what Be Ready actually asks for, and what it misses
What the UK's Be Ready advice asks you to keep at home for 3 days, item by item, and the gaps: heat, toilets, cooking and a…
Getting startedIs prepping scaremongering? A calm, sensible way to start
Why the UK government, Sweden and Norway now ask every household to keep a few days of supplies, why that isn't a prediction, and…
Power cutsCould the UK have a Spain-style blackout? What the official plans say
What happened in Spain and Portugal on 28 April 2025, how likely a national blackout is in Great Britain, and what the…
War & nuclearIs there any point preparing for a nuclear attack? An honest answer
If you were close to a nuclear blast, no kit would help. But official guidance from the US, Sweden and the UK is built on the…
Getting startedCash in an emergency: how much, which notes, and where to keep it
What GOV.UK Be Ready says about emergency cash, why small notes and coins help, whether shops must take cash, old notes that are…
Buying guidesFirst-aid kit: buy one or build your own?
Ready-made or DIY first-aid kit for a UK home: what Be Ready and HSE lists include, what a basic shop kit contains and misses,…
Getting startedBuilding a medicine buffer legally: repeat prescriptions and pharmacy rules
How to keep a few days' spare of your regular medicines without breaking any rules: ordering repeats on time, what to ask your…
Getting startedPrepping in a small flat on a small budget
Start prepping in a small UK flat without spending much: the free steps from GOV.UK Be Ready, the Priority Services Register,…
Getting startedBabies and young children: formula, nappies and calm
Planning for a baby or toddler in a UK power cut or emergency: what the NHS says about ready-to-feed and powdered formula,…
Getting startedHelping older and disabled relatives prepare: the Priority Services Register and a check-in plan
What the Priority Services Register gives older and disabled people, how to sign up, a plan for medical equipment and telecare in…
Go bagsStay or go? How evacuation decisions are made, and what you should do
Why most UK emergency advice is to stay in, the few situations where you leave straight away, who decides on an evacuation, where…
Getting startedCoping with worry about war and the news
Calm, practical ways to live with worry about war and nuclear news: what the NHS and Sweden's crisis brochure suggest, setting…
War & nuclearWhat Sweden, Finland and Ukraine tell their citizens, compared with the UK
A side-by-side look at Sweden's In case of crisis or war, Finland's 72-hour advice, Ukraine's shelter advice and the EU's 72-hour…
Getting startedPrepping with your neighbours: a street plan that works
What GOV.UK Be Ready asks of neighbours, how to set up a street group chat and a paper contact list, who to check on first, a…
Getting startedWhat should be in a home medicine cabinet?
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's home medicine list, as published by the NHS, plus what to add for an emergency: repeat…
How we write these posts
Official guidance first: GOV.UK Be Ready, UKHSA, the NHS, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the Met Office and, where the UK has none, allied guidance such as Sweden's and Finland's. We give the date we read each source. We don't publish target maps or guess where attacks might happen, we don't promise anything will keep you safe, and we don't use countdowns or invented deadlines. Editorial policy · RSS feed