Government advice to keep in some supplies and order of importance

Well you won’t need a power bank for one because if it gets to the point that there’s no electricity you won’t have a mobile phone signal.

Depends on space.

Torches
Batteries
Candles
Matches

Water purification tablets if you haven’t got
room for the 5l bottles.

Rice is very compact, pasta less so. Porridge is a good staple. But all need cooking. Tuna and baked beans can be eaten straight from tin.

I also think a solar charge bank - kept fully charged - is my best gadget and / or some mega normal charge banks. I rely so much on my phone more so in a crisis so keeping that charged is a priority.

I used AI to make a four day plan thinking if it is longer than that we’re all in trouble really. We have loads in the freezer and a generator so would make a start on that first.

4-Day Emergency Prep Kit & Meal Plan (2 People)

A optimized, low-water rmergency guide designed for high efficiency with small BBQ gas bottles.

1. Supermarket Shopping Checklist

Water & Fuel:

[ ] 6 x 5-Litre Bottles of Water (30L total for drinking, basic cooking, and teeth brushing)

[ ] 3 x Small BBQ Gas Bottles (Ensure at least one is connected and ready)

Main Meals & Carbs (Gas-Efficient):

[ ] 6 x Ainsley Harriott Couscous Sachets (Ultra-low gas and water usage)

[ ] 6 x Naked Noodle Pots or Batchelors Super Noodles (Eat straight from packaging)

[ ] 6 x Tinned Proteins (Tuna, corned beef, tinned ham - cold or mixed into carbs)

[ ] 4 x Tinned Fruits in Juice (Peaches, pineapples - use juice for hydration)

[ ] 4 x Tinned Vegetables (Sweetcorn, peas - eaten cold or mixed into hot meals)

[ ] 2 x Tinned Baked Beans (High-protein, quick to heat on the BBQ)

Savory & Sweet Biscuits / Snacks:

[ ] 2 x Packs of Savory Crackers (Jacob's Cream Crackers or Ritz to pair with savory meals)

[ ] 1 x Pack of Sweet Biscuits (Digestives or Club Biscuits for sweet treats/dessert)

[ ] 1 x Multipack of Cereal Bars (Cadbury Brunch Bars or Nature Valley)

[ ] 2 x Share-size bags of Peanuts or Cashews (Dense calories, minimal thirst)

Hygiene & Cleanup (No Water Required):

[ ] 2 x Large packs of Antibacterial Wet Wipes (For hands and cleaning gear)

[ ] 1 x Bottle of Hand Sanitiser (Saves water after using the toilet)

[ ] 1 x Pack of Body Wipes / Baby Wipes (For personal hygiene)

[ ] 1 x Pack of heavy-duty Bin Bags (To seal food tins and waste away from bugs)

[ ] 1 x Roll of Kitchen Towel (For wiping and drying cooking gear)

Lighting, Power & Tools:

[ ] 2 x LED Headtorches (Keeps hands free for outdoor BBQ cooking in the dark)

[ ] 1 x Heavy-Duty LED Torch (For outdoor inspection or signaling)

[ ] 2 x Battery-Powered LED Lanterns (360-degree ambient room lighting)

Well I started with basics:

• candles, matches, firelighters, torches, rechargeable batteries
• Warm clothes, blankets and sleeping bags.
• bigger than normal supply of store cupboard food including things that don’t need proper cooking (tinned fish and meat, couscous, crackers, cereals and so on).
• a supply of multivitamins
• first aid kit and painkillers for adults and kids
• battery operated radio

We have some 5 gallon water bottles in the garage, we could last about three days.

We have four 200l water butts but this summer showed us that isn’t much help in a two month drought as we ran out. We don’t have any way to purify water.

We have three power banks we keep charged and we have just recently installed a rather special solar panel set up which will work even if the grid goes down (assuming the sun is shining!). Many ordinary solar panels won’t supply power unless the national grid is running.

We also have a gas bbq and a coal bbq.

I don’t think we could last much longer than a three days if we lost mains water.

Ironically we do not have a massive supply of toilet paper! I might place an order with Who Gives A Crap.

I also always have seeds in stock so I can grow fresh herbs, radishes, micro greens, dill, rocket, cress, and so on if I desperately need to!

I have a power bank and bought some torches with batteries last year.

electric car so not worried about petrol (charge lasts two weeks or so and there are chargers in my village).

contemplating water butt and purification tablets.

I buy food we use. Mushy peas, baked beans, tinned hot dogs, jam, pop, dried milk etc. I also buy treat food.
For water I’ve just refilled empty squash and wine bottles. It’s best to change the water every 6 months and not store water in plastic for more than 2 years but I don’t think we will be worrying about plastic pollution if we were using the emergency supplies
I think a radio is essential. I need to buy a new one
as I don’t have a working radio. The cheap wind up ones aren’t great
Power banks and rechargeable lanterns are good but you have to remember to charge them up frequently
We have a log burner which I can cook on so won’t bother with a camping gas stove
Normal pans work on camping stoves

Honestly, I dont have any money left over at the end of the month. Everything is so expensive. We dont have a pot to piss in. I really cant afford to buy emergency supplies. The advice to buy supplies is great but the cost of living is ridiculous. I used spend £200 and have enough dry food and tins to last me 3 months. Now im spending £400 a month on food and doing additional fresh fruit and veg shops at £30 - £50 a pop every week.

The first thing to consider is what you are preparing for.

”Preppers” triggers the thought of those who are obsessed with zombies and a total society meltdown.

Some areas will have key concerns such as floods, hurricanes, wildfires etc and but the reality for the majority (at least in the UK) is a power cut or shortages from panic buying

Two key examples would be toilet rolls under Covid triggered by a gap in the supply chain of imported toilet rolls into Australia which triggered panic buying across the western world - and videos of full warehouses trying to tell people to calm down from emptying supermarket shelves as deliveries arrived.
The second is fuel. One garage misses a
delivery and Facebook fills with panic (there was a random 24 hour fuel shortage around here because someone posted up on Facebook that the Tesco fuel pumps were off one night followed by a rush to fill up cars in other garages)

For modern life we will typically want power banks, and to be able to eat & drink during a period of panic buying.
So have water and tinned / dry food. But do remember that in a power cut many of us will have a freezer and fridge of things that suddenly need to be eaten.
Dont just stock up and put it away, but especially with water just get some extra and use it

Cooking is easily forgotten, a camping stove and gas will fix that. Don’t forget a camping kettle, or you may find yourself boiling water in a pot

Personal and local circumstances will vary, such as if your car broke down and the garage can’t fit you in for a week would you be stuck in a village with one bus a day? Or are you on the coast, beside a large river which could flood the house

There's a preppers forum on Mumsnet and they welcome beginners, so that would be a good place to start. There are also several emergency and prepper guides online that you can download.
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/preppers

The general rule is, prep stuff you actually use and don't spend more than you can afford. I've got bottled water, canned food, ramen noodles, shelf stable plant milk, and some paper plates and cups. I've got a camping stove and some gas bottles, emergency lights and a power bank, and some packs of wet wipes. I've also got some books and puzzle books, and warm clothing. I'm planning on getting batteries and a radio. Many people add some treats like chocolate and biscuits. Its all marked with the sell by date in marker pen so I can read it without my glasses, and I rotate stock & use it up before anything goes out of date. Its taken me a few years of gradually building up stock, buying a bit extra each month.
I've practiced using them and I think I could manage for a week without losing my marbles.