Sensible household emergency calculator
Plan your 3-day buffer before storms or power cuts.
Why prepare now? While the shops are stocked and nothing is wrong, you can build a small buffer a little at a time, without rushing or panic-buying. This is a planning tool for a quiet week, not an order guide for the middle of an emergency.
Based on the UK Government's Prepare guidance. Independent tool, with no government affiliation.
Add each adult and child to tailor your food supply.
Adults
Children & infants · 0 children, 0 infants
Children ages 2 to 18
No children added yet.
Pets count too · 0 pets
Start small. You can build your kit over time.
1 to 365 days. Empty or out-of-range values use the nearest valid limit.
What are you preparing for?
Utilities may be down: no power, gas or tap water.
Do you have a way to cook without mains power? We'll add fuel or a lighter.
With no heat source, dry rice and pasta are swapped for ready-to-eat food.
Use stoves and BBQs outdoors only. A gas hob only helps while mains gas is still on.
2
people at home
60L
total emergency water
13,500
food calories
Includes 18L drinking water plus 42L additional cooking and basic hygiene water. Baby formula and pet water are listed separately.
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2 people · 3 days · 4,500 kcal per day, excluding infants
Tick what you already have
Got some but not all? Enter how many you have at home and we'll take them off what you need to buy.
0 of 20 items fully covered.
- Dry rice and pasta are left out because you have no heat source to cook them in a power cut. Extra tinned meals, tinned fish, oatcakes and nuts cover the same calories.
Water
Total emergency water
60 litres
18L drinking water (3L per person/day) + 42L additional cooking and basic hygiene water. Total: 10L per person/day. Pet water is listed separately. Approx. 30 × 2L bottles or 10 × 6L packs.
Food
Tinned meals
16 tins
400g tin · approx. 400 kcal. Choose ready-to-eat beans, stew or meat.
Tinned fruit
4 tins
400g tin · approx. 200 kcal.
Tinned vegetables
9 tins
400g tin · approx. 100 kcal.
Tinned fish
4 tins
120g tin · approx. 200 kcal. Sardines, mackerel or tuna, eaten straight from the tin.
Oatcakes or crispbread
1 200g packs
Approx. 900 kcal per pack. No cooking needed.
Nuts or nut butter
1 200g packs
Approx. 1,200 kcal per pack. Check for allergies in your household.
UHT milk
1 1L cartons
Approx. 500 kcal per litre. Use promptly after opening without a fridge. Capped at 1 litre per person per day and 2 litres per household per day; remaining calories go to tinned meals.
Snack bars or crackers
2 250g packs
Approx. 1,000 kcal per pack. Check the label.
Household essentials
Torches
1 torches
One per four people. Choose battery or wind-up.
Battery or wind-up radio
1 radio
For updates when phones or internet are unavailable.
Power banks
1 power banks
One per two people. Keep charged.
Spare batteries
2 packs
One spare set per torch and radio. Match the battery type.
First aid kit
1 kits
One per six people. Add your regular medicines separately.
Manual tin opener
1 opener
Check it works with the tins you buy.
Camping stove (optional)
1 stove
Optional. A basic single-burner stove lets you cook dry food and boil water in a power cut. Use outdoors only. Fuel is added once you select a camping stove.
Toilet roll
1 rolls
Planning estimate: one roll per person per week, rounded up. Adjust to your household's usual use.
Household cleaning spray
1 500ml bottles
Planning estimate: one 500ml bottle per 30 person-days. Adjust to your usual use; follow the label and never mix cleaning products.
Bin bags
3 bags
Planning estimate: one bag per day per four people, for household waste.
Cleaning cloths
1 packs
One pack per four people. Keep separate cloths for food surfaces and bathroom cleaning.
Shop links open Amazon UK searches so you can choose suitable products. Check pack sizes, dietary needs and equipment compatibility before buying.
Try simple meals from your kit, print a recipe or send in your own.
What's behind the numbers?
Water follows Prepare guidance: 3 litres per person per day minimum, or 10 litres for more comfort. When you plan for utilities staying on, only the 3 litre drinking backup is listed. This tool is for UK households; devolved nations also publish their own guidance.
Food divides your calorie target between tinned meals 45%, tinned fruit 8%, tinned vegetables 7%, tinned fish 5%, oatcakes or crispbread 5%, nuts or nut butter 5%, uht milk 10%, snack bars or crackers 15%. Milk is capped at 1 litre per person per day and 2 litres per household per day. Remaining milk calories go to tinned meals. Pack rounding carries surplus calories into the next category to avoid buying an extra pack for every small shortfall. Calories vary by product, so check the nutrition label.
Baby, pet and fuel quantities are planning estimates. For infants, match normal feeding, include age-appropriate food and sterilising supplies, and follow NHS feeding guidance. Add medicines, hygiene supplies and any special dietary needs.
Hamsteren (verb, Dutch)
Originally derived from the behavior of hamsters gathering and storing food in their cheek pouches for the winter, hamsteren translates to collecting, stocking up, or laying in supplies. While it is often used colloquially to describe panic-buying or excessive hoarding, its truer, original sense is simply the sensible act of gathering essential supplies in advance so you are never caught unprepared.
Why Hamsteren Exists
This tool wasn't built to encourage panic-buying, clearing supermarket shelves, or building an underground bunker.
Instead, Hamsteren is a calm, practical planning guide designed to help UK households follow official government guidance on basic emergency preparedness. Whether it’s severe winter weather, prolonged power cuts, localized flooding, or unexpected disruptions that mean you are stuck at home for a period of time, having a modest buffer of essential items provides genuine peace of mind.
How much or how little you choose to prepare - whether that’s a 3-day safety net, a 7-day household buffer, or a longer supply - it is entirely up to you. Hamsteren simply removes the guesswork, giving you a sensible, clear list tailored to your household so you can build your reserve quietly, gradually, and responsibly.