Emergency prep

Your emergency kit expires: one list for food, water, medicine and batteries

By Hao's Dad · 6 min read · Updated 2026-11-01

Plenty of families have packed an emergency kit. Then it goes into a closet, and the next time anyone opens it may be two or three years later, only to find the water and food bars past their dates, the batteries leaking and the medicine no longer usable. A kit is only useful if what’s inside hasn’t expired. Here’s a simple way to keep track, and it works for the medicine cabinet too.

What usually goes wrong: things expire

Most things in an emergency kit have a date on them, and they don’t all run out at the same time. Here’s what to watch for. Always go by the date on the package.

Item	What to check	What’s easy to miss
Drinking water	The date on the bottle	Heat (a car, a balcony) can spoil it sooner
Food bars, crackers, canned food	The date on the package	Things bought together expire together, so they all need replacing at once
Basic medicines	The expiry date on the box or label	Once opened, many keep for less time than the printed date
Prescription medicines	The expiry date and how much is left	Prescriptions change; the kit may hold a medicine nobody takes anymore
Batteries	The use-by date on the pack	Left inside a flashlight, they can leak; store them separately
Masks, first-aid supplies	The date and whether packs are sealed	Disinfectants evaporate once opened
Baby and toddler items	Dates on formula and baby food	Diapers and clothes don’t expire, but kids outgrow the size

Every item has its own date, and they’re all hidden inside a bag, which is why memory alone doesn’t work.

Step 1: do one inventory and write the dates down

Pick a weekend, open the whole kit and look at everything once.

Take it all out and sort it: food and water, medicine, batteries and tools, documents and cash, personal items.
Find the date on each item and write it down. If you bought the same thing at different times, list each batch separately.
Anything expired or close to it goes straight onto the shopping list.
Check your kids’ clothes and diapers against their current size and swap what no longer fits.
Keep the list and dates somewhere the whole family can see, not just on one person’s phone.

Step 2: get reminded before things expire

Once the dates are written down, you need a reminder before they arrive. Noticing only after something has expired often means weeks before it’s replaced.

Food and water: a reminder about a month ahead leaves time to shop.
Medicine: ask a pharmacist or doctor when it’s close; prescriptions may need an appointment.
Batteries: replace them before the date, and use up the old ones in remotes and clocks.

Food that’s about to expire doesn’t have to be thrown out. Eat it before the date and put a fresh one in its place. Often called a rolling stock, this way nothing goes to waste and the kit always stays fresh.

Step 3: open the kit every six months

Some problems don’t show up in the dates. Open the kit every six months, for example when the seasons change.

Do the flashlight and radio work? Are any batteries leaking?
Do the kids’ clothes, shoes and diapers still fit?
Is the prescription medicine the one that’s taken now, and is there enough?
Do copies of documents or emergency phone numbers need updating?
When the family grows (a baby, a grandparent, a pet), add what they need.

The medicine cabinet works the same way

A medicine cabinet is a lot like an emergency kit: things are used rarely, the dates all differ and nobody looks. Manage it the same way.

Note each medicine’s expiry date, and write the opening date on liquids and creams.
Don’t use medicine that’s expired or that you’re unsure about; dispose of it the way your pharmacy or local authority recommends.
Restock fever and stomach medicine when it runs out or nears its date, not at 2 a.m. when a child has a fever.

Everyone should know where it is

An emergency kit is meant to be grabbed on the way out, so one person knowing where it is isn’t enough.

Everyone knows where the kit is, ideally near an exit and easy to reach.
The list and dates are visible to the whole family, so whoever is shopping knows what to replace.
Older kids can help check it and learn what each item is for.

An official checklist to start from

What to pack and how much depends on where you live, so start from your own government’s guidance. As one official example, Taiwan’s National Fire Agency publishes its checklist in English.

Taiwan National Fire Agency: emergency go bag checklist, 72 hours (PDF): food and water, medical supplies, clothing, documents and tools, with notes for babies, older adults and pets.

How Hao's Dad does it

FamilyCal 1.1 added a Household tab, and Expires works exactly this way: each item gets an expiry date, the card shows how many days are left, and tapping “Replaced” sets the new date. The same thing bought at different times can be entered as separate items, each with a quantity.

Choosing the Emergency kit template suggests items for your family; with young kids it adds diapers, formula and baby food. By default the template reminds you 30 days before an item expires, in the 8 pm evening reminder that every adult in the family gets. It also creates a Last Time item, “Check the emergency kit”, that reminds you when six months have passed. The medicine cabinet has a template of its own.

FAQ

How often should I replace the water and food in an emergency kit?

Go by the date on each package, since brands differ. Note each item’s date and replace it about a month before; eat what’s about to expire and restock, so nothing is wasted.

How much water and food should a kit hold?

It depends on the size of your family, where you live and official advice. Check your government’s emergency preparedness guidance, then adjust for your family, such as babies, older relatives or anyone with a chronic condition.

Can expired medicine go in the regular trash?

Rules vary by place. Ask your pharmacy or local health authority how to dispose of it, and don’t give it to anyone in the family.

This article is general information. For emergency preparedness, follow the guidance of your government authorities; ask a doctor or pharmacist about using and storing medicine.

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More parenting notes at DJ’s House →