Frugal Family: Is it Time to Buy a Portable Generator?
01.01.70
Last week’s early snow caused many trees to fall, bringing electrical wires down with them. As a result, thousands of local residents were without power, many for four or five days.
Consequences of the storm included frozen and burst pipes, loss of food in refrigerators and freezers, and folks having to stay with friends or in hotels to keep warm. Most local residents were affected by this disruption directly or indirectly.
The majority of those who stayed in their homes despite the loss of power kept fires going in their fireplaces or wood stoves.
Or they used portable generators.
If you don’t own one, you may be wondering whether to buy a generator before the next storm. Here are some frequently asked questions—and their answers—to help you decide whether or not this is a good use of your money.
Q: What can a portable generator do?
A: It depends on its capacity.
Source: Patch.com
Power Outage Was Costly To Tewksbury Small Businesses
01.01.70
Tewksbury homeowners are well aware of the financial cost associated with last week's Snowtober power outages.
Also hit hard were the town's small businesses, especially those who deal in food service.
_ Dawn Callahan, owner of T.J. Callahan's Pub _, said her power was out from Saturday at around 8 p.m. to Monday at around 6 p.m., costing her the better part of three days of business. But being without power also cost her large amount of food stock.
"We managed to save one of our freezers that was it," said Callahan. "We lost one of the freezers, we lost the refrigerators including our huge walk-in refrigerator."
Callahan estimates she lost around $3,000 worth of food, which, combined with the loss of business (including cancellation of the big Halloween party), puts her losses at around $10,000. She will get back a small percentage of that through insurance, something not all of the small businesses have to fall back on.
Source: Patch.com