We used outdoor solar lights ( $1 tree) placed in canning jars, or just in the corners of the hall..to light the house at night, like nightlights, but better! ( Ontop of personal flashlights/headlights or lanterns) I would put them outside during the day and bring them in....even on a cloudy day they charged! When we lost power in New England for over a week.
I also do that and it's great. My next solar light I'm getting is the outdoor spot lights, they are very bright and they light up a room like you have lamps on. The ones I'm interested in are two of them for $35.00. I'm getting 3 sets so I have plenty to use. 4 bedrooms,living room, and the kitchen. Just make sure that when you are looking at them to buy ,that they have a on/off switch to them and not just a automatic light/dark turn on. I like this because I don't like candles with kids and animals around and batteries are expensive but the sun is free😆👍
You know, having a “pioneer mindset” helps so much to live through these things our modern life might throw at us, because none of this sounds like “hardships”, it’s just “what we do.”
When we moved from Seattle Washington in 1976 to Manchester Connecticut, we had a brand new being built house when we arrived. Our bishop came over to meet us and asked to see our coats. This was in August. We were puzzled but we showed him our coats. He told us that that the first opportunity we needed to go to get heavy coats that we were going to be needing to wear to go outside to shovel snow in etc., etc. I learned how cold it was when I went out without a scarf over my nose and their little hairs inside of my nose were freezing and felt crunchy like little needles.
Ja. Originally from Wisconsin. Occasionally in winter growing up. Me & a brother had to walk to school. And I always marveled at his hair & mustache frosting up. I wonder what I looked like. Just something to remember.
If you're interested in a water conversion tip, I have one for minimal water usage for laundry - we lived aboard a sailboat for a few years - one would think water would be plentiful, but clean water wasn't. We could wash our clothes in salt water, but then it took several gallons to rinse out the salt and soap. We learned that we could 'chemically wash' our clothes - 5 gallons of water + 1 cup of ammonia then soak/swish for 2-3 hours, wring out the clothing, hang and dry. Works amazingly well. To this day, we have a gallon of ammonia in our emergency supplies ;-)
In winter of 1996-97 we had one of the worst winters I have lived through in ND. We had a huge snow storm and were without power for 2 weeks, we couldn’t get to town (lived 10 miles away) and no one could get to us for 2 weeks. My son was 3 months old. I went to visit my parents and got stuck there. My folks had a propane stove (used for cooking and melting snow to filter for drinking water, washing dishes, bathing, washing clothing) and sunflower heater (we used for ice fishing) to keep pipes from freezing in our basement. We also had a outdoor wood stove, however with a power outage the fan didn’t work to heat the house. We hung quilts from the doorways to lock in the heat into the kitchen and at bedtime we crowded into beds (I have 5 siblings). We used a baby bath tub, melted snow to use to bathe-hand wash clothing and saved the water to flush the toilet. We also used lots of candles. Last year we had several cold snaps that also resulted in power outages for 12+ hours. Septic tanks froze so we learned in years with very little snow (which is unusual in ND) we cover the ground around septic with straw. For our cattle we use a ice auger to drill holes in our creek once it freezes so they have fresh water. Other livestock we have to run hoses & after watering we haul hoses into our basement to dry out. When our outside spigot freezes we have a torch we heat it with to thaw it. Where we currently live we only have an electric range so cooking in winter during power outage we fire up our camp stove or charcoal grill and cook in our cast iron pans. This also melts snow for bathing and washing clothes and then we hang clothing in the basement to dry. Lots of flashlights, candles when children are older, and lanterns are very handy. Over the years I have been canning more and more meat-stew, soups, taco meat, sloppy joes (BBQs here), plain ground hamburger, chicken and pork so that when the power is out we can have hot meals without having to worry about thawing out the meat. We also transfer all the cold products in our refrigerator to coolers outside. And #1 lots and lots of blankets/quilts…you can pile them, use them to hang from doorways, & keep a couple in vehicles during winter time.
I think lots of people are thinking that way about lots of blankets. I'm always buying them for extra warmth in the winter and we have a little dog that likes to chew holes faster than I can patch them so I buy them at the thrift store.. the last couple months there have been very few blankets in our thrift store or rugs for that matter. So odd after 20 plus years of abundance to see those racks empty. Anna In Ohio
Great video!! One of the best gifts I received was a hand crank radio/flashlight/USB charger combo. We had a day long power outage in our neighborhood and I was able to use that so we could listen to the radio and charge my phone to check on updates to the little local outage. It's funny how these things don't seem like much but when you need them they are priceless!
Hi Jessica; Regarding baking bread in the wood stove. I was in the process of making bread in my bread maker, it was already to start to bake when the power went out. My wood stove had a bed of coals in it so I put the bread in a loaf pan , let it rise again and put the loaf pan in the cast iron frying pan ( I suggest you put a trivet under the loaf pan to prevent scorching) The bread baked beautifully and quickly.
On that same visit the bishop also said that we needed to get storm doors and storm windows on our brand new house, which the builder had not put on. Then we knew why people were coming through the neighborhood constantly leaving flyers on our door about storm windows and storm doors. Sure enough he was right the only window that we did not have storm windows put over was the kitchen window. Every winter morning because of condensation collecting on the window inside I had ice on the inside of my kitchen window.
We just purchased the ecoflow delta and also the max two weeks ago! It took me over a year to save and decide which generators to get and from where. We are in MN and last year we had a very bad storm in winter. I think it was February and we had a blizzard with 60 mph winds and it was -39 outside. We lost electric for about 18 hours. Luckily we had a buddy heater and propane to run it, it got the first floor up to 64 degrees which shocked me it worked so well. We have ways to cook and we have ways to get water but heat here is a big issue. You are blessed to have the woodstove. With more weather related disasters and grid issues I think people need to get more prepared for sure. Thanks for posting this topic for others to see and learn from! Have a great day!
A box of hot hands for the colder nights to warm sleeping bags in the coldest winter. We recently installed solar lights around our home and they work amazingly to catch people walking up to the house. I plan to install solar lights around the garden walkway next. If truly needed you can bring them inside if needed. I plan to get a few oil lamps and oil soon. I love candles...so calming. Also, cast iron pans are so great because they can be used in most situations. Thank you so much for this video. It is truly needed in this time.
You reminded me we have oil lamps too. We've practiced using them and have plenty of both lamp oil and Klean Heat to use those. We also bought and now is a good time to look for them these tiny little lights meant for a tree I think but we took 3 of them and put in a mason jar (they run by double A batteries) creating a nightlight in our bathroom. I only change the batteries once a year. I bought new ones at Dollar Tree last month as back ups. Anna In Ohio
I think it was in 1998 when in the big ice storm hit here in Ontario Canada. We were not prepared for our power to be out for 19 days. Fortunately we do have a fireplace where we cooked all of our meals. We have since bought a great generator that was made in the USA - Generac, Gas powered. We have not had any problems with it and my hubby runs it for about 10 minutes twice a year just to make sure it will work when we need it!
I live in a rural town that experiences several outages a year. I have a propane camp stove/oven combo. Two burners on top and oven on the bottom. Far less expensive than solar oven and works year round. A solar oven would be nice but to pricey for me.
Years back when my 5 kids were between 9 & 16, we were without power for 7 days in the summer due to tornado damage. Bathing in the lake, cooking on the grill and using ice blocks in a cooler for food helped us. I still had to go to work daily, but was fortunate enough to be able to go in early and shower in the gym there, while the kids would bath in the lake behind the house.. You have some very good ideas there, thank you for sharing!
Even though we don't have to worry about snow here in Florida we have had some gnarly ice storms which our infrastructure is not set up for at all and of course hurricanes. We actually apply a lot of these into out emergency preparedness as well. I'm definitely looking into that portable hot water heater!
