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You are here: Home / Travel Tips / Why You Should Keep a Penny in the Freezer
Why you should keep a penny in the freezer.

Why You Should Keep a Penny in the Freezer

May 31, 2017 //  by Cindy Richards//  16 Comments

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Home Tips for Travelers
  • How it works
  • Tend to Other Appliances Too
  • Unplug
  • Travel Faster with a Travel Rewards Credit Card

Summer storms, winter ice and other extreme weather events can lead to widespread power outages. But if you’re not home to see the lights go out in the power failure, how will you know it happened? Read on for the one tip you need to know whether your house (and freezer) endured a power failure while you sipped that Margarita on the beach.

Keeping a penny in the freezer is the easy way to know whether there was a power failure at home while you were sipping that Margarita on a beach in Belize.

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Home Tips for Travelers

There are a lot of things to think about in the days before you head off on a family vacation. Did you pack everything you need? Do you need to get the tires checked on the car? Did you put the mail on a vacation hold?

Here’s one more task to add to the family vacation to-do list: Put a penny in the freezer.

Why? So you’ll know if there is a storm or power failure while you are gone that lasts long enough to thaw the food.

Why you should keep a penny in the freezer.
Photo credit: Pixabay

How it works

Here’s how it works:

1. Freeze a small container of water. The water level should about half the width of an ice cube.

2. Place the penny on top of the container of ice.

3. After you return home, check the container. If there was a prolonged power outage while you were off enjoying your family vacation, the ice will have melted. How will you know? The penny will now be at the bottom of the container with the frozen ice on top.

If you return home to find the penny frozen at the bottom of the ice container, you’ll know to check the food before feeding it to your family.

Tend to Other Appliances Too

Tend to your other appliances, too, in case there is a power outage while you are on vacation.
Tend to your other appliances, too, before you leave on vacation. Photo credit: Pixabay

Other tips for preparing appliances for your family vacation absence include:

Refrigerator: Consume or discard any perishables before you leave. No one wants to come home to the smell of spoiled milk.

Garbage Disposal: Run a cycle to clean the unit and prevent odors from any buildup hiding beneath the drain. Add a cup of vinegar to your rinse for an extra-deep clean.

Washer: Leave the lid/door open to let the basin dry completely. Chances are you’ll have plenty of laundry to do upon your return, so you’ll want the washer to be empty and fresh. And don’t forget to disconnect or turn off the unit’s water supply.

Keeping a penny in the freezer is one way to know if there was a power outage at home while you were on vacation.
Photo credit: Pixabay

Unplug

Before you walk out the door, unplug everything, including your dishwasher, washer, microwave and coffeemaker to conserve energy. And, of course, turn off and unplug the iron.

If you have any worries about a potential flood, consider disconnecting the water supply to your appliances as well, particularly if you’re planning a very long family vacation.

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We TravelingMoms all use travel rewards credit cards to held fund our world travels. Now you can too. We have an affiliate relationship (that means you help support TravelingMom because we get a small commission if you apply for and get a travel rewards credit card through this link) with Card Ratings, our favorite site for finding the best deals on travel rewards credit cards.

How do you keep things safe at home while you’re on the road? Share with us in the comment section below.

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Category: Travel TipsTag: summer

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16 Comments on “Why You Should Keep a Penny in the Freezer”

  1. Anonymous says:
    September 7, 2018 at 9:14 pm

    4

    Reply
  2. Robyn Wright says:
    June 21, 2018 at 8:26 pm

    OMG – never heard of the penny trick for the freezer before but such an awesome tip! Thank you!

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    June 9, 2018 at 5:51 pm

    3.5

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    February 19, 2018 at 10:38 am

    1.5

    Reply
  5. PATRICIA LARSEN says:
    August 14, 2017 at 6:58 pm

    YOU HAVE GREAT TIPS FOR TRAVEL AND LEAVING HOME. THANKJ YOU.

    Reply
  6. noot says:
    March 19, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    Ay, this is great tip. I’m procrastinating a lot of important work right now, but I’ll use this. hi nad

    Reply
  7. Ines Pljakic says:
    February 22, 2017 at 10:21 am

    I really like the penny tip that you mentioned here! Will definitely try it out when I go on a vacation next time!

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    November 18, 2016 at 8:03 pm

    4.5

    Reply
  9. Cathy Bennett Kopf, Optimism TravelingMom says:
    November 12, 2016 at 8:04 am

    4.5

    Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    November 12, 2016 at 6:34 am

    5

    Reply
  11. Cindy Richards, Empty Nest TravelingMom says:
    November 6, 2016 at 11:30 am

    5

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    October 15, 2016 at 2:01 pm

    2

    Reply
  13. Allan says:
    June 15, 2016 at 6:48 am

    Place a shut off valve in your washer and keep it in the off position when not in use. I do that. Replace your hoses with hoses with steel wrapped outer coating. I had mine blow during a wash.l..

    Reply
  14. Leanne says:
    August 25, 2011 at 11:32 am

    Great tips. As someone who travels frequently I really appreciates these tips. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  15. kariellen says:
    August 25, 2011 at 2:53 am

    We live where the power goes out all the time – especially in the winter. I am totally going to steal this tip!

    Reply
  16. Jamie Bartosch says:
    August 23, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Love this tip! I’m gonna do it.

    Reply

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