Loadshedding is something that we have been faced with as South African over the last month or so again. It has a lot of us very negative at times and frantic to find ways and means of dealing with it. We get caught off-guard which adds to our everyday stress, but I hope to shed some light. I think the key to dealing with loadshedding is to use items that you would generally only use at loadshedding times, part of your everyday life. Here with my ‘glamping’ tips:
7 Tips for surviving loadshedding in Style
- Solar powered fairy lights – Get these at a steal at Santa’s Warehouse. I have them all over my garden and have Christmas all year long! The garden is lit and it feels a lot safer than just being dark, best of all is that it uses no electricity and switches on by themselves every night.
- Use rechargeable screw in bulbs – I bought 2 of these bulbs a few years ago at Pick n Pay but have been struggling to find stock recently. They are the ultimate loadshedding MUST HAVE. Screw out your old bulbs (only come in thick screw in though) Use them as per normal, they sneakily charge in the background and then when the lights go off you can still use these as normal by flicking the switch as you would normally do. MAGIC LIghts.
- Get gas – I opted for a Black Vintage Elba Gas stove when we remodeled our kitchen, the stove not only looks gorgeous but is really functional during loadshedding. I am able to cook and boil water. Totai Gas has a wide range of gas products that include Patio heaters that could serve as a freestanding or portable solution.
- Pretty stove top kettles. I don’t regret purchasing a Le Creuset stovetop kettle one bit and don’t only use it during load shedding but also for those times that I just want to take a breather and relax ,I loooove the whistling sound it makes when the water is ready for use. Spoil yourself with a pretty stove top kettle to compliment your kitchen decor.
- Invest in a pretty flask – Gonk now stocks some really, really pretty Carrol Boyes flasks. Pretty flasks are great options to boil water beforehand and store them for use later.
- Loadshedding is no excuse to not have good coffee! If you make use of a kettle you can make a great cup of coffee using an Aeropress Coffee Maker. Another option is to do it on the stove top using a Bialetti, both available from moreflavour.co.za
- Add some romance – This is rather easy to do by stocking up on some fragranced Kringle Candles. They arrived in South Africa this year and what I like is that the Classic jars come with a thick base to protect your furniture and don’t fall over even when relatively windy. They also keep their fragrance if you close them after use and burn for like (almost) EVER.
Things to do during loadshedding
- I personally make use of loadshedding to update my social media that I normally do not find time for otherwise so I make sure that my tech is charged. This includes both my laptop and phone.
- Going oldskool is also great, play some boardgames or fill in crosswords. It is also a great bonding time for families.
- Find a friend(s) that is on a different schedule. They can visit you and you them over weekends.
- Use this time to do things you would normally not have time for, like sorting your phone images / cleaning old messages etc.
- Drive with GPS guidance, I have made a point to rely on my GPS for guidance as it updates real time and has often re-routed me away from congested traffic areas.
Where can I find the loadshedding schedule?
Download the Apps so that you are able to get notifications on your phone, there are 2 apps that we make use of:
- Eskom SePush App (Available on both the iStore and Google Play stores
- The Loadshedding Notifier (Available on Google Play)
I would LOVE to hear what tips you have or what you do during loadshedding. Please share them with me below!
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1 Comment
Great article KaRi!