Winter is in full force here in Ohio right now, and I’ve been hearing that there’s a big storm moving across the country this weekend. The weather experts on TV appear to be revising their predictions on where the storm will be most intense. In any case, I always like to have a few things on hand, just in case I lose power for a bit.
Of course, when the weather is looking suspect, you definitely want to make sure you have plenty of food and any medicines you need, since the roads could get sketchy for a few days. Once those are taken care of, here are some of the other items I always like to have on hand.
Here in Ohio and in Georgia, I have a lot of these plug-in style lights in multiple rooms of my home. I love how they automatically come on during an outage so I don’t find myself navigating a dark house to retrieve candles or lanterns. I have a few of the Energizer ones downstairs, including in the movie room. You’ll find this style available here: Energizer Flashlight, Great for Power Outages.
I also have a bunch of these Red Cross Emergency lights, both here and in Georgia. I really like them for bathrooms because they can be set to work as night lights, as well. I usually keep these set for the “blue light” mode for my bathrooms since that’s not as jarring to see when going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. You’ll find these availablehere: Red Cross Emergency Lights for Power Outages.
I’ve ordered several pairs of these gloves in the past and love how well they fit without leaving huge gaps at the fingertips. I find them to be quite warm for winter walks and for refilling the bird feeders. The special design makes them easy to use with phones, too. You’ll find these available here: Warm Gloves.
I have a weather radio at home, but I don’t have one here. I need to order one pronto. I really like the ones that can be powered via batteries, solar, or hand-cranked. Most, including this one, can also be used to charge a cell phone. So many great features, especially when you don’t know how long you’ll be without power during a storm. This weather radio has great reviews, so this is the one I’m considering for the Dollhouse. You’ll find it available here: Weather Radio with Battery Backup, Flashlight, Solar Power & Hand Crank.
This one also has great reviews and is available here: Weather Radio, Battery-Operated, Solar, Hand Crank, Flashlight.
It’s always a great idea to have a first-aid kit on hand. They are great to keep in your car, too. You’ll find this one, which has great reviews and comes in a variety of sizes, available here: First Aid Kit.
Blankets! Always a good idea to have plenty of warm, cozy blankets on hand when a storm is headed your way. I ordered this blanket in the dark green color several months back, and it’s always the one my oldest grandson asks for when he spends the night and I turn the sectional sofa in the movie room into a large, queen-size bed for him. He loves it! You’ll find it available in a bunch of pretty colors here: Luxuriously Soft, Warm Blanket.
It’s so important to keep your cell phone charged during bad-weather season. You’ll want to make sure all your devices are fully charged before any predicted harsh weather arrives. It’s also a good idea to have a fully charged power bank on hand. This one has great reviews and comes with a variety of charging cords/connections, so it can be used to charge a lot of different devices, including cell phones and iPads/notebooks. This one comes in three colors, including a pretty pink. You’ll find this power bank available here: Portable Charger 10000mAH Power Bank.
Battery-operated lanterns are a blessing when the power goes out. These have great reviews and have so many more features than others I’ve purchased in the past. For example, they can be adjusted for four different lighting modes and even have a dimming feature. The ones I have back in Georgia always feel a bit too bright when I’ve had to use them. I ordered a set of these and plan to give one to my son/DIL once they arrive. You can read more about them and check out the various features available here: Set of Lanterns with 4 Lighting Modes and Dimming Feature. You’ll need D-batteries with a long shelf life. These are the ones I purchased since they have a 10-year shelf life: D-Batteries.
Another great item to have on hand when winter storms arrive is a good headlamp. It’s much easier to get a generator started if you’re not having to hold a flashlight while you’re working on it. My son also loves wearing these when he’s smoking a pork butt or grilling out during the fall/ winter, since it gets dark so early. The reviews look great for this set and you’ll find them available here: Pair of Headlamps. They require AAA batteries, which are available here: AAA Batteries.
I love feeding the birds throughout the year, especially during the winter months. I just ordered two bags of this “gourmet” seed, which really just means it’s not full of filler seed that a lot of birds won’t eat. You’ll find this seed available here: Gourmet Bird Seed for a Variety of Birds.
