Ctokmarkethousehold supplies: a guide to storing food and everyday essentials

An independent guide to household supplies and food storage. We sell nothing, give no medical advice and have no connection to the former website on this domain. In an emergency, call 112 or your local emergency number.

Topics

Guide topics

The guide is split into four sections. The first is about food: where and how to keep it, how to watch the dates and remember to rotate. The second covers what to keep on hand if the power or water goes out for a while. The third is about the first-aid kit and the papers you need to find quickly. The fourth is about pets and the family members who need a little extra attention. You can read the sections in any order.

Supplies start not with shopping but with a check: first look at what's already at home, and only then decide what's missing.

— Editor's note

How we choose advice: it works in an ordinary apartment or house without special equipment; it relies on package labels and widely accepted rules, not made-up quotas; it names no brands, store chains or medicines; and it doesn't scare you or push you to buy more than you need.

Food and pantry

Grains, pasta, canned goods, cooking oil, sugar and salt: things that keep for a long time, but not forever. How to choose a spot for your supplies, why dry, cool and dark conditions matter, how to protect food from moths and beetles, and how to set up rotation so nothing goes to waste.

  • A check in one evening

    Five steps on the home page: take out, check, throw out anything spoiled, rearrange, write down.

  • Label and storage terms

    Best-before and use-by dates, the production date, airtight containers and pantry pests in the guide's glossary.

  • Small kitchen

    A collection on keeping modest supplies where every shelf counts.

Water and light

Power and water outages are usually short, but it's easy to prepare ahead: drinking water in sealed containers, a flashlight and batteries, a charged power bank, warm clothes. Candles only under supervision, though a flashlight is better. Generators and camp stoves are never used indoors.

First-aid kit and documents

A home first-aid kit in general terms: dressings, a thermometer and medicines your doctor prescribed. Everything gets checked for expiry and kept out of children's reach. It's handy to keep a folder with copies of documents and a paper list of important phone numbers nearby.

Pets and special needs

For an animal: its usual food, water and a bowl, a carrier or leash, and veterinary records. For family members who need special food, doctor-prescribed medicines or care supplies, plan their supplies separately and talk through with a professional ahead of time what to do during an outage.

  • Supplies for a pet

    A short answer on what to keep on hand for a cat, a dog or another pet.

  • Family with a baby

    A collection that brings together pages for households with a little one.

  • New pages

    The feed where separate articles on pets and special needs will appear.

  • How-to

    A step-by-step article on building household supplies without panic, plus the article catalog.

  • Questions

    Short answers about dates on food, water, light and heat, the first-aid kit, documents and pets.

  • Reference

    A glossary of household supplies: labels, storage and outage readiness in plain words.

Sources

  • Labels and storage conditions on food packaging
  • Ctokmarket editorial materials

Information is current as of the date it was prepared. Storage conditions and shelf life vary from product to product, so the label on the package is always your main guide. Your building management or local utilities will tell you about planned shutoffs and what to do during outages in your home.