25 Blackout Items Navy SEALs Say Every Woman Living Alone Needs (Most Under $10)

Last winter, the power went out a little after two in the morning, and I was alone in the house. By the next afternoon the kitchen tap was dry, the pipes under the sink had frozen, and the flashlight in the drawer was nearly dead. I stood in the bathroom and looked at the empty bathtub, and saw what I'd missed. So I worked out what to have ready, and priced every item this fall, from twenty-five down to one: water, purification tablets, a headlamp with a red light, light sticks instead of candles, an emergency space blanket, food you don't have to cook, a hand can opener, wool socks and a knit hat for bed, a sleeping bag, one warm room, a battery radio, a car phone charger, a solar light, your numbers on paper, cash, a week of medicines, a first-aid kit, a multi-tool, duct tape and plastic, a bucket toilet, one bin you can find in the dark, and a ten-minute lights-off drill. Number one: two is one, and one is none. Each one comes with what it costs and the mistake most of us make with it. Prices are approximate, from October 2026, and yours will differ: all twenty-five came to about $160, and most were under $10. This week, start with one: fold a space blanket on your bed tonight, ready to go under the quilt. Get *When the Lights Go Out: The Complete Edition*, my guide to blackouts and winter storms: https://marcyhollis.com/#lights If you live on your own and your winters get cold, subscribe.