Author of Be Ready for Anything and Bloom Where You’re Planted online course
Happy Monday! How are your challenges going so far? I hope you’re enjoying them and learning some things from them.
If you missed the previous challenges, you can catch up here:
Today’s Challenge
Tonight, you’re going to spend an evening without electricity.
This means you’ll have to figure out what you’re having for dinner, how you’ll light the house, and more challenging still, how you’re going to entertain the family. So no video games, no phones, no television or movies. (May the force be with the parents of teenagers.)
You can turn the power back on at bedtime if you are in an area with hot weather so you can sleep comfortably.
If you need some tips, check out my PDF called The Blackout Book.
Tell us how it went!
Did your kids attempt a coup? What did you do for off-grid entertainment? What did you have for dinner and how did you light things up? Share your evening with us in the comments below.
Remember, if you want to win prizes, post over in the forum.
We just spent 36 hours without power so I’ll just tell you how we managed. We were able to cook on our charcoal grill and gas stove (we just had to use a lighter to light the burners). We had plenty of food because we had stocked up, we had plenty of time since Dorian was so slow moving. We played board games and read books. Since we have dogs with flat faces (French bulldogs) we did have to occasionally take them to the car to cool them off. We just rotated them. We do have a generator so we used that to run the refrigerator. We learned that we need another generator and a room air conditioner because of the dogs. It just got too hot for them.
Being without power for a few hours in the evening is not a new thing for us two oldsters. We have a gas stove, so cooking supper is not an issue, home-canned food is easily heated on the stove. We have both paper plates and bowls. I prefer to use real utensils and not plastic when we eat. Hubby will need to boil some water and use his thermos for his tea.
Without power we have no well water; but we have our daily water bottles, mugs, plus several gallons in the kitchen ready for drinking. I use a gallon-sized, cleaned out detergent bottle with a a spigot and a touch of soap inside for water at the sink for hands and rinsing cooking utensils. A small plastic pail catches the water. Plus another detergent bottle with plain water for the bathroom for washing up at night.
As campers, we have battery operated lights but we also have oil lamps for inside the house. It is cool here today, so we will use the oil lamps, while we read at the dining room table for awhile. We have games that we enjoy playing. I need to get a mirror behind the lamp so the light focuses on our game board.
Since the batter-operated light is mostly plastic, it is great for the bathroom. There is another oil lamp in the bedroom in front of a mirror. Plus, headlamps to read before going to sleep.
Power out for a day or two? Not a problem for us in this house. Now, on the other hand, power out for the long term for the freezer ….
I LOVE your detergent bottle idea! Glad I saved a couple of them! Thanks for the tip!
Funny, power went out yesterday afternoon, plenty of candles, flashlights, solar lanterns, cooked dinner with a propane stove, tea, and soup. Live alone so had plenty peace and quiet to real
Did not do this one, I spent 10 days without power following hurricane Michael last October. Used generator sparingly to keep refrigerator and freezer going. Cooked meals on Coleman stove, used solar oven and grill. Charged batteries for lanterns and ran my well as needed. Played on my ham radio at night, have heavy duty 12 volt battery for power, recharged as required when generators were on. I also watched some TV and used internet when generators were on. No cell or phone service, internet and TV are via satellite (Dish and HughesNet).
Lol. This one is easy for us. We’ve been without power use for most of the last 11 months. I cook on my propane stove top or outside with either wood of charcoal. We each have very bright flashlights to carry in the evenIng. Mine looks like a lantern but is a crank powered light. His has a large square battery in it. Both are LED lights with shinny reflectors to multiply the light. I charge batteries AAA, AA, C, D, and tiny disc with a solar charger. Same for my phone- solar charger.
In the evening I usually get my husband to play a game with dominoes. He doesn’t really play for points. We just match ends unto one of us runs out of dominoes. It’s good to help him keeps thinking as much as possible. He has Alzheimer’s.
Friends are coming today to help build us a front porch with sturdy steps and a ramp. We’ve been using just old trailer steps that are too short and pretty shaky. I set the steps on bricks to help reach the door but its still a long step. That was intended to be a short term thing. Because of a series of injuries and surgeries it started to look like it was becoming a long term thing. I’m still unable to move the steps by my self. Greatful for good friends.
