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A $100 winter-storm kit: How Austin neighbors can prep for a blackout without blowing the budget

Katie Stewart Mon, Feb 9, 2026 • 11:14 AM

The first hint is usually small: a glaze on the sidewalk, a drip that freezes midair from a gutter, the hum of a heater working overtime. In Austin neighborhoods like Mueller — where many families juggle tight budgets with busy schedules — winter weather can turn routine errands into a scramble for basics.

But emergency preparedness doesn’t have to look like a garage full of gear. A simple, affordable kit built around a few essentials can carry a household through the most common problem winter storms bring: a power outage.

And the risk isn’t hypothetical. Roughly 80% of major U.S. power outages are caused by weather, and winter weather — snow, ice and freezing rain — accounts for about 23% of those events, according to analysis from PreventionWeb / Climate Central. For a family at home, that can mean dark rooms, dead phones, limited cooking options and uncertainty about when normal service returns.

The five essentials that matter when the lights go out

In a power outage, the priorities get basic fast. FOX 26 meteorologist John Dawson has emphasized five essentials: food, water, light, power for charging phones, and a first-aid kit. That short list is a helpful frame because it keeps shopping — and spending — focused on what you’ll actually use.

It also aligns with broader emergency guidance. The American Red Cross recommends gathering food, water, medicines, warm clothing and communications tools ahead of time, according to American Red Cross. The Red Cross also urges households to think in two layers: a quick, portable Go-Kit if you need to leave, and a larger Stay-at-Home Kit built to get you through longer disruptions, according to American Red Cross.

For most families, the immediate goal is simple: be comfortable and safe for a few days — and avoid a last-minute, high-stress run to the store.

A tested $100 shopping run — and what it buys you

A budget shopping test carried out at Walmart put real numbers to the essentials. The total: about $98 plus tax, enough supplies to help a family of four for up to three days.

Here’s what that under-$100 bundle looked like:

$75 on food and water
$10 on a box of small lights with batteries
$6 on a car cell phone charger
$7 on a first aid kit

That breakdown is useful because it shows where the money typically goes — and where it doesn’t. You don’t need an expensive generator or a cart full of specialty items to cover the basics.

Food-wise, the emphasis is on items that don’t require refrigeration or cooking: peanut butter, crackers, nuts, trail mix, granola, dried fruit, canned tuna or salmon, canned chicken or turkey, canned vegetables, beans and condensed milk. It’s not gourmet, but it’s steady fuel.

It’s also smart to add a few perishables that can tolerate room temperature for a couple of days: apples, citrus fruit, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, bread and tortillas. In a neighborhood household, that can mean the difference between eating only from cans and having simple meals that feel normal — even when the weather doesn’t.

Water is the quiet emergency — plan it on purpose

When people picture winter outages, they often think about warmth first. But water can become the bigger day-to-day challenge, especially if power disruptions affect building systems or if you’re trying to conserve what you have.

Homes should plan for at least one gallon of water per person per day and consider a three-day supply, according to CDC. That guideline accounts not just for drinking, but also cooking and basic hygiene.

For a family of four, the math gets your attention quickly: 12 gallons for three days. The good news is that meeting the target doesn’t require fancy packaging. The Walmart shopping test noted that a gallon jug can cost about the same as buying the equivalent water in smaller bottles — so families can pick what’s easiest to store and pour.

Households with kids or dependents have an extra reason to take the water guidance seriously. The CDC’s checklist for families advises keeping a three-day supply of water, nonperishable food, flashlights with extra batteries and backup power sources, according to CDC. In real life, that translates into fewer frantic improvisations when routines get disrupted.

Light and phone power: Small buys, big relief

The fastest way a blackout changes a home is that everything becomes harder to do at once — especially after dark. A small lighting kit with flashlights or compact lanterns and batteries, around the $10 range in the Walmart test, can keep rooms usable and reduce the temptation to rely on unsafe alternatives.

Then there’s the phone problem. In a winter storm, a charged phone isn’t just for scrolling updates; it’s how you keep in touch with family, follow local alerts and call for help if something goes wrong. One of the most budget-friendly backups is a car cell phone charger — in the Walmart test, about $6 — that plugs into your vehicle’s power.

Even if you already have one in the glove box, it’s worth checking that it works and that everyone in the household knows where it is. In a tense moment, “We have it somewhere” is not a plan.

Preparedness that fits a neighborhood life

Emergency planning can feel overwhelming when it’s framed as an all-or-nothing project. But the point of a budget kit is momentum: start with the five essentials Dawson highlights, build from there, and keep the supplies where you can grab them quickly.

The Red Cross’s two-kit approach is a useful way to think about that momentum. A Go-Kit can be a small bag in a closet with the basics for leaving quickly, while a Stay-at-Home Kit can live in a bin at the top of a pantry or in a hall closet — the supplies you’ll be glad to have when the roads are slick and the neighborhood is dark, according to American Red Cross.

The larger takeaway is that winter-storm preparation isn’t about predicting the exact forecast. It’s about accepting what the data shows — that weather drives most major outages, and winter accounts for a significant share, according to analysis from PreventionWeb / Climate Central. A roughly $98 kit won’t stop the ice, but it can change how your household experiences it: fewer urgent trips, more options, and a little more calm when the power flickers and the temperature drops.

This content has been submitted by authors outside of this publisher and is not its editorial product. It could contain opinions, facts, and points of view that have not been reviewed or accepted by the publisher. The content may have been created, in whole or in part, using artificial intelligence tools. Original Source →