Emergency Preparedness Using What You Already Own
Before spending a dollar on emergency preparedness, take stock of what you already own. Most households already have 60–80% of a functional emergency kit — they just haven't organized it. This guide maps common household items to their emergency equivalents. Identify what you have, organize it, and then spend money only on what's genuinely missing.
Last reviewed: 2026-03-01 · Based on Ready.gov, FEMA guidance
Light & Power (You Probably Have These)
- Flashlight: check the junk drawercritical
Most households own 1–2 flashlights. Test it. If it works and has good batteries, it's ready. Write 'EMERGENCY' on a piece of tape and stick it on.
- Candles: gather from throughout the house
Light source and mild heat. Never leave unattended. Keep lighters or matches with them.
- Phone charger cables + wall adapters: inventory all of themcritical
Put one dedicated charging cable in your kit. Don't rely on finding it when you need it.
- Phone power bank: check if you own onecritical
Many people have an old power bank from a gift or previous purchase. Charge it and test it — if it holds charge, it's valuable. Replace if it no longer charges well.
- Car charger: check your car's glovebox or center console
Food (What's Already in Your Pantry)
- Peanut butter (check pantry)critical
Most households have peanut butter. It's your highest-calorie shelf-stable protein source. Check expiry.
- Canned goods inventory: beans, tuna, soup, vegetablescritical
A household with 12+ cans already has a multi-day food supply. Organize the oldest to the front, rotate into regular meals.
- Crackers, nuts, dried fruit (pantry staples that are already there)
- Granola bars, protein bars, energy bars (check gym bag, desk, pantry)
- Honey: unlimited shelf life, calorie-denseoptional
- Instant coffee / tea: morale item, often overlooked in kitsoptional
Water (Using What You Have)
- Large pots and pitchers: fill before a forecast stormcritical
A large stock pot holds 10–12 quarts. Fill multiple containers when a storm is forecast.
- Water bottles: wash, fill, and store in the fridge or pantrycritical
Stainless steel or BPA-free plastic. Fill with tap water. Label with fill date. Change every 6 months.
- Bathtub: fill completely if severe weather is forecast (60–80 gallons)
Not for drinking directly (too much surface area for bacteria). Use for toilet flushing, cleaning, or pets.
- WaterBob or bathtub liner: converts bathtub to 100-gallon safe drinking water reservoir
$25 one-time purchase. If you don't have one, fill your bathtub manually and treat with bleach (8 drops/gallon) before drinking.
Warmth & Shelter (Repurposing What You Own)
- Extra blankets and sleeping bags: consolidate and locate themcritical
Put one in your car, one accessible in your home. Wool blankets are best — retain warmth when wet.
- Heavy coats, hats, gloves, and wool socks: put them in a known locationcritical
During a winter outage, layering clothing is your primary heat source.
- Rain gear (ponchos, rain coats): locate and include in kit
- Sleeping bags rated for cold temperatures (camping gear)
If you own camping gear, it's directly applicable to emergency preparedness.
- Tarp or heavy plastic sheeting: repurpose from garage or shedoptional
Temporary shelter, ground cover, or window cover for broken windows.
First Aid (What You Already Have)
- Bathroom medicine cabinet: inventory what you havecritical
Bandages, antiseptic, pain relievers, antidiarrheal, antihistamine — many households have most of these scattered around.
- Prescription medications: locate all current bottlescritical
Identify which ones you have 7+ days of. These are the ones you need to build a backup supply of.
- Thermometer: you likely already own one
- Tweezers and scissors (bathroom or sewing kit)
Communication & Navigation
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (older households may have one)
Check the garage, basement, or storage room for an older radio. Test it.
- Physical address book: you likely don't have one — write contacts on paper nowcritical
Free. The act of writing 5–10 phone numbers on paper right now means you're already ahead of most people.
- Printed maps: print from Google Maps for your areacritical
Free. Print a regional map showing your area and 50 miles around it. Laminate if you have a laminator.
- Whistle from a sports bag or keyfob
Tools & Misc
- Multi-tool or Swiss Army knife: garage or toolbox
- Duct tape: almost every household has a roll
- Rope or paracord from camping gearoptional
- Work gloves from the garage
- Plastic garbage bags (large): dozens of emergency uses — waterproofing, rain poncho, collection, waste management)
- N95 masks from COVID supply or hardware store box
Many households have leftover N95 or KN95 masks. Add them to your kit. Check for degradation.
Detailed Guidance
What to Do After This Inventory
After completing this audit: 1. Gather everything into one place: a box, bin, or bag in an accessible location. 2. Write down what's missing. 3. Prioritize by importance: - If you have no stored water: buy water first - If you have no light source: buy a flashlight second - If you have no food that requires no cooking: buy peanut butter and crackers third A disorganized household with scattered supplies is much better than nothing — but a kit you can actually grab in 5 minutes requires consolidation. Even if you don't buy anything: taking the step of organizing what you have puts you ahead of 80% of households. Source: FEMA, Ready.gov
Related Resources
Emergency Kit Under $25
Fill the gaps with only $25.
Emergency Kit Under $50
Complete starter kit for $50.
Build Your Kit Over Time
Week-by-week addition schedule.
Emergency Kit Calculator
See what your full kit should include.
Water Storage Guide
Using containers you already have.
Emergency Contact Sheet
Free printable — start here.