How much cash should you keep at home?
Work out a sensible emergency cash amount for your household in under a minute, using today's UK prices.
Card machines and cash points need power and internet. A little cash at home means a power cut or a bank outage is a nuisance, not a worry. The planner shows every step of the sum.
Independent guide. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government or its Be Ready campaign. Official advice: beready.campaign.gov.uk.
Work out your household's amount
Suggested cash to keep
£115
for 3 days
A rough guide, not financial advice. Prices vary by area and shop.
How we worked this out
Suggested notes and coins
Small notes help because shops may not have much change when card machines are down. Some coins are handy for parking, buses and small shops.
How to work out your cash amount
The planner follows these steps. You can do the same sum on paper with the prices below.
- Count who's at home. Add up the adults and children, and any pets.
- Pick how many days. Official advice is to be ready for 3 days. The planner goes up to 14.
- Add food. Multiply people by days by £4.80 a day, the official average spend on food and drink at home (£33.63 a week ÷ 7).
- Add getting about. Fuel for the miles you'd drive, bus fares (each single journey) and any train fares.
- Add medicines. Prescription items at £9.90 each in England (free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for many people in England), plus a pack each of paracetamol and ibuprofen.
- Add pets and care. Pet food and care costs per day: we suggest £2.00 a pet, but use your own figure.
- Add a cushion and round up. Add 10% for contingency and round up to the nearest £5.
- Split it into small notes and coins. Mostly £5, £10 and £20 notes, with some £1 and £2 coins for buses, parking and small shops.
Tips for keeping cash at home
- Build it up gradually. Take out a little extra over a few visits rather than all at once.
- No need to rush. If there's news of an outage, there's no need for everyone to head to the cashpoint at the same time. A few days' worth is plenty.
- Keep it somewhere safe that everyone at home knows about, so whoever is in can use it.
- Check for loose change in jars, drawers and coat pockets. It adds up, and coins are just what you'll want for buses and small shops.
- Remember the everyday costs: food, fuel and bus fares are what most people need cash for during a disruption.
- Top it back up after you use it, and keep a second way to pay too: see when cards, banks or systems go down.
Worked example: a family of four
2 adults, 2 children and 1 pet in England, for 3 days. They drive a petrol car about 20 miles a day (45 mpg assumed), one of them takes 2 bus journeys a day, they may need 1 prescription item, and they include a pack each of paracetamol and ibuprofen.
| Item and how we worked it out | Amount |
|---|---|
| Food and drink4 people × 3 days × £4.80 a day (£33.63 a week ÷ 7)Source: Defra, Family Food FYE 2025 | £57.65 |
| Fuel (petrol)20 miles × 3 days ÷ 45 mpg × 4.546 litres per gallon = 6.06 litres × 174.07pSource: Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices | £10.55 |
| Bus fares2 journeys × 1 person × 3 days × £3.00Source: Department for Transport, £3 national bus fare cap | £18.00 |
| Prescriptions1 item × £9.90 (England charge)Source: NHS.uk, NHS prescription charges | £9.90 |
| Paracetamol and ibuprofen£1.70 (paracetamol, 16) + £0.39 (ibuprofen, 16), regular pricesSource: Trolley.co.uk price tracker, Tesco Health Pain Relief Tablets Paracetamol 500mg 16s | £2.09 |
| Pets1 pet × 3 days × £2.00 a day (our assumption, you can change it)Source: your own figure or our stated assumption | £6.00 |
| Subtotal | £104.19 |
| Contingency (10%)£104.19 × 10%, a small cushion for prices being higher where you are | £10.42 |
| Total£114.61, rounded up to the nearest £5 | £115.00 |
Suggested split of £115:
- 3 × £20notes = £60
- 3 × £10notes = £30
- 3 × £5notes = £15
- 4 × £2coins = £8
- 2 × £1coins = £2
Our assumptions
- Food: the official average spend on food and non-alcoholic drinks at home is £33.63 per person per week, or £4.80 a day. This is an average across everyone, children included, so we use the same figure for children. It covers the year to March 2025, so today's prices may be a little higher; the contingency helps with that.
- Fuel: UK average pump prices for the latest week, a typical car at 45 mpg unless you change it, and 4.546 litres to a gallon.
- Buses: the £3.00 single fare cap applies on participating services in England outside London until the end of 2026 (the Government has announced £2 from 1 January 2027). Fares in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are different, so change the fare if you need to.
- Prescriptions: £9.90 per item in England. Free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and for many people in England.
- Medicines: Tesco's regular (non-promotional) prices for a 16-pack of paracetamol (£1.70) and ibuprofen (£0.39), so a short-lived offer doesn't make the figure too low.
- Pets: £2.00 per pet per day is our own modest assumption, not an official figure. Change it to suit your animals.
- Contingency: we add 10% and round up to the nearest £5.
- Odd entries: if a box is left blank or a number is out of range, the planner uses a sensible value and tells you under the result (for example, 0 mpg uses the 45 mpg assumption, and days are kept between 1 and 14).
