Basics to have on hand during power outages.

[Warpy]

2. I have city gas, so that's not a huge problem

I think the longest outage here was a day and a half when a forest fire melted transmission lines coming into the state. I ate like I always did, keeping the refrigerator and freezer shut as much as possible. I did use the Chinese steamer rather than the microwave for reheating things, it's nearly as fast and what I used in the bad old days before I got my first microwave in the late 80s. If the electricity and gas both conk out, I have a wood stove for winter and a solar oven for summer.

For light, I have head lamps that use LEDs and run on AAA batteries. They put the light where I'm looking and are also great for rummaging in cabinets and closets and fixing computers. For entertainment, I have battery powered CD players, never did get into MP3s. I'm perfectly happy sitting in the dark with my headlamp on, listening to music and spinning, knitting or weaving. Or reading a book now that I can see again.

I learned to have alternatives when I lived in New England and the power could be out for a week at a time, although not very often.