Preparedness on a small budget, step by step

A stock of everyday food is not an extra cost but shopping done earlier. The tin of tomatoes you buy extra today you would have bought in a few weeks anyway. The only real difference is that you pay a little earlier, once – spread over many shopping trips this is hardly noticeable.

For this to work, the stock has to keep moving. New packets go to the back, old ones to the front. Whoever cooks always takes from the front. That keeps the stock fresh, and nothing expired ends up in the bin – because thrown-away food is what really makes preparedness expensive.

Preparedness also includes a small financial buffer: a small fixed amount put aside regularly, and some cash in small notes at home. In a power outage, card payments and cash machines may not work.

With little money you have to set priorities. The guiding question is: what runs out fastest in an emergency, and what is hardest to replace? At the very top are drinking water and the medication someone in the family really needs. Then come light and a battery or crank radio, so you can see in the dark and hear warnings.

Next is food that can be eaten without cooking, and things for hygiene. Only then come warmth, equipment and comfort. This order protects you from putting money into an expensive gadget while there is still no water in the cellar.

For prescription medication: do not hoard or ration on your own. Ask the doctor's practice or pharmacy whether and how a small reserve is possible. The answer depends on the medicine and on the rules in your country.

Start with an inventory. Many households already have torches, blankets, tins, dressings and perhaps a camping stove for outdoor use. What is there does not need to be bought – it just needs to be found, checked and gathered in a fixed place.

Water can be stored cheaply. Bought bottled water is simplest. If you fill tap water yourself, use clean, food-grade containers and renew the water regularly; your authority's recommendations set the framework. Supermarket offers are good – but only for things the family actually eats.

Larger items can be shared: not every household in a building needs its own crank radio or camping stove for outdoor use if you agree with neighbours or relatives. Bulk packs can be split too.

Be careful with expensive “crisis packages” and advertising that works with fear. Good preparedness consists mostly of perfectly ordinary products from the supermarket and DIY store. Anyone who tells you that you are lost without a particular product mainly wants to sell.

A common mistake is wanting to buy everything at once. That overstretches the budget, and many then give up altogether. Another mistake: storing food nobody likes and never touching it until everything has expired. Then you have paid twice.

Panic buying just before or during a crisis is the most expensive and least fair form of preparedness. It makes shortages worse for everyone. Those who prepare early and steadily do not need to go to the shops at all when it counts.

Once a year it is worth looking at your insurance documents: what is covered for flood, storm or fire, and what is not? Asking costs nothing but can make a big difference when damage happens. If anything is unclear, get advice, because this entry is not financial or insurance advice.

How much of what you should store is set by the recommendations of the authority in your country; they differ by region. More important than a perfect amount is getting started: a small, well-kept stock is worth far more than a big plan that is never carried out.