If cost is what has kept you from getting prepared, it is the easiest obstacle to solve. Most of the early steps are free, and the rest can be spread out. Ready.gov's own advice is to build your emergency supply kit over time.
This guide gives you one buying order and three speeds. Pick the monthly amount that fits your household and work down the list.
Start with what costs nothing
Before you spend anything, do the free steps. These all come from Ready.gov's list of low-cost and no-cost ways to prepare:
- Find out what kinds of disasters and emergencies are most common where you live.
- Sign up for emergency alerts in your area.
- Create your emergency communications plan. Our guide to a family communication plan walks through it.
- Store important phone numbers somewhere besides your cell phone.
- Talk with your household about where you will go if you are told to evacuate.
- Download the FEMA app for weather alerts, safety tips and reminders.
- Start your kit with items you already have at home, like a flashlight and extra batteries.
One more is worth a phone call. Ready.gov suggests contacting your local fire department, because it may have a program that provides fire or carbon monoxide detectors.
One buying order for every budget
Whatever you can spend, buy in this order. It is the same list as the first 10 things every household should have:
- Water
- Ready-to-eat food and a manual can opener
- A flashlight for each person, with spare batteries
- A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- Backup power for your phone
- A first aid kit
- Sanitation basics
- A blanket or sleeping bag for each person
- Carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup
- Cash and copies of important documents
Skip anything you already own. The last item costs nothing extra, so do it in your first month: set aside a little cash and copy your documents.
A note about prices
We have not put a price on each item. Prices change by store, region and season, and any number we printed would be a guess.
So treat each budget below as a pace. If an item costs less than your monthly amount, put the rest toward the next thing on the list. If it costs more, let it take two months.
The one figure we can source is for weather radios. The National Weather Service says receivers range from around $20 to over $100, depending on features.
$25 a month: one thing at a time
At this pace, give each month a single focus.
- Month 1: water.
- Month 2: ready-to-eat food and a manual can opener.
- Month 3: flashlights and spare batteries.
- Month 4: a radio.
- Month 5: a power bank for your phone.
- Month 6: a first aid kit and sanitation basics.
After that, fill in blankets and carbon monoxide alarms, then start adding more food and water.
Ready.gov has a tip that suits this budget well: pick up an extra of something you use regularly each time you shop, especially when it's on sale. One extra can or jug per trip adds up without a separate bill.
$50 a month: two things at a time
With a little more room, pair something you use up with something that lasts.
- Month 1: water, and flashlights with batteries.
- Month 2: food and a can opener, and a radio.
- Month 3: more food, and a power bank.
- Month 4: a first aid kit, sanitation basics, and any blankets you are short of.
- Month 5: carbon monoxide alarms for every level of your home.
From month six, extend what you have. Our guide to building a 14-day pantry shows how to grow a few days of food into two weeks.
$100 a month: cover the basics, then go deeper
At this pace the basics go quickly. The risk is skipping ahead to expensive equipment before the basics are done.
- Months 1 and 2: work through items one to eight.
- Month 3: carbon monoxide alarms for every level, plus anything you skipped.
- Month 4 onward: more water and food, then larger items one at a time.
When you get to backup power, read beginner backup power options before you buy anything large.
Ready.gov also suggests considering an emergency savings account that could be used in any crisis. If your supplies are covered, part of your monthly amount can go there.
Ways to stretch any budget
Most of these come straight from Ready.gov:
- Watch for seasonal sales on emergency supplies.
- Look for deals at garage sales and thrift stores. They can be a good source for things like blankets and storage bins.
- Keep older clothing that still fits. Ready.gov suggests adding it to your kit instead of donating it.
- Choose foods your family will eat. Food nobody eats is money thrown away.
- Use what you store. This one is our suggestion: eat from your emergency shelf and replace what you use, so nothing expires unopened.
Filling your own water containers can also save money. If you do, Ready.gov says to buy food-grade water storage containers, clean and sanitize them first, and replace the water every six months. Its water page gives the steps.
Where the money gets wasted
- Buying a pre-packed kit without checking it. Compare the contents with the list above. You may be paying for things you already own.
- Specialty survival food before ordinary groceries. Start with the food you already buy. Our guide to canned, freeze-dried and dehydrated food explains when the others make sense.
- Big equipment before the basics. Water and food come first.
- Duplicates. Check what you own before each shopping trip.
What to do this month
- Sign up for local alerts and write your key phone numbers on paper.
- Gather what you already own from the list into one bin.
- Decide on a monthly amount and write it down.
- Buy the first item on the list that you don't have yet.
- Call your local fire department and ask about detector programs.
Where to go next
- The First 10 Things Every Household Should Have for an Emergency
- How Much Emergency Water Does Your Family Actually Need?
- Build a 14-Day Emergency Pantry With Foods You Already Eat
- Prepping for Beginners: Where to Start Without Getting Overwhelmed