Prices used (as of 1 November 2026)
Every price comes from the source linked. We don't estimate prices: if we couldn't check one, it isn't used.
| Item | Price | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Household food and non-alcoholic drinks, average spend per person per week (UK)Financial year ending March 2025 | £33.63 per person per week | Defra, Family Food FYE 2025 (accredited official statistics, published 18 September 2026) | 1 November 2026 |
| Unleaded petrol, UK average pump priceWeek commencing 26 October 2026 | 174.07p per litre | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices | 1 November 2026 |
| Diesel, UK average pump priceWeek commencing 26 October 2026 | 199.22p per litre | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices | 1 November 2026 |
| Bus single fare cap in England (outside London, participating services)Until the end of 2026 (the Government has announced £2 from 1 January 2027) | £3.00 per single journey | Department for Transport, £3 national bus fare cap (GOV.UK, last updated 19 August 2026) | 1 November 2026 |
| NHS prescription charge in EnglandCurrent charge | £9.90 per item | NHS.uk, NHS prescription charges | 1 November 2026 |
| Paracetamol 500mg tablets, pack of 16 (Tesco Health)Tesco regular (non-promotional) price, via Trolley.co.uk price tracker; checked 1 Nov 2026. A temporary £0.35 promotion was showing that day, so we use the usual price. | £1.70 per pack | Trolley.co.uk price tracker, Tesco Health Pain Relief Tablets Paracetamol 500mg 16s (Tesco's own product page blocks automated checks) | 1 November 2026 |
| Ibuprofen 200mg tablets, pack of 16 (Tesco Health)Tesco regular (non-promotional) price, via Trolley.co.uk price tracker; checked 1 Nov 2026. The page showed £0.35 that day, below its usual £0.39, so we use the usual price. | £0.39 per pack | Trolley.co.uk price tracker, Tesco Health Ibuprofen Pain Relief Tablets 200mg 16s (Tesco's own product page blocks automated checks) | 1 November 2026 |
| Prescriptions in Scotland“Prescriptions in Scotland are free.” | Free | NHS inform, Prescription charges and exemptions | 1 November 2026 |
| Prescriptions in Wales“NHS prescriptions in Scotland and Wales are free.” | Free | NHS Business Services Authority, Help with NHS prescription costs | 1 November 2026 |
| Prescriptions in Northern Ireland“All prescriptions dispensed in Northern Ireland are free of charge for everyone.” | Free | nidirect, Help with health costs | 1 November 2026 |
Frequently asked questions
How much cash should I keep at home for 3 days?
Enough for food, getting about and any medicines. With prices as of 1 November 2026, that's about £35 for a couple without a car, or about £115 for 2 adults and 2 children with a pet, a petrol car and a daily bus trip. Use the planner for your household: it shows every step of the sum.
Which notes and coins should I keep?
Mostly £5, £10 and £20 notes, plus a handful of £1 and £2 coins. When card machines are down, shops may run short of change, and coins are useful for buses, parking and small shops. We don't suggest £50 notes, because many small shops won't take them.
Where should I keep cash at home?
Somewhere safe and dry that the adults at home know about, such as a sealed bag with your emergency basics. Keep it to a few days' worth, and check your home insurance, as many policies only cover a limited amount of cash.
Will shops accept cash in a power cut?
Many will, but not all. In a power cut some shops close, and tills or card machines may not work, so it helps to have small notes and close to the right money. Shops in the UK can choose which payments they take, so cash is a back-up, not a guarantee.
Are prescriptions free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In England the charge is £9.90 per item (NHS), but many people get them free, for example because of age, some benefits or a medical exemption certificate. Check who can get free prescriptions.
Where do your prices come from, and how often are they updated?
From official statistics where they exist (Defra for food, DESNZ for fuel, DfT for the bus fare cap, the NHS for prescriptions) and a supermarket price tracker for medicines, using regular rather than promotional prices. Each one is listed in the price table with its source and the date we checked it (all checked 1 November 2026). We review them regularly, and the England bus fare cap is due to fall to £2 on 1 January 2027.
Is this official government advice?
No. UK Be Ready is an independent website. We are not part of the Government's Be Ready campaign and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government. For official advice visit beready.campaign.gov.uk. The planner is a rough guide, not financial advice.
Quick answer and sources
Enough for about 3 days of essentials (food, getting about and any medicines), mostly in £5, £10 and £20 notes with a few coins. With prices as of 1 November 2026, a couple without a car comes to about £35 for 3 days, and a family of 2 adults and 2 children with a pet, a petrol car and a daily bus trip comes to about £115. That uses average food spend of £33.63 per person per week (Defra), petrol at 174.07p a litre (DESNZ), the £3.00 bus fare cap (DfT) and the £9.90 prescription charge in England (NHS), plus 10% for contingency. It's a rough guide, not official advice: use the planner above for your own figure.
This planner is a rough guide, not financial advice. Prices vary by area and shop. It doesn't store or send anything you type.
Prices checked 1 November 2026.