Load shedding has its pro’s and con’s, however, there are quite a number of things you can do to make load shedding bearable.
Eat your perishable foods. You may want to get rid of all the foods first (by eating it) that could spoil.
Store foods that do not require refrigeration. Canned meat products, cookies, biscuits, crackers and vegetables (canned) are just about a few staple foods that you can think of. Also, avoid opening the fridge regularly because when air is lost in the refrigerator, your food will spoil easier.
Have other methods of heating your food and water. Invest in a gas stove, generator or barbecue grill.
Boil water and keep them in flasks. Coffee flasks!
Have heating and cooling methods at hand. We all know how babies can get restless if they are either getting too hot or too cold so if you have a baby at home, get yourself a portable fan or a heater that requires gas and not electricity.
Equip your house with power failure safety lighting. They are very useful as they sense darkness before going on. Candles do not light the house bright enough.
Get out of the house whilst waiting for electricity. Visit a nearby restaurant with your loved ones to allow time to pass by.
Play hide and seek with your children. You can hide in your bed and sleep. If you’re lucky enough, they will not notice that mom and dad fell asleep. Or, you can play charades and pretend to be The Invisible Man.
Complaining to ‘Eishkom’ will not help. Rather, look on the bright side and see this as a good opportunity to spend time with your family and improve your interpersonal skills.