I REMEMBER that ice storm! Our old farmhouse in OH had nothing but propane heat...we had to set kerosene heaters in the downstairs rooms...it was pretty 😖. It didn't help that our house was very poorly insulated. Note to self. Forever farmhouse must have good insulation. 👍 Great tips, Jessica!
Oil lamps and kerosene heaters are so cozy! I rememeber my parents using them with us five kids during winter storms in PA (was also a old drafty farmhouse) and then in MO we lost electric for 5days. Things like tht have been used for generations and sometimes work best:) and sometimes the sun isnt always out bright enough for solar lights to charge enough during a winter storm!
You can bake bread in a Dutch oven on a propane fish cooker or over campfire coals or even in the coals of your wood stove if you let it burn down a bit . I also have a a wood stove and made all my littles baby food and I adored the winter I would very frequently wrap sweet potatoes , pumpkins , squash or turnips in foil and put in the front of the fire box just turning occasionally with a long handled pair of grilling tongs . It makes the silkiest sweet potato I’ve ever put in my mouth . You could also use cast iron on the coals or a fish cooker to cook any meats or wrap chicken breast , fish or ham in foil and cook in the wood stove as well . We once went without power during an ice storm for two weeks . As a child I was amazed by how well my grandmother was able to keep us all fed .
This. Is. Brilliant. 👏 So many redundant systems, options, protecting your family and thinking outside the box. Well done! To your readers: Also check online the easy ways to create 'rocket' stoves. We had a nine-day outage once. Learned quickly about your What If list!
I have a pretend power outage day at least once a month. By doing this I find when there is a real power outage I am prepared and all emergency equipment is up and running due to maintaining same. I have gained so much knowledge from others from Utube channels.
Ah, the broken washing machine problem. We bought a new one in May and in July, the machine broke. I had to handwash laundry for weeks. It was fun at first, but got mighty exhausting. Proves the character, doesn't it.
Am I the only one who took a bucket bath? LOL I used to live in upstate NY on the border to Canada and right off the Snow belt. The power went out there every winter at least once. I also thankfully had wood heat and lots of snow to melt. So many more options today for no power than 30 years ago. I found phone apps and RUclips channels which off that white noise as well. I mam currently retraining myself to an app over a fan itself as the app uses way less energy.
We live in Bear Valley Springs, Ca. We’ve had power outages, the longest was 6 days , the more common ones are 3-5 days long. My kids are teenagers but it’s still tough. Luckily our water still works with our power outages. We use a generator and back feed our house with power. Before the generator it was soooo tough! We did learn that our one wall heater stays on and continues to provide heat, even without electricity. You’ve given great advice!
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips: 1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards. 2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house. 3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running. 4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords. Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions. Hope this helps
Oh, yes, we have done all these things during power outages! We used to have a old wood stove like yours and it was a blessings to be able to cook on. I miss mine! Amazon has solar power cell phone chargers, also solar light is great to have at your back door during power outages. Have a blessed day!
I'm in NorthWest Ohio as well. We have lost power for just short times. Looks like you are way more prepared than I. Bless all your hard work and family.
We also learned very quickly that we had to have two sets of tires for every vehicle that we owned. One winter set and that had studs in it and one Non-winter set. It was a big deal in Connecticut announced on the public media when you could put your studded tires on your car and when you had to take them off or get a fine. The studs in the tires were rough on the streets and roads but they were necessary to be able to drive. We also found out that when you purchased a used car that it was standard to get two sets of tires, whatever was on the vehicle when you bought it and one set for the other season opposite when you bought it
We don't live as cold as you but as a kid when there was a threat of power outages, my mother scrubbed and cleaned the tub then filled it with water for flushing the toilet with bailed water; I suspect for drinking if needed but that never happened. This is something I still do depending. We also lay out clothes ready for dressing on beds, close down all the extra rooms, and move into the living room or a central room. In August/ September we fire up the generator and make sure it is running then that the gas cans are filled. We also keep a closer eye on the propane tanks 8n the winter than summer. Each entry way has a home for a flashlight or battery operated light. If is it winter and cold enough, we actually open the fridge and freezer to remove what we coild eat for a day or few, put it in a cooler, then shut things up for the duration; often we will run the fridge or the freezer for a while periodically of a generator. One year, we got caught off guard and away from home and rather than located the cooler in the garage, we put our refriderator/ freezer items in a cardboard box on the back porch then stuffed it with snow. In this area, often people move into thier RV's.
Cool wood stove. In Canton/Hills and Dales. My parents heated their all electric home with a wood burning stove. Today I wood (har har) invest in a solar generator as well.
I've experienced these trials as well. My children are grown now so just me and my husband but we still love the easier things of life. Be blessed Jessica. Thank you for sharing. I'm interested in the generator video.
You share some great applications to dealing with power outages. We have some similar options, just as your family has. Thinking outside the box these days is important!
My sister lives in the country and I remember many years ago during a power outage.. her husband got out a tent and the whole family stayed in that tent in the front room for over a week. He melted snow from outside for toilet water. Their water ran off electric so though they had a well they could not access water in the house. I believe at the time they had a kerosene heater.. they've since moved to another house in the country that had whole house generator but he got rid of it, dont' know why I think a dumb move but what can you say. He does stock it to the rafters for food has a grill I'm proud of them that they figured out how to survive and be prepared. Anna In Ohio
Hi Jessica! Still praying for you, and still working through some of your older videos. This one was so very helpful! What a blessing your old farmhouse is! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
A great option for cooking is the wonderbag. You would just need a method of heating a Dutch oven or something similar. It will allow more space for cooking other things.
Our house came with a fireplace in the family room and families in the church had told us about ice storms and having to provide food for three weeks. We purchased an insert with a cooking area on our woodstove. We purchased enough hamburger helper, tuna helper, and other meals like that with all the ingredients we had enough on hand that we could have three weeks worth of dinner meals. We were able to cook on the top of the wood stove insert in our fireplace. Because of little children we had to put a Barrier around it so they wouldn’t burn themselves when it was on.
I am currently in a power outage with 11 of the kids at home. My oldest two have their own power outage. ( 13 kids total) In 2011 i was pregnant and had 7 kids with the stomach flu in a 4 day power outage. Im in southern michigan
Additionally I bought kerosene lamps and we had a kerosene lamp in every room with a book of matches under it because of the way the base was constructed there was a little hollow under the lamp that would accommodate a book of matches. Looking back I am amazed that we never had a child, we had five, tip over a kerosene lamp or get into it, but now I am in California and those five little children are all grown but I have a solar lamp from Hydro light in every bathroom and in every room. They can charge by a USB cord plugged into the wall like your phone charger, or they can charge from the sun. They have two models one model is smaller and it sits on the counter another model is larger and you can actually hang it from the ceiling, provided you put a hook in ahead of time and we have them by every ceiling light fixture.
Oil lamps and kerosene heaters are so cozy! I rememeber my parents using them with us five kids during winter storms in PA and then MO we lost electric for 5days and they never got tipped over or nothing burnt down:) we knew to be careful. Things like tht have been used for generations and sometimes work best:) and sometimes the sun isnt always out bright enough for solar lights to charge enough during a winter storm!
Great info. Living on the gulf coast we deal with lots of power outages from wind and rain and hurricanes. I keep a couple of large totes filled with extra flashlights, batteries, candles, etc. and extra propane tanks for the grill. Just need to get a generator.
You can use a dutch oven over coals from an outdoor fire to cook with. Bread . buns, rolls. dampier thhose sort of things. You canalso cook stews soups in them as well.
