The nation just panic-bought exactly what's already in our grab bag
Author: Slightly Anxious Date: 2nd November 2026 Time to read: 6 minutes
Slightly Anxious is here to help you turn any crisis into a manageable adventure — for you and everyone you care about.
Well, that escalated quickly
Two weeks ago, the government asked Britain to keep three days of food, water and a torch in the cupboard. This week, Iceland's tinned food sales are up by around 40%, Maplin can't keep torches on the shelf — sales have nearly quadrupled in a matter of days — and one specialist retailer reports a 650% jump in “off-grid” sales. Somewhere between “Be Ready” and “where's the baked beans gone!”, half the country appears to have discovered emergency preparedness for the first time this week!
We discovered it a while ago. (Slightly Anxious readers, you may skip to the smug part.)
We're delighted, obviously. We're also, quietly, a little smug
Nobody here is laughing at anyone standing in front of a bare shelf this week — we did exactly the same thing ourselves, we just did it a few months ago, on a quiet Tuesday, without a queue. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting told the BBC it was “encouraging” that people were taking practical steps, and Security Minister Dan Jarvis pointed out that the UK's three-day guidance simply brings us into line with most of our European neighbours. Both entirely fair points. Both things we've been saying, in a slightly less ministerial tone, since this website existed.
Three days is a floor, not a plan
The government's three-day minimum isn't wrong, exactly — it's just the absolute least anyone should have, not what a sensible household should aim for. Three days assumes the lights come back on, the water's running again, and the shops have restocked by day four. Sometimes they do. Often, especially after the kind of storm damage or burst water main that actually causes most UK disruptions, they don't. That's the entire reasoning behind our own standard: seven days of supplies, and ten litres of water per person per day — more than the two or three litres most official guides quote, because that figure covers drinking only, not washing, cooking or basic hygiene. We went through the full case for seven over three in more detail last week, if you want the long version.
What you actually need (that isn't currently sold out everywhere)
A wind-up or battery radio — so you can hear what's actually happening when the power or the signal goes, rather than guessing. We cover the model we use in our grab bag article, with current price bands rather than a figure that'll be wrong by Christmas.
A proper torch, not your phone — phones are for staying in touch, and that battery needs protecting, not spending on finding the fuse box.
Seven days of food you'd actually eat — not ration bars bought in a panic, just the tins and packets you already like, bought two at a time on your normal shop until there's a week's worth sitting quietly in the cupboard.
Ten litres of water per person, per day — our number, not the government's, and the one that actually covers washing up as well as drinking.
All of which is covered, properly, with current prices and links rather than this week's panic-buy prices, in our own grab bag article.
The bit where we remind you this isn't about panic
None of this is an argument for a bunker, a years' supply of freeze-dried rations, or learning to purify water from a garden pond. It's an argument for treating a power cut, a burst pipe or a bad storm the way you'd treat any other ordinary household risk — something you prepare for a little at a time, not something you panic-buy in a three-day window because a minister told you to. Buy the radio this month, the extra tins next month, and by the time the next “Be Ready” headline hits, you'll be the one calmly adding a loaf of bread to the trolley while everyone else argues over the last tin of beans!
You don't need a bunker. You need a cupboard, a plan, and perhaps five fewer minutes of smugness than we're currently enjoying!
Remember, keep calm and visit us here.
Sources
UK Government, “Be Ready” emergency preparedness guidance, Cabinet Office, October 2026
This blog post has been AI-assisted with human oversight.
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