My neighbor came over yesterday and finished the skirting on an unfinished side of the mobile home.
Other friends are building us a front porch right now. They are using power tools and an extension c o rd down from a shop by the well.
I have several solar generators . I can plug in my fridge and freezer enough to keep good fresh.
I can also run lights a small fan or electric blanket if necessary. If the sun isn’t out they can be hand cranked to recharge.
Also have lanterns and candles.
My stove is gas so I would have to light it with a match but I also have a rocket stove, camp stove , grill , fire pit, thermal cooker and Sun oven I can use. My fridge, freezer and pantry are pretty well stocked so cooking would not be a problem.
I have many books, card and board games .
Like some of the others who commented, we were out of power recently (last week) for several hours so we didn’t do this one tonight. We had solar rechargable large lithium ion batteries that we used to run our fridge/freezer and a fan. We just sit on our front porch and enjoy the country and nature for entertainment. We have a cast iron Hibachi grill and we live in the oak woods of the Ozarks, so wood is not an issue. Hubby’s hobby is making fire starters so we have hundreds, maybe even thousands of those with which we can start fires. We have home canned food and other food so, all was well.
Tonight I am at My mother`s house. At home I have a propane gas stove and propane gas fridge. At bedtime all electricty is off. I have oil lamps, candles and flashlights. I heat by wood in the winter. I run a generator and have solar.
Tonight I am at My mother`s house. At home I have a propane gas stove and propane gas fridge. At bedtime all electricty is off. I have oil lamps, candles and flashlights. I heat by wood in the winter. I run a generator and have solar.
I do not own a tv set nor a smart phone.
We were without power for days a couple of years ago when we had several nor’easters back to back. I used a sterno camp stove for heating up water for coffee and for warming food, and I recently bought a chafing dish for two dollars so I can heat two things at the same time.
As this was in the winter, the big challenge was staying warm, so this year I plan on making a passive solar heater to help keep the temperature up, at least a bit. I also have chemical hand warmers and a hot water bottle.
Entertainment was board games, books, the radio and conversation. In bed early. Illumination was b/o lamps, candles, natural light (daytime).
I am always tweaking my preps to get them better, so each time I use them I make note of what works and what needs improvement.
We have off-grid propane stove, battery pack for spark, so can cook as normal. Home-canned or commercial canned food (long term have a bunch of freeze-dried). Also have gas grill with side burner, usually used for stovetop smoker; rocket stove which can charge via usb.
Lighting is easy. Pre-filled oil lamps, candles, flashlights, aladdin lamp.
Entertainment? Reading by lamplight, backgammon, jigsaw puzzles. I keep a stock of crossword puzzles. While sewing machines are electric, ithey can be run by turning the flywheel by hand. One has cams for fancy stitches so could even do them! Hand sewing, weaving, felting, knitting.
Have stored water, pot and non-pot; have paper plates, cups, plastic flatware.
Use landline. Generally it still works when power grid is down as phone line carries its own voltage. Yes, we have a digital phone but also have 2 old style phones for backup. Unreliable cell service, generally not usable. Besides, in a grid down situation how reliable would they be?
In an absolute pinch, have a toilet seat for 5 gal plastic bucket and sawdust. Humanure! In the short term, mellow yellow and handpour for solids. TP goes in burn bag! Low flow toilet anyway.
5 Gal solar sower bag.
In cold weather, heat with woodstove anyway.
Have 1 solar generator, but live in cloudy area. When sunny, can use to power frig intermittently. No AC here, would use a fan on generator (sparingly). Also have 2 battery fans. Solar charged power cells for usb charging.
Did I cover all the bases?
Have a crank coffee grinder and beans, Melitta cone and LOTS of filters, also a stovetop espresso maker and a small french press; many varieties of tea.
Melitta pour over cone coffee makers make the BEST coffee, IMHO! Best part is, all you need is boiling water.
No coup and all went well.
We regularly are forced to do this with all the copper cables stolen in the neighbourhood. Lighting is no problem as we have solar lamps. Cooking is no problem as we have gas stoves. Also have an inverter and batteries for the computer. The biggest problem is when it goes for 2 or more days, is the fridge and freezer items.