10 Must-Have Items for Rolling Blackouts

This was not a post that I was planning on writing…ever. But after experiencing the 2021 Texas Rolling Blackouts for 3 days during that freak winter storm, there are some things I had & things I wish I had. I’m all about preparing, so today, I’m going to give you a list of must-have items you’ll want if you have to experience these types of recurring power outages.

Want an idea of what it was like? Check out this post I made on Instagram during the storm. Also, don’t forget to click the follow button while you’re there!

Affiliate links are used in this post for your convenience. Any purchases made with these links will result in my receiving a very small commission at no cost to you. Stacy’s Savings participates in the Amazon Associates Program. For more information, please visit my Disclosure Policy. Thank you!

What Are Rolling Blackouts?

Rolling Blackouts happen when your electric grid experiences higher demand than they have capacity. In Texas, the electric companies were told to proceed with turning power off and on in order to give everyone a little power. Of course, there were other issues as well and some went without power the entire time.

We experienced these blackouts for 3 days. It was different for each home & it depends on your electric carrier. Our electric co-op had us on a 30-45 minute on, 30-45 minute off schedule for 2.5 days. So in the 30-45 minutes that our power was on, we were able to charge devices and backup batteries, make coffee, and check the internet for the latest updates before the power went off again.

Must-Have Items for Rolling Blackouts

Some of these must-have items for rolling blackouts are the same types of items you would need in case of any emergency or extended power outage. However, some are specifically if you know that your power will be on/off/on/off in a rolling blackout situation.

I was fairly well prepared. I had filled all of our prescriptions & purchased extra milk, bread & eggs. But there were still some items I wish I had or had more of.

I’m updating this today, January 12, 2024, because we have another unusual cold snap heading our way, and we’ve added a few things to our must-have list!

D Batteries & Flashlights

Obviously, flashlights are a must-have for any emergency situation. Many flashlights these days require smaller batteries. I had one old-school camp flashlight that took D batteries, but I only had one battery.

Make sure you stock up on all sizes of batteries so that you have them on hand in an emergency situation. You never know what will start beeping during an outage, and you want to make that noise stop by changing the batteries. People in our neighborhood were begging for 9 volt batteries because their smoke detectors were chirping during the rolling blackouts. Even if you have hard-wired smoke detectors, you still need to change the backup batteries regularly.

You can use a clear battery organizer box like this to keep your batteries organized and safe. The battery organizer that I linked is very popular and goes out of stock a lot, so here’s another one that I’ve heard great things about!

Bottled Water

I’m too cheap to have bottled water on hand, and that bit me in the butt during the blackout. I never buy them because when I do, people in my house drink them instead of refilling a glass because they’re lazy. From now on, I will hide a case of water bottles in the bottom corner cabinet in my pantry. No one will be allowed to touch them!

You should also have these Life Straw water filters in any go bag for all emergencies. They filter water from any source and turn it into drinking water.

Battery Candles

I’ve seen influencers on Instagram promoting these battery candles, but I always thought they looked kind of stupid & fake. You better believe that after this episode, I’m buying the damn battery candles AND backup batteries (see item #1 on the list).

You can find all kinds of battery candles, from tapers for candlesticks to pilars. Make sure you have the batteries, see Item #1.

Update: If pillar candles are more your style, I purchased these for my bathroom and I absolutely love them! They are very realistic, come in a ton of colors and even fooled my husband!

Recharegable Light Bulbs

I didn’t even know these existed! One night during the blackouts, I was looking out of the front window in the office, and my neighbor had lamps on! Her house was the only one lit. I thought she had a generator, and when I asked her about it the next day, she said that she had rechargeable light bulbs. Who knew?

When our power came back on, I did a little research. These light bulbs are just like normal LED light bulbs, but they have a battery back up. They charge up while the power is on, and when the power goes out, they stay on! She said they get about 5 hours of light, but since the power was going on and off, they were getting recharged each time!

I purchased 6 of these right after the storm, and I use them in lamps all over the house (like that lamp pictured above), just like normal light bulbs. If we lose power, they’ll be ready to flip on for regular light!

Extra Large Battery Banks

We have two backup batteries for phones and tablets, and we were able to do ok with them through this episode. But, I wish that we had more than that. We had 2 phones and 4 ipads to keep charged.

Because of that, I’m buying one of these extra large power banks for each of our two cars. These Halo Power Banks can jump your car battery & inflate a flat tire, but they’re also great to have as a backup power supply. They can hold a lot more charge than your basic portable phone battery.

Be sure you have extra charger cords for your devices, and keep them in a small plastic box to be used in case of emergency only.

We just got these solar-powered power banks that come with built in cords for all devices and Mag Safe! These are perfect for a power outage situation because you can recharge them easily with the sun.

Power Supply

We used to have a backup power supply and I wish we still did. Keep this on your modem & router to continue to have wifi when power goes out during your rolling blackouts. It won’t power them for very long, but it may work to keep the signal going for shorter-interval rolling blackouts.

Target Casaluna Bed Blanket

Our house got cold during the blackouts because the heater was never on long enough to warm up the house. I think we got down to about 52 degrees inside at one point. Many homes were colder.

I bought two of these Casaluna Woven Bed Blankets a few months ago when they were on sale, and they are the best blankets! You wouldn’t think they are as warm as they are, but they are so warm. I’m so glad I had two to snuggle under. Plus, they look good & they are huge! I have the Queen sized blanket, and it touches the floor on both sides of our extra tall queen bed.

Games

You definitely need entertainment during a blackout. I love having little decor boxes in our living room to store small family card games to play in the Living Room. This allows us to keep our larger board games upstairs.

Our favorite game to play during our rolling blackouts was Uno.

Emergency Binder

I’ve talked about the need for an Emergency Binder before, but I’m definitely going to update it now. I couldn’t for the life of me find our electric account number. Make sure you keep that section updated with the account numbers and passwords. You never know when you’ll need it.

Coffee Maker & Large Thermos

You really had to think ahead for when the power came back on. For example, you can’t get drinking water from your fridge dispenser without power. Making coffee was important too. If you have a gas stove, you can still boil water. Having one of these pour over coffee makers will allow you to make coffee without power.

We would immediately pour our coffee into this large thermos to stay warm when the power went out. It’s large enough to hold 1 pot of coffee.

BONUS! Definitely a Must-Have

One more for the road! This is a must-have for any homeowner at any time of the year. Make sure you have a key to your water meter, know where it is & know how to use it! Being able to shut the water off instantly can save you in more ways than one if your pipes burst. Trust me, we know.

Check your meter box to make sure you get the right one. You may have to grind down the key a bit to fit your lid. Also, some plastic lids have a spring lock under them to keep them from floating away in a storm. Those can be tricky to open, so make sure you practice before any anticipated cold weather event.

Check out my Amazon Storefront for more finds & solutions!

Being prepared for these situations will save you money in the long run! For more money-saving tips for your everyday life, make sure you’re following me on Instagram!

Hopefully you never have to experience rolling blackouts in your life. But with this list, you’re sure to be prepared! Let me know what your must-have blackout items are in the comments!