Store flashlights and batteries in a common place for emergencies!

What happens if the power goes out at night and you can't find your flashlights and candles ? Endless toe stubbing....At least that was the story with me. I am like most people, I don't really need a flashlight all the time, but I like to keep some in drawers for household repairs and power emergencies. The problem is either I can't find them when I need them, or they are dead when I get to them. This fact is especially harsh when your in level 10 pain from stubbing your toe into a wall at night. Recently I decided to do something about it.....FLASHLIGHT AND BATTERY STORAGE DRAWER!. All I did was bought one of those three drawer storage containers and fill it with useful emergency items. Instead of just filling it with flashlights and batteries, I also added other things that would benefit me in an emergency. I added cellphone chargers, laptop batteries, lighters and my old cellphone, separating them by battery type. Now I don't have to dig around looking for these items when I need them most. Next I placed the container in an area I know like the back of my hand (my solar system corner). I know it is kinda extreme, but I'll thank myself for not having a sore toe during the next outage.

Cheap 12 volt led lamp project

When I started out with my inexpensive solar project, I always dealt with trying to find more efficient items to run off of 12 volts. I searched the web for small dc powered devices (fans, lights, laptop power adapters) instead of items needing a power hungry dc to ac inverter. The problem, not a lot of everyday household items have 12 volt equivalents that are cheap. An average 120 volt ac table lamp can be purchased most places, for less than $15.....an average 12 volt dc camping / rv lamp will run you $30-$50 (depending on model). After searching around on ebay, I still found prices for 12 volt lights too high, so I decided to make my own. I came across these new 12 volt led bulbs with E27 bases (the standard base for a 120 light bulb). They were initally designed for an rv, but I figured they would work just as good with my solar system. The bulbs weren't too expensive, $20 for 2x 3 watt bulbs (that put out as much light as a 13 watt cfl). I already had unused 120 volt lamps laying around, so I saved myself on the lamps purchace. For $20 I now had something that was brighter than expensive name brand camping lanterns and had a deep cycle battery supply vs dinky internal batteries. I didn't even have to do much work!, all it took was cutting off the standard wall plug and soldering on a 12 volt cigarette lighter adapter. Now I have a light that I can use just about anywhere and I didn't have to spend a boat load of money to get it!

In closing, I'm just a simple guy, going green and trying to save a buck along the way.