My cardinals and finches love this safflower seed that I’ve been putting in one of my feeders just for them. It’s also very reasonably priced. You’ll find it available here: Safflower Seed for Cardinals and Finches. Thanks so much to Abramson, who recommended feeding safflower. I’ve had issues here in Ohio with these large, cute sparrows completely monopolizing my feeders, while my Cardinals sit in the trees, longing to eat. Now my Cardinals are happy birds, too! They love it!
Hope you found this list helpful! Please share any tips you have for what I should have on hand here at the Dollhouse in Ohio when bad weather is headed my way. I would love to know your must-haves for bad weather!
Aww, the cardinals! I love cardinals, they are so beautiful and such a lovely confirmation of life and hope when the rest of the world looks grey and dreary.
This is a great list, Susan. Thank you for taking the time to share this good and helpful info with us. I hope you stay warm!
Thanks, Pam! It is such a joy to see them coming to the feeders!
I hope you guys keep safe and warm through this crazy winter storm I keep hearing about.
We are expecting a snow storm here in Pennsylvania too starting Saturday night and all day Sunday. It was 0 degrees here this morning. A local store has their bird seed on sale this week, we are stocking up. My Siberian Husky was lounging on the porch this morning in frigid temperatures. Stay warm.
Wow! Zero is scary! I woke up to 10 degrees here yesterday, but I’m sure it got lower than that during the night. Just going out to fill the feeders is a challenge in those temps. It was much better today, 35° felt like a heat wave. lol
We all need fur coats like your Husky! I hope you see warmer temps soon, Maryann!
Susan, have you thought about a Generac whole house generator? We live in Michigan just west of Ann Arbor. A few years ago, we lost power for 4 days then 2 days later another 2 days. The temps were in the teens. We had to go to a hotel. Our house was freezing! We bit the bullet and had a Generac installed a few years ago. It’s wonderful to not have the worry of a power failure. At your suggestion, I bought 3 pairs of the headlamps for the men in the family. I thought they could use for when they light fireworks on the July 4th. I ended up using them for things like looking down the kitchen drain when I drop something! They are so handy. Thanks for all your suggestions.
I have thought about getting a generator, but when I’ve priced them, they were pretty expensive. I need to figure out if I can use the gas logs in the fireplaces here, that’s what I did once when we lost power for 3-4 days during a big storm in GA. That’s only happened once in my life where power was out for longer than just a few hours, so not sure it’s worth it. I think if it were to go out here, they would get on pretty quickly.
I know, those headlamps really are handy for so many things, including sewing.
Great items to have whether it’s a raging snowstorm or in a hurricane box. We also added walkie-talkies to our emergency stash. Should the power be out for an extended period, we’ve always got the good old-fashioned battery method of communicating!
Nina, how far do walkie-talkies reach? Since my son is just a few doors away, maybe we could use those during an outage if our phones were not working.
Susan, I’m not certain of the range but it’s quite a distance. My husband and I used them when we moved and were driving separate vehicles. We were in heavy traffic and he got quite far ahead of me and we were still able to converse. We got them because we weren’t sure which states require “hands-free” cell phone usage and the rental truck didn’t have bluetooth capabilities. We now live in a large gated community and have no problem contacting each other.
I live in Houston and also have to consider hurricanes. I keep several gallons of bottled water and some foods that don’t require cooking to eat. Before freezes and hurricanes, I fill some buckets with water (for flushing) in case the pipes freeze or water supply stops.
Great tips, Linda! I think I should beef up my pantry with more foods that don’t require cooking.
This is great! I have many of these items but they are old and with fewer features, or none. So will be reviewing this list again and updating.
That’s kinda what I’ve been doing over the last few days. Always good to update.
Love your suggestions! I also like to have several good books checked out from my local library app. I just finished reading a really interesting nonfiction book about Huguette Clark. It’s called Empty Mansions and might be something you’d like too. The pictures and descriptions of the homes her family owned are quite something!
Thank you for providing such good information! I just ordered the headlamps and lanterns that you suggested, along with batteries. I live in SC, where freezing rain and ice are predicted. Better safe than sorry! have purchased other items that you have recommended, and have always been pleased with the merchandise.
Thanks for this list Susan. I just ordered that solar powered battery-powered Noah radio. I’ve been saying that that we need a new one from now for a few years, so that was the reminder I needed!
Just a tip … when your lights, lamps, headlamps, candles are placed in front of a mirror you double the light. Consider the bathroom mirror, mirror in the entry way, dresser mirror in your bedrooms, etc.