How to start prepping in one weekend

Print this checklist Prints the checklist without the menus.

Do this now (10 minutes)

1. Switch on Emergency Alerts: search "emergency alerts" in your phone settings.
2. Fill a jug and a few bottles with tap water and put lids on. That's your start.
3. Find a torch and check the batteries work.
4. Write five phone numbers on paper.
5. Put a reminder in your diary: "prep weekend", this Friday.

What "prepared" means in the UK

The government's GOV.UK Be Ready campaign asks every household to be able to manage at home for 3 days. That's the target for this weekend. It isn't extreme. It covers the things that really happen in the UK: power cuts, floods, storms, water supply failures.

• Finland asks for at least 72 hours.
• Sweden asks for at least a week.

So 3 days is the floor, and you can build up from there later.

Most emergencies mean staying at home, so the home kit comes first. UKHSA's advice for a radiation emergency, for example, is go in, stay in, tune in. A grab bag for leaving comes second.

Friday evening (about 1 hour): check what you've got

Print the checklist at the bottom of this page. Walk round the house with a pen and tick off what you already own. Be Ready says check your cupboards first and write down what you still need.

You'll probably find:

• a torch (check the batteries)
• blankets and sleeping bags
• tinned food
• a first-aid kit (check the dates)
• a phone charger, and maybe a power bank

Then:

• Switch on Emergency Alerts. They work on 4G and 5G phones and need no sign-up (GOV.UK).
• Count people and pets. You need 3 litres of drinking water per person per day (Be Ready): 9 litres per person for 3 days. Our supplies calculator does the sums for your household.
• Write your shopping list from the gaps.

Saturday (2 to 3 hours): one shop

Start with the things that matter most. The British Red Cross says if you can only add a few items, choose medicines, a torch, a power bank, drinking water, long-life food, emergency contacts and basic first aid.

From the supermarket

• Bottled water: 9 litres per person. Multipacks are cheapest. More for babies, pets and medical devices.
• 3 days of food that needs no cooking or fridge, that you already eat: tins with ring pulls, crackers, cereal bars, dried fruit, nuts (Be Ready).
• A manual tin opener if your tins need one.
• Spare batteries that fit your torch and radio.
• Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet roll (Be Ready).

From a hardware shop or online (if you don't have them)

• A battery or wind-up FM radio. Write your local station frequencies on it (Be Ready).
• A power bank, and charge it tonight.
• A torch for each person; a head torch keeps hands free.
• A first-aid kit if yours is missing or out of date.

At the pharmacy or GP app

• Order repeat prescriptions so you're never on your last few days. Be Ready says request them up to 5 working days before you run out.

Don't buy this weekend

• A power station, solar panels, freeze-dried meals or a ready-made "survival kit". Get the basics first. Our budget list shows what to add next at about £25, £75 and £150.
• Anything sold with a countdown, a 'last chance' or a promise that it will keep you safe.

Sunday (2 to 3 hours): bag, papers, plan, room

Morning: the grab bag (1 hour)

Be Ready says keep essentials in a spare bag in case you have to leave quickly. Its flood advice lists a first-aid kit, important documents, a torch, bottled water, warm waterproof clothing and baby care items. Add:

• your medicines and a written list of names and doses
• a phone charger and power bank
• some cash
• spare glasses

Full list: how to make a go bag.

Midday: papers and money (30 minutes)

• Copies of ID, insurance and prescriptions in a resealable waterproof bag (Be Ready).
• A paper list of phone numbers, including anyone you'd check on.
• Cash in coins and notes. The British Red Cross says card payments may fail in a power cut or cyber attack. Our cash calculator suggests an amount.

Afternoon: the plan (1 hour)

Be Ready suggests a written household plan with:

• escape routes for a fire or flood
• a meeting point
• who checks on anyone who needs extra help
• important numbers and medicines

Our free plan maker walks you through it.

Then:

• Choose your shelter room: the middle of your home, fewest windows, lowest floor. That's where you'd go if told to stay in. See setting up a shelter room.
• Learn your off switches: gas meter, water stop tap, fuse box.
• Test your smoke alarms. Be Ready says test them monthly.

Evening: put it away and set reminders

• Kit in one box, in one place everyone knows. Water at the bottom.
• Grab bag by the front door or in the hall cupboard.
• Phone reminder in six months: Be Ready says check dates, replace items and update the kit when your household changes. The clock changes in March and October are easy dates to use.

After the weekend: one item a month

The British Red Cross says build up gradually, one item at a time, and avoid panic buying. Good next steps:

1. A head torch and a battery lantern
2. A second power bank
3. Water containers with lids
4. Two more days of food, working towards Sweden's one week
5. A first-aid course

Printable checklist: prep weekend

Friday: check

• Emergency Alerts on, every phone
• Torch found, batteries tested
• Blankets or sleeping bags for everyone
• First-aid kit found, dates checked
• Water needed worked out: 9 litres per person
• Shopping list written

Saturday: shop

• Bottled water: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days
• 3 days of food that needs no cooking
• Manual tin opener
• Spare batteries
• Battery or wind-up FM radio, frequencies written on it
• Power bank, charged
• Torch each
• Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet roll
• Repeat prescriptions ordered

Sunday: bag, papers, plan, room

• Grab bag packed: medicines, documents, torch, water, warm waterproof clothes, charger, cash
• Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions in a waterproof bag
• Paper list of phone numbers
• Cash in coins and notes
• Written household plan, with a meeting point
• Shelter room chosen
• We know where the gas, water and electricity switches are
• Smoke alarms tested
• Reminder set for six months' time

What this plan doesn't cover

• Longer emergencies. Three days is the UK target. For a week or more, see two-week emergency supplies.
• Special needs. Babies, older relatives, pets and medical equipment all need extra planning: see our guides on babies and young children and helping elderly parents.
• Prices. We don't give a weekend total, because prices change week to week. The buy box shows examples that were in stock when we checked.

Being prepared doesn't mean expecting the worst. It means a power cut or flood is an inconvenience, not a crisis.

Related guides

• The Be Ready checklist, explained for your home
• The 72-hour emergency kit for UK households
• The Be Ready household emergency plan: how to fill it in, page by page
• Grab bag list UK: what to pack if you have to leave home

Free tools

• Be Ready kit: every item on the official list as a tick list
• Emergency supplies calculator
• Make a household emergency plan (free)

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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