Cushion · What you can absorb
Cushion: the money and paperwork that absorb the shock
A cushion is what lets your household absorb a bad week: some cash at home in small notes, savings that cover a month of essentials and grow towards six, free flood and weather alerts, the Priority Services Register if you’re eligible, and a paper list of the numbers that matter.
Why money and paperwork count as kit
When parts of Spain and Portugal lost power for up to 19 hours in April 2025 (NESO), card machines went with it, and the tins in the cupboard weren’t the problem — paying for anything was. LINK found only 17% of people keep a store of cash at home (LINK Cash Index, published May 2026), which makes the cushion the most neglected of the three places, and the cheapest to fix. Most of it is free: signing up for alerts, registering for priority support, writing numbers on paper.
None of this is financial advice. Where money decisions come into it — savings accounts, insurance — we describe what MoneyHelper, the government-backed money guidance service, says, and point you to them.
Where to start
Three free jobs, about half an hour in total:
- Sign up for flood and weather alerts. Free from the Environment Agency (via GOV.UK) and the Met Office app. Signing up yourself means the warning reaches the phone you actually carry.
- Check the Priority Services Register. If anyone in your home is older, disabled, chronically ill or relies on powered medical equipment, your energy and water companies will register you for extra support at no cost.
- Write the paper list. The number 105 for power cuts, your water company, your GP, your insurer, one or two family numbers. Paper doesn’t need charging.
Then start the cash and savings rungs: £100 or so in small notes somewhere sensible at home, and an easy-access savings pot that builds towards one month of essential bills, then three, then six.
The cushion rules
- Free things first. Alerts, registers and paper lists cost nothing and matter most on the day.
- Small notes. A £50 note is hard to spend when the card machines are down.
- Describe, don’t advise. For anything beyond the basics, we point at MoneyHelper and your own judgement.
Changelog
- 26 August 2026 — page created; launch set of cushion guides published.
Guides
Every alert worth signing up for, in ten minutes
Flood alerts sign up, Met Office weather warnings, Emergency Alerts and power cut updates: every free UK warning service and how to register.
CushionHow much cash to keep at home, and where
How much cash to keep at home in the UK: around £100 in small notes, somewhere sensible. Why fives and tens beat twenties, and what insurance covers.
CushionThe Priority Services Register: who qualifies and why
What the Priority Services Register is, who qualifies and how to sign up free with your energy supplier, network operator and water company.
CushionFrom nothing to six months' expenses: the ladder
How much emergency fund do you need in the UK? A calm ladder from £100 cash at home to six months of essential bills, one rung at a time.
When it happens
Quick answers
Where do you stand?
The Household Readiness Score asks four Cushion questions among its twelve. Three minutes, no email needed.
Check your score