No Electricity? 7 Items You Gotta Have In A Power Outage.

This power outage post doesn’t come from a place of being well-prepared. It’s not from our household protocol developed by my husband… the lineman. NO! This is born purely out of a LACK of preparedness! LEARN FROM ME!

[ReviewDisclaimer]

My husband is a lineman for a local co-op. Some may think his occupation guarantees us to have power 24/7… and you would be wrong. Some may also think we are some sort of power outage ninjas, where it’s all rainbows and butterflies when the lights go out. Wrong again.

A few weeks ago we had some crazy thunderstorms around our house; hail, high winds, lightening… the works! Eventually, the raging storm caused our power to go out. GREAT! {insert eye roll}

I go to “the cabinet,” …the one where you keep random mess to look for – flashlights, candles, etc. I found about 8 flashlights and NOT ONE worked. It was in that moment, I was like, “Isn’t it ironic, don’t ya think…”

I mean I am a lineman’s wife…power outages happen ALL the time…we should be prepared for a power outage.  We SHOULD be power outage ninjas!

But there I was.

Luckily, the power went out in the afternoon during naps, so I had some time to get it together. Out of 8 flashlights, only 3 took normal batteries. By normal, I mean ones that fit in toys and begin with the letter “A.” I was pretty stocked on Mrs. Meyer’s soy candles but I’ve got 2 small kids, so flashlights are a little safer.

The power ended up being out from around 3pm that afternoon to 2am. What did I do with a 5 and 3 year old in that time? (That’s another post for another day.) This fun little experience taught me that I don’t want to be THAT unprepared for this kind of situation ever again. And I don’t want you to be either!

As such, here are the 7 must-haves you’ll need for your power outage “box”:

1.)      Power Outage Flashlights

I’m talking at least one for every member of your family.  These are similar to the ones we have for the kids and these are what we have for us!

2.)      Lanterns

We have a crank light and it is the bomb! No batteries needed! Plus lanterns are so handy for bathroom visits.

3.)     Batteries

Dedicated to this box only in the sizes you need for all your flashlights

4.)      Candles

The kinds I have are here.

5.)      Matches & Lighters

6.)      Power Bank/Portable Phone Charger

Just be sure you keep them charged!

7.)      Water

This doesn’t fit in my box but I keep a few gallons in the garage for hand washing/toilet flushing.

Storm Season is here folks!

Get that box put together ASAP! When your power goes out you will be so happy to have all you need in one convenient place and be able to handle that outage like a boss!

Do you have something like this in your home? I would love to hear from some pros! What’s in your box?