When people talk about prepping, food and water usually get all the attention. Those two things matter, but they’re only part of being ready for a difficult situation.
A well-prepared home also needs basic supplies for cooking, cleaning, repairs, lighting, clothing, animal care, and communication. A long power outage or supply shortage can make everyday items surprisingly hard to replace, especially if stores are closed or deliveries are delayed.
Having a few useful supplies tucked away can make daily life much easier. Many of these items are inexpensive, take up little space, and can be used for years.
Here are 15 supplies worth keeping on hand if you’re preparing your home for emergencies, power outages, or a more self-reliant lifestyle.
1. First Aid Supplies & Medications
A good first aid kit belongs in every prepared household. Keep bandages, gauze, medical tape, antiseptic, burn treatment, pain relievers, antihistamines, and other basic first aid supplies together in a place everyone can find.
If you take prescription medication, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about how to maintain an appropriate emergency supply. It also helps to keep copies of important medical information and medication lists with your emergency supplies.
A first aid kit doesn’t have to be elaborate. The main goal is to have the basics available when a trip to the store or pharmacy isn’t an option.
2. Personal Hygiene Products
Soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, diapers, and other personal care items can become difficult to find during shortages.
Having extras in the closet means you won’t have to worry about replacing them during a storm, extended outage, or other disruption.
For people who enjoy making their own household products, basic soap-making supplies can also be useful. Lye, oils such as olive or coconut oil, and suitable molds can give you the materials needed to make batches of soap at home.
Related: This Is What Happens When You Put a Bar of Soap in Your Garden
3. Seeds
A collection of good-quality seeds can be one of the most useful things in a homesteader’s supply cabinet. Seeds give you the ability to grow fresh food season after season rather than depending entirely on the grocery store.
Pick varieties that grow well in your climate. Tomatoes, beans, squash, lettuce, carrots, and other productive crops are good places to start. Herbs such as basil, thyme, and oregano can also earn a spot in your seed collection.
Heirloom varieties are especially useful for gardeners who want to save seeds from one harvest for the next planting season.
Keep seeds somewhere cool, dry, and protected from moisture. Labeling each packet with the variety and planting information can save a lot of guesswork later.
Related: How to Start Seeds Indoors
4. Fuel
A power outage can quickly change how you cook, heat your home, or run certain equipment. Having the right fuel on hand gives you more options.
Depending on your setup, that might mean firewood, propane, kerosene, or fuel for a generator. Keep only the types of fuel your equipment is made to use, and store them according to local fire and safety regulations.
Firewood is particularly useful for homes with wood stoves or fireplaces. It can provide heat and, with the right equipment, a way to cook without electricity.
Related: 12 Ways to Recycle Wood Ash from Your Fireplace, Firepit or Wood Burning Stove
5. Lighting
A house gets surprisingly dark once the electricity goes out.
Solar-powered LED lights, rechargeable lanterns, battery-powered flashlights, and headlamps are all useful choices. Headlamps are especially handy because they leave both hands free for cooking, repairs, or moving around outside.
It’s still worth keeping a few candles or oil lanterns around, but use open flames carefully and keep them away from curtains, bedding, children, and pets.
Keep spare batteries in their original packaging and check rechargeable lights from time to time so you know they’re ready to use.
6. Sewing Kit & Fabric
A basic sewing kit takes up very little room and can save you from throwing away clothes that only need a small repair.
Keep needles, thread, scissors, buttons, safety pins, patches, and a few pieces of spare fabric together. Old shirts, sheets, and worn-out clothing can also be cut into useful patches or cleaning cloths.
With enough practice, sewing can go beyond repairs. You can make simple clothing, curtains, pillowcases, blankets, and other household items from fabric you already have.
7. Yarn & Knitting or Crochet Tools
Yarn and a few basic tools can give you something useful to work with during long evenings without electricity.
Keep several sizes of knitting needles or crochet hooks along with yarn suited to different projects. Wool is especially useful for cold-weather items because it is warm and durable.