My husband and I were originally from Northern California before we lived in Seattle so it was the day that went by that I did not complain and tell my husband I wanted to go back to California. He was in the process of working full-time in Hartford and additionally going to the University of Hartford, to finish his second bachelors degree and then he went to Rinzler Polytechnical Institute to get his masters degree and he kept telling me that we couldn’t leave until he was finished with school that took nine years. By the time we left Connecticut to come back to California I was so sick and tired of shoveling snow and raking leaves and fighting tent caterpillars. When we let people at church know that we were moving back home we were asked to give talks at church my opening statement in my talk was the first words from the song “California here I come right back where I started from.” When most people left our ward in Manchester Connecticut they would say things like oh I know I will miss the place so much and I love all the people here you guys are all like family. Well I remember and have always missed the people from our ward in Connecticut but I certainly do not miss the weather and all that went with it. Snow storms, thunderstorms, hurricanes, ice storms, I was so glad to get out of there. It took two moving vans when we left with five children, two dogs and a parrot.
Our emergency (no water) toilet is a five gallon bucket and big bag of peat moss. We use this at our off-grid property (we don't live there), and it works really well. So we decided we would use that as a backup system at home, if we should ever need it. That would eliminate the need for flushing toilets. We also keep plumber's antifreeze on hand every winter, to winterize the plumbing should we lose the heating system. We cannot install wood heat in this house, so we would have to pitch a tent in one of the smaller rooms, hang blankets all over the walls and over the top of the tent, put down foam, and sleep on that, wearing hats and hoodies. Hopefully it will never come to that, but one never knows.
I also have used hot water bottles wrapped in towel or there are special fleece covers you can get for them now. They will help warm your bedding before you get in and can then put near your feet, just make sure you do not fill them all the way up and make sure cap is well tightened. Of course, you will need a sterno stove or chafing dish, teapot tea light warmer or something to warm up the water.
If you have a fire going outside or in, and build up a lot of hot "coals", you can easily bake bread, on a wire rack to keep it off the bottom, in a cast-iron Dutch oven. If you have a domed top on your Dutch oven, put it on upside down, so coals can be piled on top of the Dutch oven, to generate heat on top, and simply set it in the hot coals of the fire (small cakes and desserts can also be baked in a ditch oven). My mom did that often when we camped with our family of nine kids, going from our home in Michigan, to northern Canada, in September, when the nights were quite frosty! We tent camped and my mom cooked all our meals over an open fire, for several years, until they got a two burner camp stove. Even then, she used Dutch ovens to bury a meal in coals, to cook while we hiked the beautiful area all day. They did that even with a 2-year old! I never thought about it then, but now I'm 59, and my 4 children are out on their own, and I have been reminiscing, i am in awe of what my mom accomplished! She and my hard-working dad, had a huge garden, and mom would can 300 qts of tomatoes every year! (Just wait until all your children, especially the boys, become teens! You'll be having to can so much more, as well!). We always had more than enough food and they always invited any special guest speakers that came to our church, over for a grand meal.). She always allowed any friends of ours to stay and eat, and our house, although very cluttered, was open to all). My mom is 83 now, and still lives on her own, in the same town as two of my sister's families, in Goshen/Elkhart, IN. I thank God for a mother like her, who taught us to care for anyone who is in need, and how to love and care for our own family. God Bless you, as you teach your children such important life skills, every day!
This house has regular power outages, although it seems better since they replaced some line and a pole a few weeks ago just down from us. Thank you for all the great info. We have multiple systems for each and thankfully so too. Its been super wet then really humid then pouring and flooding for weeks , one intention was to test out cooking whole meals and heating water on our homemade rocket stove but.... there wasn't a single dry stick to be found then our matches were so moist from humidity they wouldn't even light. I'm grateful we didn't truly need it otherwise that could have need a very uncomfortable time. Thanks for sharing 🥰
Hi Jessica. Excellent video for those who are not use to power outages or think it’s not going to happen. Our power goes off…a lot. 200 hours in the month of Nov one year. I got pretty good baking bread and cookies on our propane bbq. But u need a heavy cast iron griddle to help spread out the heat and make it so you don’t burn the bottoms as easy. I have been thinking of getting a sun oven as well. Excellent video, thank you for doing it. We all need to be more prepared
Jessica please don't take this the wrong way. I noticed that you have a hard time swallowing, and your touching your neck often. Your neck appears a little swollen. Have you had your Thyroid checked? Could just be the lighting. I am a 30 year retired RN and just because I'm not working can't take being a nurse from us! Please understand my question is just out of love and concern. If you haven't seen a Dr to be checked It would sure make me feel better. If you have then that is even better. God bless!
I remember that ice storm. We are also from Ohio and we were without power for 2wks. We were the only ones prepared and two year old at the time. We had five families using are frig and freezers bc we were the only ones with a generator. Our neighbors tried to get some during that time but everywhere around us was sold out so they brought it all to our house lol. I hope they are more prepared for the next one, some did end up finding generators later and some had gas stoves installed in their houses. We were the only ones with a wood stove and heat during that time too. That was about 10 or more years ago and we are more prepared for the next one!
You can heat up a little water in a small pan and use a washcloth to wipe off the dishes or even the kids in order to save water for drinking and cooking. Also a compost toilet could help you to not use all your water to flush.
Thank you for all this information. We live in South West Florida and have hurricanes, tropical storms and most times just really bad storms all summer. Very helpful!
May I ask where you find your pretty floral dresses and how you keep your head coverings from slipping? I enjoy all your videos so much and appreciate all the work that goes into them🙂💕
We are in southwest MI along the OH border. We are fortunate enough to have a flowing spring well so we always have water. We have a gas stove and wood stove. In winter when it storms I always put milk and other oft-used cold items in a cooler to set outside in the snow bank to reduce the number of times we open the fridge.
Very well put together talk. I'm also in Ohio. Grew up in Wayne county kind of on the bottom edge of the lake of the fact of snow at least sometimes. And we always grew up pretty much prepared and I guess I continued that, I remember the long power outage that you were talking about we had a 1-year-old and a 2 year old in our house at the time made life just a bit interesting. I guess that was the time that made us think better about how prepared we were. Water was kind of our thing that we weren't as prepared for as we should have been and I guess in ways we still aren't need to work on that area a good bit. Thank you gave me some thinking points and some talking points for discussions in our household
So wonderful to see you. You are very practical. As a single mom we also had to find unique ways to make things work. Years ago car broke down. And actually washed kids clothes in the bathtub. Wringing out blue Jean's etc. Was sweaty & humid work. But it did work. Yes. Solar lights are wonderful. Thanks for review of good solutions. Everything we have is run on electricity. We recently purchased a larger toaster oven. This could accommodate cooking& baking bread without high electric consumption. It's just a thought. To use with solar generation.
Thank you kindly. I don't have to worry about heating my house given I live in the tropics and I basically have summer all year round. Great idea about an outdoor tub and the hand pumped water. Gotta love my BBQ too. Simple Living Alaska cooks bread on top of their wood stove at times. They are ingenious. I have learnt so much from them.
When we had power cutsthe whole aera ran out of candles. I got taken away to sit it out in another part of the town. The main hassle was the tvs were off a foot ball game was missed, but it was only a few hours. Mostly was fun. I know after the 87 gale power was off in countryside it went a few weeks which was hard. Nower with solars stuf they make thing better.
An easy way for interior light is to buy a bunch of $1.00 solar lights. Put them outside during the day and bring them in at night. They only last 4 or 5 hours but that's plenty of time between sundown and bedtime. They do have AAA batteries in them, but one battery lasts at least one year.
I live in NE Ohio and although I'm now very rural, I use to live on the lake, and the cold fronts that came in OMG. Cold!! We had a woodburing stove at that time and it was amazing for winter. I currently do not live so close to the lake anymore and although I want a woodburning stove again we have a fireplace instead. We keep the house at 63 currently and house feels great as long as we keep that fire going. It's definitely a great investment to make if you live in cold weather environments. We're an all electric home so we did invest in a large propane tank and converted our house to run on either electric heat or propane. In an outage that won't help us but it would hook up to my 3 burner camp stove. A huge blessing also. Water source- We have a pond we could filter through several filtration systems we have.
