Five items to have on-hand during a power outage (they’re not what you think!)

When recently experiencing a power outage, my family had the usual flashlights and batteries at the ready, but we happened to have a few additional products on hand – most of them pretty inexpensive, which helped out a lot during an emergency.

I highly recommend you pick these up in the event of a power outage!

1. Glow sticks:

These stayed glowing for at least 12 hours and were especially perfect for the kids, who got a huge kick out of hanging them in their bedrooms and using them for night time house traveling. We also hung them up in bathrooms and stairwells:

2. Battery operated tea light candles:

I can’t say enough good things about these. We put them throughout the house. They have a nice soft light and enabled us to play games, hang out, and to see pretty well – without the nuisance of candles. We had a few of those lit, but they were all scented, and it got pretty overpowering. Plus, we could trust the kids around these. They also last a really long time!

3. Solar lanterns:

These solar lanterns are adorable and have three methods for lighting them up: solar with built in rechargeable batteries, usb charge, or 3 AA batteries.

4. Battery packs:

I’m a fan of this Portable Charger Power Bank 30000mAh Bextoo External Battery Pack with LCD Digital Display – it’s cheaper than other chargers of this size by about $15 and packs a punch! Plus the LED display is just… cool.

There are lots of other battery pack options out there for you if you’d like something in a different size:

5. The big guns: the Halo Bolt 58830 will charge everything & start your car

This thing is awesome. We keep it plugged in all the time and it comes in incredibly handy and perfect for travel because of it’s long-lasting battery. You can use it to power up a laptop, a phone, a fan – and you can literally use it to jump start your car! Yeah it’s in the $100 range, but it’s been a lifesaver for my family many a time. They offer a few different color and feature combos and are 100% worth the money: