Simply Preparing

Survival blog for disaster and emergency preparedness.

Cheap Solar Lights For Emergency Lighting

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There are many ways to light your home if the power goes out. Candles, flashlights and kerosene lanterns are the tried and true ways many of us grew up with. But thanks to cheap manufacturing costs, there is now a safer, cheaper way to get emergency lighting-outdoor solar lights.

The past few summers, Walmart has had these available for $.97. Understandably they disappear off the shelves quicker than they can be stocked so you really need to be on the look out for them.

Emergency lighting from $1 outdoor solar lights
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$1 solar lights from Walmart

Leave these outside and bring them in to light your home at night. Obviously, you will need to have other back up lighting planned if there is no sun during the day.

The $1 ones are great for emergency lighting. But if you want to spend a few dollars more, these are typically found for $3.

Top of $3 solar light
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top of $3 solar light

Why pay more? Well, these bigger ones actually hold a nice little surprise inside:

solar light as double a charger
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Its a solar powered AA battery charger

Rechargeable batteries are expensive. Here you get the battery and the solar charger! If you don’t have a handcrank NOAA radio, at least have enough solar chargers like these to keep your battery powered one running.

 

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  1. I buy these in the Fall when they are on sale (like now). Never the cheap, all plastic ones, though. I completely replace them around my house every other year and keep the old ones (just the tops).You can buy the replacement batteries on eBay (2 dozen for $10 last time) and store them charged in the freezer. They are special in that they are charged on a trickle and meant to be recharged thousands of times.

    Great site!

  2. Addition: if you want to store them with the batteries still in them, put a thin piece of plastic between the one end of the battery and the metal contact. It will keep the batteries from going bad and leaking all over the place.

  3. I put mine in a mason jar and then i can take them anywhere. Helps protect the light bulb as well.

  4. Wow, I just found some at the Dollar Tree that were stainless steel outer and include a solar battery. Tested one outside today brought it in at dark (around 7pm) and it’s now 4:30am and still going strong! I’m heading back to Dollar Tree today and hopefully they still have them. Thank you for the post!

  5. I buy these for my kids for camping and I keep one in my glove box when its not being used or on my dash charging.
    Thanks for the tip about the $3 ones though!!!

  6. I bought some of these for a week-long camping trip. I placed them in a row outside of our camper door like you might do along a walk at home. It was nice when we were away from camp until after dark to have lights on when we got back to camp.

  7. They have them at Home Depot or Orchard Supply Hardware also. You can also get replacement solar batteries there too. I just bought 12 for the back yard and around the house.

  8. This is a great idea…..but did you know you can find lamps and such on Ebay that are solar powered as well? I love this idea because it is practical and thrify….I’ve been using this idea since these solar lights have been available. If left outside to charge and a rain storm comes and your not there…I found a post on pintrest that said to use clear sealer out the outside area where the panel is and it keeps the rain from getting in…so far so good. And Fall is a good time to clean the ones kept outside all the time. I really like these lights and they are awesome for kids rooms too.