Subscribers should all watch a PBS series called Frontier House*. Its very eye opening in hard physical LABOR involved in gathering wood supplies. Hope u find it. & enjoy it.
After two mayor category 5 hurricanes hit is between a two week span the grid went down completely. We were without power for 6 months and no running water for 4 1/2 months. Very difficult time for us. We had a one and a two day ear old at the time.
You need one of those stovepipe ovens. My FIL made me a Y2K stove and he’d added a bake box to the stovepipe. I just saw one on Pinterest and thought of you.
Thank you for such a great video. Ill look into that generator & solar oven. I made freeze dried meals to prepare for power outages. We also have a wood fireplace. Can heat up water & have ready made meals.
Another option for summer power outage, WRT cooking, is an outside rocket stove with a cooking surface. A solar generator is basically a deep cycle battery and small solar panel combined in a convenient, easy to move package. I'd like to have one.
My parents install ed a generac generator for power outages. It automatically goes to gas after 30 seconds. You can pick (I think 18 items to use it on), they have freezer, fridge, garage door, stove, and multiple outlets for my step dad's oxygen, tv, home phone.
Jessica, I am considering a wood stove for our next home. But I have no idea about how much wood I would need for it. Could you do a video on how you prep for using it each season… and some of the basics for using it?
Gosh. There is a PBS movie on homestead. 3 familys need to survive on farmlands. I think 1 family totally built a log cabin. Other families cooked over wood fires. It is really eye opening. At the end all family participates boast that they could survive the winter with food & foodstuffs for themselves & farm animals. The evaluation revealed that 1 family came very close. With hunting & stores. But All lacked sufficient wood stock supplies for heating. Everyone worked very hard.all participants l oss weight. Try to find it. Must be like 10 years old or so.
Living on the Gulf Coast with Hurricanes we have power outages so Generators And store water sometimes it’s weeks before power is restored. I love my Oil Lamps I keeps oil in All year just in case and keep Candles 🕯 on hand food thank goodness our winters are very mild 🙏🙏
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips: 1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards. 2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house. 3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running. 4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords. Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions. Hope this helps
Looking forward to the electric gen. review. We were talking about something like that a week or so ago, but don't know much about them. We have 7 children, too, and it's ... interesting around here when the power is out! lol
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips: 1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards. 2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house. 3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running. 4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords. Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions. Hope this helps
I live alone but am preparing in case I need to offer help to any neighbors. I'm in central Ohio in the suburbs and don't have access to a wood stove or propane, however, I am stocking up on light sources (candles, solar lights, etc.), blankets, and a Patriots Supply solar generator to provide energy for electric room heaters. I have no extra water source so I am filling empty distilled water jugs to stockpile. I will be canning meals (soup, stew, etc.) to supplement the store-bought food I've been purchasing for several months. I will be able to use all of these measures in my normal life if no disasters occur this winter.
Realize plastic milk and water jugs are made of disposable material that disintegrates over time and will leak causing floods. Vinegar bottles have the stamp on the bottom HDPE showing the plastic is durable.
Just bought a hand pump for our outside well in case the electricity goes out! Wish we had a wood stove but do have a fireplace. Still, we would never have enough wood. We live on two acres but still in a HOA. Worst thing we ever did!
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips: 1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards. 2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house. 3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running. 4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords. Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions. Hope this helps
Great video! Thanks. looking forward to the video on your electric generator, looking into getting one of those also..was looking into the jackery ones but think I'll wait and watch your video.
You are absolutely fabulous. Do you stock up on water? Hopefully soon you can do some in store grocery shopping videos and show how you do your full massive shopping trip
Hot Water Bottles and Thermals Duvets Blankets Soups Stews Casseroles Rocket Stove Slow Cooker Lag and Line your Curtains A Sheet and Blanket UNDER your Duvet A Fleece under your Bed. Make thick EiderDowns for Winter!
This is so timely! Really appreciate it! Do you, or any of the followers have a sense that long term outages are coming? I've had a deep feeling of this for some time now. Any thoughts from anyone else?
Lisa, you are not alone in that feeling or thinking. I have this awful pit in my stomach that tells me that I really need to have everything I will need to survive by January (especially the big necessities) and to just keep getting things put back until the day comes that I/we can't go out and get things anymore. I had this same feeling back in 2019 and this time it's even stronger. I think I just about have 3 months of food but I feel as though I need to keep going. 3 months meaning not to have to get into my EMERGENCY supply until then and I think with very careful rationing I should have a year of food. You know one meal a day and probably pancakes and things like that until garden time. No I don't can. I don't know how and I'm to afraid to try it,so I don't can. I think I can do winter much easier then summer so I'm trying to save for a solar generator to run a fan because I just melt in the heat. I feel such a rush to get things done so I'm sure I won't have enough time to get my solar generator so I'll have to rack my brain to come up with something else to survive the humidity here in the summer.
2019 I started dreaming of the things to come. God told me to share my message to "prepare, prepare, prepare." You are not alone. I have some things prepared, talk with the Lord daily and trust in him. It is in the book already- we just trust his plan.
I'm a recent subscriber, catching up on your videos, so I'm seeing this almost two weeks later. This has nothing to do with the content of your video - I just wanted to say good choice on your sweater, you look really nice in that color green.
We used outdoor solar lights ( $1 tree) placed in canning jars, or just in the corners of the hall..to light the house at night, like nightlights, but better! ( Ontop of personal flashlights/headlights or lanterns) I would put them outside during the day and bring them in....even on a cloudy day they charged! When we lost power in New England for over a week.
I do the same. Safer than candles and inexpensive.
Brilliant!
I also do that and it's great. My next solar light I'm getting is the outdoor spot lights, they are very bright and they light up a room like you have lamps on. The ones I'm interested in are two of them for $35.00. I'm getting 3 sets so I have plenty to use. 4 bedrooms,living room, and the kitchen. Just make sure that when you are looking at them to buy ,that they have a on/off switch to them and not just a automatic light/dark turn on. I like this because I don't like candles with kids and animals around and batteries are expensive but the sun is free😆👍
You know, having a “pioneer mindset” helps so much to live through these things our modern life might throw at us, because none of this sounds like “hardships”, it’s just “what we do.”
When we moved from Seattle Washington in 1976 to Manchester Connecticut, we had a brand new being built house when we arrived. Our bishop came over to meet us and asked to see our coats. This was in August. We were puzzled but we showed him our coats.
He told us that that the first opportunity we needed to go to get heavy coats that we were going to be needing to wear to go outside to shovel snow in etc., etc. I learned how cold it was when I went out without a scarf over my nose and their little hairs inside of my nose were freezing and felt crunchy like little needles.
So true!! I'm from Northern Minnesota. I could tell when it got below 10 degrees because that's when I could feel my nose hairs freeze!
Ja. Originally from Wisconsin. Occasionally in winter growing up. Me & a brother had to walk to school. And I always marveled at his hair & mustache frosting up. I wonder what I looked like. Just something to remember.
If you're interested in a water conversion tip, I have one for minimal water usage for laundry - we lived aboard a sailboat for a few years - one would think water would be plentiful, but clean water wasn't. We could wash our clothes in salt water, but then it took several gallons to rinse out the salt and soap. We learned that we could 'chemically wash' our clothes - 5 gallons of water + 1 cup of ammonia then soak/swish for 2-3 hours, wring out the clothing, hang and dry. Works amazingly well. To this day, we have a gallon of ammonia in our emergency supplies ;-)
Love this idea! We have “washed” clothes in our bathtub during power outages, this tip will be helpful
Thanks for the great tip!
