Apps and services
Two of Stockwise's own to play with, then four things worth setting up before you need them: an afternoon's work, most of it free. A [partner] slot is a programme Stockwise may join; until it does, every link is plain and Stockwise earns nothing from it.
Made here
Two of Stockwise's own
Both are a bit of fun with the sums shown: every figure on the page is stated, the official ones cited, the rest yours to change. Nothing you enter leaves your browser; the design lives in the link, so you can share it.
2 of Stockwise's own · free · nothing stored
- The bunker builderSize a store room, shelve it, stock it and read how long the household lasts, drawn in 3D as you go.
- The loo roll questionHow long the cupboard lasts, with a pyramid of rolls drawn to scale beside a person.
Find your way
Maps that work with no signal
Mobile data is often the first thing to go in a storm or a power cut. A map that lives on the phone still works. Download your own region, and the one you would drive to, while the Wi-Fi is up.
2 to set up · 2 free
- Organic MapsFree, open-source offline maps from OpenStreetMap. Download your region before you need it.
- OsmAndOffline maps and navigation; the free version covers a few regions.
Papers and passwords
Copies somewhere a flood cannot reach
GOV.UK Be Ready says keep copies of important documents in a grab bag. The digital half is scans of passports, insurance and prescriptions in encrypted storage, and a password manager with emergency access, so that when the cards and apps come back you can get into everything.
4 to set up · 2 free
- CryptomatorOpen-source encryption for files in any cloud you already use.
- BitwardenOpen-source password manager with a free tier and an emergency access feature.
Running AI at home is the same question as a power cut: what keeps working when the connection does not.
Kit finds the machines and parts to run AI at home, UK and EU, and scores each against its typical price, the way Stockwise scores a torch. A power station that keeps a phone going for three days runs a small home server through an outage too.
GraphicsMacMini PCsMemoryNVMeKit list
First aid
A kit is only as useful as the person holding it
The first aid kits on Stockwise hold plasters, dressings and gloves. What to do with them is the other half: an app that works offline, a course, and the NHS pages.
3 to set up · 1 free
- British Red Cross first aid appFree app with step-by-step first aid; works offline.
- NHS: first aidThe NHS's own first aid pages.
Know before it happens
Warnings to your phone, free
The Met Office warns of storms days ahead, the Environment Agency of floods, and the Priority Services Register puts eligible households first when the power or water goes. All three take minutes to set up.
3 to set up · 2 free
- Met Office weather warningsCurrent warnings; the Met Office app sends them to your phone.
- Flood warnings (England)Free flood warnings by phone, text or email from the Environment Agency.
- Priority Services RegisterFree extra support from your energy and water suppliers during an outage, if you are eligible.
A van is a home with its own power, water and heat: most of a preparedness kit, on wheels.
Turfrig reads the UK and European van market, scores every van for living in, prices the parts to build it and keeps its MOT story in one book. The same calm reading of the market, pointed at life on the road.
MarketEuropeRigbookRig builderOverland
Features and prices change; check the maker's own page. Stockwise gives information, not advice.