No Lights, No Problem: 15 Fun Things to Do When the Power is Out

The average American spends over 10 hours per day screen time.

This number is expected to continue to grow as technology becomes an even bigger part of our daily lives.

However, now and then, we’re thrown back to a time before iPads and Alexa.

When we’re so used to playing on our smartphones and watching television, we forget what to do with no power.

In this article, we’ll remind you of the things to do when the power is out. Let’s go!

1. Sit Around the Fireplace

The fireplace has undergone a renaissance recently. As people ditch central heating for wood burning stoves. Over 35 percent of households in the US have a fireplace.

While many people would say that a fireplace is an unnecessary luxury in the modern age. When the power cuts out, it’s a blessing to a have a warm and bright fire to sit around.

If your electrical oven is down, then you can roast your food on the open fire. Sure, you might be limited to marshmallows and hot dogs. But, that’s ok for a single night.

If you’re feeling the cold, then you can huddle around the fire to keep warm as well. If you’re not already frightened, you can scare each other with ghost stories.

Of course, even though fires can provide you with warmth amid a power cut, be aware of the dangers of playing with fire.

2. Pick up a Book for a Change

Nearly 70 percent of people say that they find themselves regularly distracted by the internet. This makes it almost impossible to read a book.

Have you tried to read James Joyce’s Ulysses when you’re constantly scrolling down your Facebook newsfeed at the same time? It’s not ideal!

However, now’s the opportunity to pick up the book you’ve been meaning to read for years. Grab a flashlight and start reading.

3. Drawing and Painting in the Dark

When was the last time you took out your pens and crayons? Probably a while ago!

It’s quite the same drawing pictures on your iPad or designing websites on your laptop. It’s time to get your hands dirty. 

When the power goes out, this is a chance for you to reconnect with your artistic side. In the darkness, it’s probably not the best environment to draw a still life.

Therefore, it’s time for you to make the most of your imagination. Draw your favorite animal or your dream home. Get all the family involved to have a creative evening. 

4. Write a Letter to Someone Special

Of course, Whatsapp and email are more convenient and fast. However, if you want to make someone feel special then you should write them a letter.

This is the perfect opportunity to write a letter. According to surveys, over 75 percent of us “feel special” when we receive a letter.

Struggling to know what to write about? 

Just tell them what you’ve been doing the past few days. Tell them about the power cut. Reminisce about old times you shared together. 

5. Get Drunk Together

Technology may be transforming our societies at a growing rate. However, there’s one leisure activity which never gets old. Drinking alcohol until we’re drunk!

Getting drunk on your favorite poison can be enjoyed without the help of electricity. In the winter, the fire escape or porch can become a makeshift refrigerator to keep your beers chilled. 

If the weather conditions aren’t cold enough to keep your beer at the ideal temperature, then you better drink up. 

6. Have Sex 

Some people think that we’re having less sex than before because we’re always on our smartphones.

This could certainly be true. That’s why when the power cuts out, it’s time to get jiggy with it. 

Long before people had computers and phones, when there was nothing else to do, people had sex.

It can also be a pretty romantic activity to do when the weather is wild outdoors. Why not bring some of that wild inside?

If you don’t manage to find some to have sex with during an outage, then there are always other options.  

7. Clean Your Home Top to Bottom

In the darkness, it doesn’t matter whether you get every speck dust up from the floor or not. 

Of course, you need to forget about the vacuum cleaner. Instead of focusing on the cleaning jobs which you’ve been putting off for some time.

Do you need to organize your old record collection? Is it time for you to tidy your food cabinets?

8. Play a Boardgame 

Christmas and power cuts are the only time anyone ever plays board games any more, right?

You need a few candles or flashlights before you play. You don’t have to play Monopoly or Cluedo either.

You can just grab a pack of cards to play together. If you want the opportunity to spice things up, you can always make it more interesting with some money at stake. 

Then, if nobody else is around, there’s always solitaire. Many people may be shocked to discover that solitaire can actually be played with physical cards as well. 

9. Go to Sleep

More than a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep.

You don’t have work emails to respond to, so you can excuse yourself to go to the bedroom.

If you’re sometimes woken up by the lights along the street outside your house, then you don’t need to worry about those tonight. 

You also can’t set your alarm until the storm blows over, so sleep until you wake up with the knowledge that you can’t be blamed.

When you wake up, power will probably have been restored and you can get on with your life again. 

10. Dance in the Dark 

Do you have a battery-powered radio lying around somewhere?

It’s time to boogie in the dark. Many people are embarrassed about dancing in front of other people. However, there’s nothing to fear while the lights are out. 

11. Go Outside

Power outages in the US are largely caused by severe weather conditions, such as storms. 

In such circumstances, it’s usually wise to stay safe indoors. However, there’s often nothing wrong with dancing outside in the rain.

If there are no adverse weather conditions, then you can always go for a walk or run outside. Just stay safe!

12. Have a Meaningful Chat

One in five parents says that they struggle to have a meaningful conversation with their children. 

This could be because we’re always busy doing other things and looking at screens. However, when the power cut strikes, we’re forced to talk to each other.

This could be an excellent chance to reconnect with your family or friends which you’ve neglected in the light. 

13. Eat Everything Out of the Refridgerator

If there is no power, then the food in your refrigerator and freezer isn’t going to last very long.

You don’t want your groceries to go to waste, do you? That’s why you need to get eating.

Some of the eating you’re going to enjoy. A whole tub of chocolate ice-cream? Sure, why not!

But, you’re also going to have to finish off the organic cottage cheese you bought. Not so yummy by itself!

14. Get Your Prank Game on

Everywhere in dark. There is a terrifying storm outside. Wouldn’t you like to play a prank on someone?

If your friends are just around the corner, you can always make them jump. We’ll leave you to the more creative part of coming up with the perfect prank. 

Only, make sure you know the limits where it stops being funny. We don’t want any accidents in the dark. 

15. Turn on the Power Generator 

You probably don’t want to need to take a trip to the home improvement center to get a power generator to get you through the power cut. 

If you’re the kind of person who prepares for any scenario. Then, you’re going to need a portable generator.

This way you don’t need to worry about any of the above activities.

You can simply enjoy electricity as normal while watching the neighbors play their eighth game of Dungeon and Dragons from the window.

Things to do When the Power is Out?

When your smartphone runs out of battery, only then do you start to wonder – what to do when the power goes out?

When you start thinking of things to do when the power is out, it doesn’t seem like such an awful situation. Don’t resist it. Embrace it!

Of course, you never know when the storm is going to cut out power to your home. So make sure you have our handy list of fun activities to do prepared already. 

Do you want to read more weird and fun things? Check out this blog post about the weird and wonderful hobbies people do. 

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