In winter of 1996-97 we had one of the worst winters I have lived through in ND. We had a huge snow storm and were without power for 2 weeks, we couldn’t get to town (lived 10 miles away) and no one could get to us for 2 weeks. My son was 3 months old. I went to visit my parents and got stuck there. My folks had a propane stove (used for cooking and melting snow to filter for drinking water, washing dishes, bathing, washing clothing) and sunflower heater (we used for ice fishing) to keep pipes from freezing in our basement. We also had a outdoor wood stove, however with a power outage the fan didn’t work to heat the house. We hung quilts from the doorways to lock in the heat into the kitchen and at bedtime we crowded into beds (I have 5 siblings). We used a baby bath tub, melted snow to use to bathe-hand wash clothing and saved the water to flush the toilet. We also used lots of candles. Last year we had several cold snaps that also resulted in power outages for 12+ hours. Septic tanks froze so we learned in years with very little snow (which is unusual in ND) we cover the ground around septic with straw. For our cattle we use a ice auger to drill holes in our creek once it freezes so they have fresh water. Other livestock we have to run hoses & after watering we haul hoses into our basement to dry out. When our outside spigot freezes we have a torch we heat it with to thaw it. Where we currently live we only have an electric range so cooking in winter during power outage we fire up our camp stove or charcoal grill and cook in our cast iron pans. This also melts snow for bathing and washing clothes and then we hang clothing in the basement to dry. Lots of flashlights, candles when children are older, and lanterns are very handy. Over the years I have been canning more and more meat-stew, soups, taco meat, sloppy joes (BBQs here), plain ground hamburger, chicken and pork so that when the power is out we can have hot meals without having to worry about thawing out the meat. We also transfer all the cold products in our refrigerator to coolers outside. And #1 lots and lots of blankets/quilts…you can pile them, use them to hang from doorways, & keep a couple in vehicles during winter time.
I think lots of people are thinking that way about lots of blankets. I'm always buying them for extra warmth in the winter and we have a little dog that likes to chew holes faster than I can patch them so I buy them at the thrift store.. the last couple months there have been very few blankets in our thrift store or rugs for that matter. So odd after 20 plus years of abundance to see those racks empty. Anna In Ohio
Great video!! One of the best gifts I received was a hand crank radio/flashlight/USB charger combo. We had a day long power outage in our neighborhood and I was able to use that so we could listen to the radio and charge my phone to check on updates to the little local outage. It's funny how these things don't seem like much but when you need them they are priceless!
We have 2 of those hand crank radios too. Anna In Ohio
Hi Jessica;
Regarding baking bread in the wood stove. I was in the process of making bread in my bread maker, it was already to start to bake when the power went out.
My wood stove had a bed of coals in it so I put the bread in a loaf pan , let it rise again and put the loaf pan in the cast iron frying pan ( I suggest you put a trivet under the loaf pan to prevent scorching)
The bread baked beautifully and quickly.
On that same visit the bishop also said that we needed to get storm doors and storm windows on our brand new house, which the builder had not put on. Then we knew why people were coming through the neighborhood constantly leaving flyers on our door about storm windows and storm doors. Sure enough he was right the only window that we did not have storm windows put over was the kitchen window. Every winter morning because of condensation collecting on the window inside I had ice on the inside of my kitchen window.
We just purchased the ecoflow delta and also the max two weeks ago! It took me over a year to save and decide which generators to get and from where. We are in MN and last year we had a very bad storm in winter. I think it was February and we had a blizzard with 60 mph winds and it was -39 outside. We lost electric for about 18 hours. Luckily we had a buddy heater and propane to run it, it got the first floor up to 64 degrees which shocked me it worked so well. We have ways to cook and we have ways to get water but heat here is a big issue. You are blessed to have the woodstove. With more weather related disasters and grid issues I think people need to get more prepared for sure. Thanks for posting this topic for others to see and learn from! Have a great day!
A box of hot hands for the colder nights to warm sleeping bags in the coldest winter. We recently installed solar lights around our home and they work amazingly to catch people walking up to the house. I plan to install solar lights around the garden walkway next. If truly needed you can bring them inside if needed. I plan to get a few oil lamps and oil soon. I love candles...so calming.
Also, cast iron pans are so great because they can be used in most situations.
Thank you so much for this video. It is truly needed in this time.
You reminded me we have oil lamps too. We've practiced using them and have plenty of both lamp oil and Klean Heat to use those. We also bought and now is a good time to look for them these tiny little lights meant for a tree I think but we took 3 of them and put in a mason jar (they run by double A batteries) creating a nightlight in our bathroom. I only change the batteries once a year. I bought new ones at Dollar Tree last month as back ups. Anna In Ohio
@@buckeyedav1 Smart!
May I ask how you use the cast iron cookware for survival?
I think it was in 1998 when in the big ice storm hit here in Ontario Canada. We were not prepared for our power to be out for 19 days. Fortunately we do have a fireplace where we cooked all of our meals. We have since bought a great generator that was made in the USA - Generac, Gas powered. We have not had any problems with it and my hubby runs it for about 10 minutes twice a year just to make sure it will work when we need it!
I'm new finding you....I just love you and your family !!! Thank you for sharing...
I live in a rural town that experiences several outages a year. I have a propane camp stove/oven combo. Two burners on top and oven on the bottom. Far less expensive than solar oven and works year round. A solar oven would be nice but to pricey for me.
Years back when my 5 kids were between 9 & 16, we were without power for 7 days in the summer due to tornado damage. Bathing in the lake, cooking on the grill and using ice blocks in a cooler for food helped us. I still had to go to work daily, but was fortunate enough to be able to go in early and shower in the gym there, while the kids would bath in the lake behind the house.. You have some very good ideas there, thank you for sharing!
Even though we don't have to worry about snow here in Florida we have had some gnarly ice storms which our infrastructure is not set up for at all and of course hurricanes. We actually apply a lot of these into out emergency preparedness as well. I'm definitely looking into that portable hot water heater!
You can use a dutch oven for bread baking on your stove top
I REMEMBER that ice storm! Our old farmhouse in OH had nothing but propane heat...we had to set kerosene heaters in the downstairs rooms...it was pretty 😖. It didn't help that our house was very poorly insulated. Note to self. Forever farmhouse must have good insulation. 👍 Great tips, Jessica!
Oil lamps and kerosene heaters are so cozy! I rememeber my parents using them with us five kids during winter storms in PA (was also a old drafty farmhouse) and then in MO we lost electric for 5days. Things like tht have been used for generations and sometimes work best:) and sometimes the sun isnt always out bright enough for solar lights to charge enough during a winter storm!
You can bake bread in a Dutch oven on a propane fish cooker or over campfire coals or even in the coals of your wood stove if you let it burn down a bit . I also have a a wood stove and made all my littles baby food and I adored the winter I would very frequently wrap sweet potatoes , pumpkins , squash or turnips in foil and put in the front of the fire box just turning occasionally with a long handled pair of grilling tongs . It makes the silkiest sweet potato I’ve ever put in my mouth . You could also use cast iron on the coals or a fish cooker to cook any meats or wrap chicken breast , fish or ham in foil and cook in the wood stove as well . We once went without power during an ice storm for two weeks . As a child I was amazed by how well my grandmother was able to keep us all fed .
This. Is. Brilliant. 👏 So many redundant systems, options, protecting your family and thinking outside the box. Well done! To your readers: Also check online the easy ways to create 'rocket' stoves. We had a nine-day outage once. Learned quickly about your What If list!
I have a pretend power outage day at least once a month. By doing this I find when there is a real power outage I am prepared and all emergency equipment is up and running due to maintaining same. I have gained so much knowledge from others from Utube channels.
Ah, the broken washing machine problem. We bought a new one in May and in July, the machine broke. I had to handwash laundry for weeks. It was fun at first, but got mighty exhausting. Proves the character, doesn't it.