Socks, hats, scarves, blankets, and mittens are all practical projects. Learning to knit or crochet also gives you a useful skill that doesn’t depend on electricity.
8. Canning & Fermenting Supplies
If you grow a garden, food preservation supplies can help you make the most of a large harvest.
Canning jars, lids, rings, fermentation weights, crocks, and other preservation equipment can be kept on hand before harvest season begins. Extra canning lids are especially useful because they aren’t meant to be reused indefinitely.
Learning proper canning and fermentation methods matters just as much as having the equipment. Food preservation needs to be done using safe, tested methods to reduce the risk of foodborne illness.
9. Cheese-Making Supplies
For households that keep dairy animals or have reliable access to fresh milk, cheese-making can be a useful skill.
Cheesecloth and rennet are two basic supplies, though the equipment needed will depend on the type of cheese you plan to make. Even simple fresh cheeses can turn extra milk into something that lasts longer and adds variety to meals.
Learning the process before you need the skill is the best way to avoid wasting valuable milk.
10. Tools & Rope
A good collection of hand tools is worth having around even if everything is working normally.
A hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, nails, screws, a handsaw, utility knife, measuring tape, and duct tape can handle a surprising number of household jobs. Add rope or paracord, and you have even more options for securing loads, tying things down, hanging equipment, or making temporary repairs.
Hand tools also have one major advantage during an outage: they don’t need electricity.
11. Water Purification Tablets & Filters
Having access to water isn’t enough if the water isn’t safe to drink.
Keep more than one method of water treatment available. Water purification tablets are compact and easy to store, while a quality portable filter can be useful for emergency water collection.
Different filters remove different contaminants, so check what a particular filter is rated to handle before relying on it. Boiling is another dependable method for treating water when you have a safe way to heat it.
If you collect rainwater, keep in mind that collection and storage systems need to be kept clean, and the water may still require treatment before drinking.
Related: 20 Hidden Water Sources That Can Keep You Alive in an Emergency
12. Tarps & Plastic Sheeting
Tarps have a place on almost every homestead because there always seems to be another use for them.
They can cover firewood, protect equipment from rain, provide temporary shelter, cover damaged roofs, protect garden beds, or create a work area outdoors. Heavy-duty plastic sheeting can also come in handy for temporary repairs and weather protection.
Keep several sizes if you have the storage space, along with rope, bungee cords, or other ways to secure them.
13. Fire Extinguishers
Preparing for an emergency isn’t just about dealing with outside problems. A small kitchen or electrical fire can become a much bigger emergency in a matter of minutes.
Keep properly rated fire extinguishers in accessible locations, particularly near the kitchen, garage, workshop, and other areas where fires are more likely to start.
Check the pressure gauge and expiration information regularly. Everyone in the household should also know where the extinguishers are and how to use them safely.
14. Animal Feed
If you have chickens, goats, cows, rabbits, horses, or other livestock, their needs don’t disappear during an emergency.
Keep a reasonable reserve of feed, especially if bad weather could make trips to the feed store difficult. Store feed somewhere dry and protected from rodents and other pests.
Gardeners who grow crops for their animals can also save appropriate seeds for future planting. Having more than one source of animal feed gives you some flexibility if your usual supply becomes unavailable.
15. Emergency Radio & Entertainment
An emergency radio can keep you connected to weather alerts, evacuation information, and other local updates when the internet and cell service aren’t available.
Hand-crank and solar-powered models are useful because they don’t rely entirely on disposable batteries. Keep one somewhere easy to reach, rather than buried in a storage box.
It’s also worth keeping a few simple forms of entertainment around. A deck of cards, board games, puzzles, books, notebooks, coloring supplies, or musical instruments can make a long evening without electricity feel much less tedious.
Being prepared is about more than filling shelves with food. Having the right tools and supplies means you can handle more of the ordinary jobs that keep a household running, even when your usual conveniences aren’t available.
