Have you ever thought about what you would do without power? Learn how to survive a power outage so you can be prepared.
With winter fast approaching and power outages all over California, implement these power outage tips so you can survive in style.
Let’s get started!
Solar lights
Use them both inside and outside.
For those in apartments, you can place them in a window of your home or on the dashboard of your car during the day so they can recharge.
Rechargeable light bulbs.
These are amazing.
They get installed like a regular light bulb if the power goes out you still have several hours of working lights and they can be turned on and off using your regular light switch.
If used sparingly in combination with solar lights they will last.
Refillable water jugs
A lot of places sell out of water bottles quick during a planned power outage or storm.
We use large refillable water jugs in our house, you do not need a water delivery service to do this.
Our local Walmart has a jug refilling station we use and they also sell pre-filled jugs.
I try and keep 2-3 filled at all times.
Fill the bathtub with water
Of course, drinking water comes above all else
So if you don’t have enough drinking water use something such as a water bob in the bathtub to make sure you and your family have plenty of clean water.
However you can use this water to put in the back of your toilet so it will flush.
A lot of us, including myself, plan ahead to make sure we have drinking water.
But what about indoor plumbing?
You can also use this water for pets if needed.
Create a fun indoor camping space
This will keep everyone in your home safe and comfortable.
Having everyone in one room will also help conserve lighting and heat.
Baby wipes and Hand sanitizer
Having these items around your home will be amazing for long term outages!
If the power is out for a significant amount of time saving water will become very important.
Portable phone charger.
I recommend getting one for each cell phone in your home.
Keeping your phone charged ensures you will get any important updates.
Battery powered string lights.
These are great because you can use them as everyday home décor and the battery life is amazing.
We keep them in small mason jars around our home.
Keep yourself busy
Grab a good book, write, paint, invite friends over or complete a project.
Doing this will keep your mind off of things.
Cooking
Those with electric stoves will not be able to cook
Stock up on canned goods just remember your electric can opener will not work.
Another great option is to purchase a small BBQ grill or portable stove to keep in your home
Whatever you choose your family will thank you for it.
Fuel and generator
I would highly recommend getting a generator and having fuel available.
We use ours for longer outages so we are able to keep our food cold.
Alternative fuel heater
Those without a wood burning stove or fireplace will not be able to heat their homes.
Having an alternative source of heat is very important.
Be sure whatever you get is safe for indoor use.
If this is not an option for you right now consider getting sleeping bags, beanies, warm socks, etc.
Flash lights/batteries
I do suggest the bright LED ones.
We use ours primarily outside.
Just make sure you know exactly where at least 2 are and keep them out of reach of the kids.
We have a magnetic flash light holder at the top of our fridge.
Glow sticks
I usually give one to each of the kids every night that the power is out.
This way they have some light in their bedrooms
Candles
Candles are a fantastic way to light your home during an outage so I thought that I would mention it here.
We do have candles in our home but I personally tend to shy away from them due the fire danger and having kids and animals.
If you would like to learn more about living a self sufficient lifestyle consider homesteading. Click here for more information.
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Great post. We need more people to trust their homes during a power outage. A huge winter storm in our area knocked out power for a few days and people were flooding to hotels. They abandoned their homes because they had no backup plan.
I am glad you enjoyed it. I agree! Even having some glow sticks, sleeping bags and a car charger helps a ton!
We were in the Great Coast Gale of 2007 and lost power for two weeks, we learned a few tricks like using the potable electric hot water tanks 50 gallons of water to drink and cook. My wife’s candle business helped out with lighting, but we’ll never burn the two different scents of hot apple pie and lilac together again.