Am I the only one who took a bucket bath? LOL I used to live in upstate NY on the border to Canada and right off the Snow belt. The power went out there every winter at least once. I also thankfully had wood heat and lots of snow to melt. So many more options today for no power than 30 years ago. I found phone apps and RUclips channels which off that white noise as well. I mam currently retraining myself to an app over a fan itself as the app uses way less energy.
It’s always amazing how creative you can be when you have to. Also what you can do without you still survive. Always be prepared have to
We live in Bear Valley Springs, Ca. We’ve had power outages, the longest was 6 days , the more common ones are 3-5 days long. My kids are teenagers but it’s still tough. Luckily our water still works with our power outages. We use a generator and back feed our house with power. Before the generator it was soooo tough! We did learn that our one wall heater stays on and continues to provide heat, even without electricity.
You’ve given great advice!
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips:
1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running.
4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions.
Hope this helps
Oh, yes, we have done all these things during power outages! We used to have a old wood stove like yours and it was a blessings to be able to cook on. I miss mine! Amazon has solar power cell phone chargers, also solar light is great to have at your back door during power outages. Have a blessed day!
Lowes has outdoor motion solar lights for only $10. I heard Walmart has solar cell phone chargers in the camping section.
I'm in NorthWest Ohio as well. We have lost power for just short times. Looks like you are way more prepared than I. Bless all your hard work and family.
We also learned very quickly that we had to have two sets of tires for every vehicle that we owned. One winter set and that had studs in it and one Non-winter set. It was a big deal in Connecticut announced on the public media when you could put your studded tires on your car and when you had to take them off or get a fine. The studs in the tires were rough on the streets and roads but they were necessary to be able to drive. We also found out that when you purchased a used car that it was standard to get two sets of tires, whatever was on the vehicle when you bought it and one set for the other season opposite when you bought it
We don't live as cold as you but as a kid when there was a threat of power outages, my mother scrubbed and cleaned the tub then filled it with water for flushing the toilet with bailed water; I suspect for drinking if needed but that never happened. This is something I still do depending. We also lay out clothes ready for dressing on beds, close down all the extra rooms, and move into the living room or a central room. In August/ September we fire up the generator and make sure it is running then that the gas cans are filled. We also keep a closer eye on the propane tanks 8n the winter than summer. Each entry way has a home for a flashlight or battery operated light. If is it winter and cold enough, we actually open the fridge and freezer to remove what we coild eat for a day or few, put it in a cooler, then shut things up for the duration; often we will run the fridge or the freezer for a while periodically of a generator. One year, we got caught off guard and away from home and rather than located the cooler in the garage, we put our refriderator/ freezer items in a cardboard box on the back porch then stuffed it with snow. In this area, often people move into thier RV's.
Cool wood stove. In Canton/Hills and Dales. My parents heated their all electric home with a wood burning stove. Today I wood (har har) invest in a solar generator as well.
You can bake on your wood stove too by using a couple of the coleman or winnerwell camp ovens.
I've experienced these trials as well. My children are grown now so just me and my husband but we still love the easier things of life. Be blessed Jessica. Thank you for sharing. I'm interested in the generator video.
You share some great applications to dealing with power outages. We have some similar options, just as your family has. Thinking outside the box these days is important!
My sister lives in the country and I remember many years ago during a power outage.. her husband got out a tent and the whole family stayed in that tent in the front room for over a week. He melted snow from outside for toilet water. Their water ran off electric so though they had a well they could not access water in the house. I believe at the time they had a kerosene heater.. they've since moved to another house in the country that had whole house generator but he got rid of it, dont' know why I think a dumb move but what can you say. He does stock it to the rafters for food has a grill I'm proud of them that they figured out how to survive and be prepared. Anna In Ohio
Jessica you are a blessing! Thank you for all of your information homesteading. I like your theory on life. Keep up the the awesome videos please!
Hi Jessica! Still praying for you, and still working through some of your older videos. This one was so very helpful! What a blessing your old farmhouse is! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
A great option for cooking is the wonderbag. You would just need a method of heating a Dutch oven or something similar. It will allow more space for cooking other things.
Our house came with a fireplace in the family room and families in the church had told us about ice storms and having to provide food for three weeks. We purchased an insert with a cooking area on our woodstove. We purchased enough hamburger helper, tuna helper, and other meals like that with all the ingredients we had enough on hand that we could have three weeks worth of dinner meals. We were able to cook on the top of the wood stove insert in our fireplace. Because of little children we had to put a Barrier around it so they wouldn’t burn themselves when it was on.
We have a rainwater storage well from the gutters. We can use that with a hand pump for water for the toilet. And cleaning cars etc.
I am currently in a power outage with 11 of the kids at home. My oldest two have their own power outage. ( 13 kids total)
In 2011 i was pregnant and had 7 kids with the stomach flu in a 4 day power outage. Im in southern michigan
Sounds like with your experience you have this down to an artform. TFS 👍👏
Additionally I bought kerosene lamps and we had a kerosene lamp in every room with a book of matches under it because of the way the base was constructed there was a little hollow under the lamp that would accommodate a book of matches. Looking back I am amazed that we never had a child, we had five, tip over a kerosene lamp or get into it, but now I am in California and those five little children are all grown but I have a solar lamp from Hydro light in every bathroom and in every room. They can charge by a USB cord plugged into the wall like your phone charger, or they can charge from the sun. They have two models one model is smaller and it sits on the counter another model is larger and you can actually hang it from the ceiling, provided you put a hook in ahead of time and we have them by every ceiling light fixture.
Oil lamps and kerosene heaters are so cozy! I rememeber my parents using them with us five kids during winter storms in PA and then MO we lost electric for 5days and they never got tipped over or nothing burnt down:) we knew to be careful. Things like tht have been used for generations and sometimes work best:) and sometimes the sun isnt always out bright enough for solar lights to charge enough during a winter storm!
Try cooking your bread in a Dutch oven with the legs or on a trivet : it will keep the bottom from burning!
Great info. Living on the gulf coast we deal with lots of power outages from wind and rain and hurricanes. I keep a couple of large totes filled with extra flashlights, batteries, candles, etc. and extra propane tanks for the grill. Just need to get a generator.
Thank you for good advice information, some I knew, alot I didn't....we enjoy vids like this!
Good morning from Glendale KY 😁
You can use a dutch oven over coals from an outdoor fire to cook with. Bread . buns, rolls. dampier thhose sort of things.
You canalso cook stews soups in them as well.
My husband and I were originally from Northern California before we lived in Seattle so it was the day that went by that I did not complain and tell my husband I wanted to go back to California. He was in the process of working full-time in Hartford and additionally going to the University of Hartford, to finish his second bachelors degree and then he went to Rinzler Polytechnical Institute to get his masters degree and he kept telling me that we couldn’t leave until he was finished with school that took nine years. By the time we left Connecticut to come back to California I was so sick and tired of shoveling snow and raking leaves and fighting tent caterpillars.
When we let people at church know that we were moving back home we were asked to give talks at church my opening statement in my talk was the first words from the song “California here I come right back where I started from.”
When most people left our ward in Manchester Connecticut they would say things like oh I know I will miss the place so much and I love all the people here you guys are all like family. Well I remember and have always missed the people from our ward in Connecticut but I certainly do not miss the weather and all that went with it. Snow storms, thunderstorms, hurricanes, ice storms, I was so glad to get out of there. It took two moving vans when we left with five children, two dogs and a parrot.
Great video Jessica 👍
Have a Blessed weekend ☕
Our emergency (no water) toilet is a five gallon bucket and big bag of peat moss. We use this at our off-grid property (we don't live there), and it works really well. So we decided we would use that as a backup system at home, if we should ever need it. That would eliminate the need for flushing toilets. We also keep plumber's antifreeze on hand every winter, to winterize the plumbing should we lose the heating system. We cannot install wood heat in this house, so we would have to pitch a tent in one of the smaller rooms, hang blankets all over the walls and over the top of the tent, put down foam, and sleep on that, wearing hats and hoodies. Hopefully it will never come to that, but one never knows.
