Austin winter storm: Budget-friendly power outage shopping list

Houston winter storm: Emergency shopping list on a budget

Now is the time to make sure you have emergency supplies in case you lose power during the incoming ice storm. FOX 26 consumer reporter Heather Sullivan made a list of supplies under $100 for a family of four.

Now is the time to make sure you have emergency supplies in case you lose power during the incoming winter storm, but we know times are tight for many households. We’ve put together a shopping list to build an emergency kit for a family of four for under $100.

Winter storm watch: Emergency essentials

Big picture view:

As FOX 26 meteorologist John Dawson always says, we need five essentials in a power outage:

Food
Water
Light
Power source to charge cell phones
First aid kit

What you can do:

Real Simple magazine offers a shopping list for healthy foods to keep you feeling good through stress: First, buy non-perishables: peanut butter, crackers, nuts, trail mix, granola, dried fruit, canned tuna, salmon, chicken or turkey, canned veggies, canned beans, condensed milk.

You can also buy some perishables that will last a few days if they have to sit out at room temperature: apples, citrus fruit, avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread, and tortillas.

You’ll need one gallon of water per person per day. The cost of a gallon jug of water is about the same as buying it in smaller bottles, so you can choose what works best for you.

You can find small kits with a few flashlights, small lanterns, and batteries for about $10–$12.

If you already have a cell phone charger in your car, you’re ahead of the game. Or you can buy a charger for as low as $6 and plug into your car’s battery to recharge cell phones.

By the numbers:

Here’s what we bought: