Power Outages: What If The Lights Go Out?

Power outages. They are inevitable. Most of us will go through a power outage at some point in our lives. The question here is, what do you do when the lights go out? How do you prepare for power outages?

With these uncertain times, it’s everyone’s responsibility to prepare for power outages to at least some extent. Now, I’m not saying that everyone needs to prepare for a week or more of the power being out. But you should try to be ready for a few hours, up to a day at the very least. But how do you do that?

Here are some things you should keep on hand to prepare for power outages.

 

 

Candles.

These are the most basic of light sources. Every home should have some. Whether it’s a bunch of scented candles, or  9 hour emergency candles, it would benefit you to have a wide variety of candles. You can buy any of these at the dollar store if you want to go cheap but effective!

 

Flashlights.

Another basic lighting essential. I would suggest at least one flashlight per person. Even the kids should have a flashlight. It’s a good idea to keep a flashlight in each bedroom, where they can be accessed easily.

I like to keep ours in our nightstands, but you could also put them in a dresser drawer. And make sure you have plenty of batteries for those flashlights. A flashlight without batteries is pretty useless!

 

 

Headlamps.

We love these! Headlamps are especially useful, because they’re a hands-free flashlight. It makes it so much easier to do what needs to be done, without holding a flashlight. We bought a bunch of LED headlamps at Walmart for $1 each.

They are pretty bright, but very compact. So they’re great to throw in a backpack, a purse, or just in your car. Another cool thing about headlamps, is that you can strap them to a milk jug full of water and turn it on. Voila, instant lantern to light up a room! For $1, you can’t go wrong. Get a bunch of these!

 

Propane Lanterns.

We always have a lantern or two in with our camping supplies. They’re really only about $20, and they last forever if you buy a plastic carry case for them. Without the carry case, you will most likely break the glass. Just make sure you have the small backup propane bottles for them.

 

 

Oil Lamps.

I like to keep a few of these in the house, because they’re actually pretty as well as useful. Just stock up on some oil and matches, and you’ll have a ready source of light for power outages.

 

 

Portable Propane Heaters.

You can buy portable propane heaters for under a couple hundred bucks, and they can truly be a life-saver. If you do have to use one, gather all of the family into one room and close off the room as much as possible. This will hold the heat into that one room and be much more efficient.

 

 

Wood Stove.

Okay, now this one isn’t really for light, and obviously not feasible for everyone to have in their homes. But a wood stove is so indispensable to have for heating your home in the event of a power outage! It can truly mean the difference between freezing to death, and cuddling together around a warm fire.

 

The “Lights Out” Kit.

The “Lights Out” Kit is just a backpack filled with emergency lighting supplies. You keep it in a central location, where it is easily accessible. I keep ours in our mud room. In the event of a power outage, you have a bag full of lighting implements. In ours, we have flashlights and batteries, headlamps, glow sticks, and even a small portable cooker so we can make small meals.

If you’d like to make your own Lights Out Kit, I have a handy checklist that you can download for free. Just sign up using the link below to get your password to our Subscribers Only Resource Page!

 

 

Are you prepared for a power outage? It’s such an important thing to prepare for, especially during the winter months when power is not always reliable. What do you do to prepare for power outages? Please share in the comments so we can add those to our preps!

If you are just starting on your preparedness journey, and need some helpful resources, go check out my Emergency Preparedness Bundle! It has a One Month Food Storage Tracker, a Bug Out Bag Checklist, and some Emergency ID Cards to print out for your family.

 

 

 

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