You can also have the shake Hot Hands hand warmers on hand, look for them at a hardware store or sports/camping store or on Amazon.
I also have used hot water bottles wrapped in towel or there are special fleece covers you can get for them now. They will help warm your bedding before you get in and can then put near your feet, just make sure you do not fill them all the way up and make sure cap is well tightened. Of course, you will need a sterno stove or chafing dish, teapot tea light warmer or something to warm up the water.
If you have a fire going outside or in, and build up a lot of hot "coals", you can easily bake bread, on a wire rack to keep it off the bottom, in a cast-iron Dutch oven. If you have a domed top on your Dutch oven, put it on upside down, so coals can be piled on top of the Dutch oven, to generate heat on top, and simply set it in the hot coals of the fire (small cakes and desserts can also be baked in a ditch oven). My mom did that often when we camped with our family of nine kids, going from our home in Michigan, to northern Canada, in September, when the nights were quite frosty! We tent camped and my mom cooked all our meals over an open fire, for several years, until they got a two burner camp stove. Even then, she used Dutch ovens to bury a meal in coals, to cook while we hiked the beautiful area all day. They did that even with a 2-year old! I never thought about it then, but now I'm 59, and my 4 children are out on their own, and I have been reminiscing, i am in awe of what my mom accomplished! She and my hard-working dad, had a huge garden, and mom would can 300 qts of tomatoes every year! (Just wait until all your children, especially the boys, become teens! You'll be having to can so much more, as well!). We always had more than enough food and they always invited any special guest speakers that came to our church, over for a grand meal.). She always allowed any friends of ours to stay and eat, and our house, although very cluttered, was open to all). My mom is 83 now, and still lives on her own, in the same town as two of my sister's families, in Goshen/Elkhart, IN. I thank God for a mother like her, who taught us to care for anyone who is in need, and how to love and care for our own family.
God Bless you, as you teach your children such important life skills, every day!
It’s happened to us too last year . I appreciate your wisdom!!!!
This house has regular power outages, although it seems better since they replaced some line and a pole a few weeks ago just down from us. Thank you for all the great info. We have multiple systems for each and thankfully so too. Its been super wet then really humid then pouring and flooding for weeks , one intention was to test out cooking whole meals and heating water on our homemade rocket stove but.... there wasn't a single dry stick to be found then our matches were so moist from humidity they wouldn't even light. I'm grateful we didn't truly need it otherwise that could have need a very uncomfortable time. Thanks for sharing 🥰
Hi Jessica. Excellent video for those who are not use to power outages or think it’s not going to happen. Our power goes off…a lot. 200 hours in the month of Nov one year. I got pretty good baking bread and cookies on our propane bbq. But u need a heavy cast iron griddle to help spread out the heat and make it so you don’t burn the bottoms as easy. I have been thinking of getting a sun oven as well. Excellent video, thank you for doing it. We all need to be more prepared
Jessica please don't take this the wrong way. I noticed that you have a hard time swallowing, and your touching your neck often. Your neck appears a little swollen. Have you had your Thyroid checked? Could just be the lighting. I am a 30 year retired RN and just because I'm not working can't take being a nurse from us! Please understand my question is just out of love and concern. If you haven't seen a Dr to be checked It would sure make me feel better. If you have then that is even better. God bless!
I remember that ice storm. We are also from Ohio and we were without power for 2wks. We were the only ones prepared and two year old at the time. We had five families using are frig and freezers bc we were the only ones with a generator. Our neighbors tried to get some during that time but everywhere around us was sold out so they brought it all to our house lol. I hope they are more prepared for the next one, some did end up finding generators later and some had gas stoves installed in their houses. We were the only ones with a wood stove and heat during that time too. That was about 10 or more years ago and we are more prepared for the next one!
Winter storms are the worst here in Ohio for sure. Anna In Ohio
You can heat up a little water in a small pan and use a washcloth to wipe off the dishes or even the kids in order to save water for drinking and cooking. Also a compost toilet could help you to not use all your water to flush.
Thank you for all this information. We live in South West Florida and have hurricanes, tropical storms and most times just really bad storms all summer. Very helpful!
I have white noise machines and ALWAYS make sure I have batteries to run those!
May I ask where you find your pretty floral dresses and how you keep your head coverings from slipping? I enjoy all your videos so much and appreciate all the work that goes into them🙂💕
We are in southwest MI along the OH border. We are fortunate enough to have a flowing spring well so we always have water. We have a gas stove and wood stove. In winter when it storms I always put milk and other oft-used cold items in a cooler to set outside in the snow bank to reduce the number of times we open the fridge.
Small world! We're south central MI right on the line. Cool to see so many like minds in our area.
Very well put together talk. I'm also in Ohio. Grew up in Wayne county kind of on the bottom edge of the lake of the fact of snow at least sometimes. And we always grew up pretty much prepared and I guess I continued that, I remember the long power outage that you were talking about we had a 1-year-old and a 2 year old in our house at the time made life just a bit interesting. I guess that was the time that made us think better about how prepared we were. Water was kind of our thing that we weren't as prepared for as we should have been and I guess in ways we still aren't need to work on that area a good bit. Thank you gave me some thinking points and some talking points for discussions in our household
So wonderful to see you. You are very practical. As a single mom we also had to find unique ways to make things work. Years ago car broke down. And actually washed kids clothes in the bathtub. Wringing out blue Jean's etc. Was sweaty & humid work. But it did work. Yes. Solar lights are wonderful. Thanks for review of good solutions. Everything we have is run on electricity. We recently purchased a larger toaster oven. This could accommodate cooking& baking bread without high electric consumption. It's just a thought. To use with solar generation.
Thank you kindly. I don't have to worry about heating my house given I live in the tropics and I basically have summer all year round. Great idea about an outdoor tub and the hand pumped water. Gotta love my BBQ too.
Simple Living Alaska cooks bread on top of their wood stove at times. They are ingenious. I have learnt so much from them.
SUMMER ALL THE TIME! I want to live there. Bless you
I haven't seen the bread baking on top of the woodstove.
@@victoriaallison-patrick2294 it's not a video about it specifically but it's in another video somewhere. Can't remember which one.
Wow I would like to see that generator
When we had power cutsthe whole aera ran out of candles. I got taken away to sit it out in another part of the town. The main hassle was the tvs were off a foot ball game was missed, but it was only a few hours. Mostly was fun. I know after the 87 gale power was off in countryside it went a few weeks which was hard. Nower with solars stuf they make thing better.
An easy way for interior light is to buy a bunch of $1.00 solar lights. Put them outside during the day and bring them in at night. They only last 4 or 5 hours but that's plenty of time between sundown and bedtime. They do have AAA batteries in them, but one battery lasts at least one year.
I live in NE Ohio and although I'm now very rural, I use to live on the lake, and the cold fronts that came in OMG. Cold!! We had a woodburing stove at that time and it was amazing for winter.
I currently do not live so close to the lake anymore and although I want a woodburning stove again we have a fireplace instead. We keep the house at 63 currently and house feels great as long as we keep that fire going. It's definitely a great investment to make if you live in cold weather environments.
We're an all electric home so we did invest in a large propane tank and converted our house to run on either electric heat or propane. In an outage that won't help us but it would hook up to my 3 burner camp stove. A huge blessing also.
Water source- We have a pond we could filter through several filtration systems we have.
Thank you for sharing. We live in northeastern Ohio.
❤ your children how you teach them so much and your husband hard working Man you have beautiful children.
If you had a flat bottomed cast iron ducth oven you can bake bread on your wood stove
Subscribers should all watch a PBS series called Frontier House*. Its very eye opening in hard physical LABOR involved in gathering wood supplies. Hope u find it. & enjoy it.
