Power outages happen when they happen whether we're out of town or at work, even while winding down and binging a good television series. If we're home then we know when and how long our fridge and freezer is off while our food sits there helplessly.

If you're traveling or at work it's an entirely different situation.

Frozen food thaws and bacteria will start to take hold immediately. Whether the power is off for 20 minutes or 20 hours once the power is back on, your food will refreeze with the bacteria. And if our mom taught us one important thing, it's that refreezing thawed food is a no-no.

Even the food in our fridge is going to be affected negatively depending on what it is.

The life hack to help you out is simple. You freeze a cup of water and then place a coin on top of it. Whether a power outage happens while you're at work all day, running errands for a couple of hours, or out of town, this is a must because it will tell you how long your power was out according to the Tiffy Taffy website.

If your freezer gets warm enough the water will melt and the coin will sink. When the electricity goes back on the water will refreeze. It's where the coin is sitting that clues you in on whether it's time to throw much of your food in the freezer or even your refrigerated food that could make you sick if you eat it after warming up.

According to the No Grid Survival Projects website, if the coin is frozen in the middle of the cup or higher then your power wasn't out long enough for you to be too concerned. However, if the coin is below the halfway mark then health-wise you may want to just toss it.

This even works if you just have a temperamental freezer, too.

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