After two mayor category 5 hurricanes hit is between a two week span the grid went down completely. We were without power for 6 months and no running water for 4 1/2 months. Very difficult time for us. We had a one and a two day ear old at the time.
You need one of those stovepipe ovens. My FIL made me a Y2K stove and he’d added a bake box to the stovepipe. I just saw one on Pinterest and thought of you.
Thank you for such a great video. Ill look into that generator & solar oven. I made freeze dried meals to prepare for power outages. We also have a wood fireplace. Can heat up water & have ready made meals.
My daughter is in Oklahoma city they have tornadoes they just moved there and had 2 scares already
Blessings to all!
So enjoy your family. Have great blessed day
How kind, your topics are always interesting. Thank you.
Another option for summer power outage, WRT cooking, is an outside rocket stove with a cooking surface.
A solar generator is basically a deep cycle battery and small solar panel combined in a convenient, easy to move package. I'd like to have one.
Costco Has a nice big electric generator I’d like to get. My sister has it and it works great!
My parents install
ed a generac generator for power outages. It automatically goes to gas after 30 seconds. You can pick (I think 18 items to use it on), they have freezer, fridge, garage door, stove, and multiple outlets for my step dad's oxygen, tv, home phone.
Jessica, I am considering a wood stove for our next home. But I have no idea about how much wood I would need for it. Could you do a video on how you prep for using it each season… and some of the basics for using it?
Gosh. There is a PBS movie on homestead. 3 familys need to survive on farmlands. I think 1 family totally built a log cabin. Other families cooked over wood fires. It is really eye opening. At the end all family participates boast that they could survive the winter with food & foodstuffs for themselves & farm animals. The evaluation revealed that 1 family came very close. With hunting & stores. But All lacked sufficient wood stock supplies for heating. Everyone worked very hard.all participants l oss weight. Try to find it. Must be like 10 years old or so.
Living on the Gulf Coast with Hurricanes we have power outages so Generators And store water sometimes it’s weeks before power is restored. I love my Oil Lamps I keeps oil in All year just in case and keep Candles 🕯 on hand food thank goodness our winters are very mild 🙏🙏
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips:
1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running.
4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions.
Hope this helps
We have been told our well is too deep for a hand pump. Water is our biggest issue with a power outage!
Looking forward to the electric gen. review. We were talking about something like that a week or so ago, but don't know much about them. We have 7 children, too, and it's ... interesting around here when the power is out! lol
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips:
1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running.
4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions.
Hope this helps
What about a dry separating toilet?
Doesn’t only serve well during an outage because it saves lots of valuable water.
Very creative thinking ways. Thx for ideas. U r a Hero!!!!!! Thx👍🏻🐾💕🫢
Thanks for the info! We also set up a solar system that powers just our refrigerator, freezer, and furnace.
You are amazing! You inspire me to be better without fear. I appreciate that a lot.
I live alone but am preparing in case I need to offer help to any neighbors. I'm in central Ohio in the suburbs and don't have access to a wood stove or propane, however, I am stocking up on light sources (candles, solar lights, etc.), blankets, and a Patriots Supply solar generator to provide energy for electric room heaters. I have no extra water source so I am filling empty distilled water jugs to stockpile. I will be canning meals (soup, stew, etc.) to supplement the store-bought food I've been purchasing for several months. I will be able to use all of these measures in my normal life if no disasters occur this winter.
Realize plastic milk and water jugs are made of disposable material that disintegrates over time and will leak causing floods. Vinegar bottles have the stamp on the bottom HDPE showing the plastic is durable.
Thank you for the information
Just bought a hand pump for our outside well in case the electricity goes out! Wish we had a wood stove but do have a fireplace. Still, we would never have enough wood. We live on two acres but still in a HOA. Worst thing we ever did!
stacy from off grid with doug and stacy has many videos using the sun oven :)
Excellent tips and links!! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience with us.
⚠️Portable Generator Safety Tips:
1) KEEPING OTHERS SAFE: Please do not allow an unqualified person or your children to operate and service the portable generator. Just because some manuals don’t say that doesn’t mean it’s safe. That is important against the generator safety rules. We also need to be keeping an eye on our children too. You need to make sure that your children are not playing near the portable generator especially when it’s running so they won’t get electrocuted. Generators pose electrical risks and they can be hot during an operation. Please keep your children away from the portable generator at all times. It is important to keep our children safe especially our little ones. Be aware of all the hazards.
2) WHERE TO RUN YOUR GENERATOR: Some people use their portable generators indoors which increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s important to have carbon monoxide detectors if you have a gas generator. Never ever use your generator indoors even if your doors and windows are open and even in the garage is not safe to use a portable generator. Also please never use your generator in your deck or balcony. It is never safe to use your generator indoors and in enclosed areas of your home. Your generator needs to be 15-20 feet away from your house.
3)🔥FIRE HAZARDS: Never refuel your generator while it’s running. You need to let your generator cool off before refueling it and before storing your generator. Never overload your generator too. Never ever back feed your generator. You should never plug your generator into a wall outlet. Also never store propane tanks indoors. Please keep flammable things away from the generator as well and please don’t smoke cigarettes near the generator. Having a fire extinguisher next to the generator is also important against the generator safety rules. It’s also not safe to move your generator while it’s running.
4) GENERATOR OPERATION: make sure your hands are dry before touching the generator. Never use your generator in wet conditions. Don’t let your generator get wet. You need a generator tent if you need to use your generator during wet weather. Please don’t wear loose clothes when operating the generator. Turn on your generator before plugging in appliances. Use the right cord for your generator. Please do not use worn out cords.
Portable generators need maintenance so it’s important to follow the safety instructions.
Hope this helps
Great video! Thanks. looking forward to the video on your electric generator, looking into getting one of those also..was looking into the jackery ones but think I'll wait and watch your video.
great content. what a blessing. will share!
Very cute pics❣️ Thank you for the advice.
You are absolutely fabulous. Do you stock up on water? Hopefully soon you can do some in store grocery shopping videos and show how you do your full massive shopping trip
Hot Water Bottles and Thermals Duvets Blankets Soups Stews Casseroles Rocket Stove Slow Cooker Lag and Line your Curtains A Sheet and Blanket UNDER your Duvet A Fleece under your Bed. Make thick EiderDowns for Winter!
This is so timely! Really appreciate it! Do you, or any of the followers have a sense that long term outages are coming? I've had a deep feeling of this for some time now. Any thoughts from anyone else?
Lisa, you are not alone in that feeling or thinking. I have this awful pit in my stomach that tells me that I really need to have everything I will need to survive by January (especially the big necessities) and to just keep getting things put back until the day comes that I/we can't go out and get things anymore. I had this same feeling back in 2019 and this time it's even stronger. I think I just about have 3 months of food but I feel as though I need to keep going. 3 months meaning not to have to get into my EMERGENCY supply until then and I think with very careful rationing I should have a year of food. You know one meal a day and probably pancakes and things like that until garden time. No I don't can. I don't know how and I'm to afraid to try it,so I don't can. I think I can do winter much easier then summer so I'm trying to save for a solar generator to run a fan because I just melt in the heat. I feel such a rush to get things done so I'm sure I won't have enough time to get my solar generator so I'll have to rack my brain to come up with something else to survive the humidity here in the summer.
2019 I started dreaming of the things to come. God told me to share my message to "prepare, prepare, prepare."
You are not alone. I have some things prepared, talk with the Lord daily and trust in him. It is in the book already- we just trust his plan.
Thank you for sharing your suggestions, so helpful. I hope you all are doing well, God bless
I'm a recent subscriber, catching up on your videos, so I'm seeing this almost two weeks later. This has nothing to do with the content of your video - I just wanted to say good choice on your sweater, you look really nice in that color green.