Lehman's is a great resource, albeit a bit spendy (or maybe that's just me- I could go through a lottery-winning's worth of cash at that store.) www.lehmans.com

Besides a massive amount of Alladin lamps, they specialize in Amish goods and non-electrical things. Take a look and see how many things you can't live without!

OP, do yourself a favor and go through your apartment and close up all windows and remove your light sources. See how dark those rooms are? Imagine various in which you would lose power, in each season, and try to figure the best way to make your residence not onbly habitable, but comfortable. 7 days is a fine start, but if you're bugging in, there's no need to 'rough it' as though you were camping on tarmac. Watch for sales on blankets. Have you been to Saver's off of Quebec street yet? It is a Prepper's paradise for spare blankets, sheets, pots, spare clothes and so on. What if you are stuck in your home for over two weeks? Canned goods can get very tiresome very quickly, so you and your wife may want to try and work some sort of meal plan.

By the way, you're being awfully narrow-minded about a retirement area being "nothing but drains." Shame on you! My Grandma would kick your butt for speaking so about the elderly.

During the Great Depression, in which people either learned to live by their wits and make something out of nothing, or they didn't make it,- you didn't turn away any resource. There's a wealth of information out there. You might consider taking a look at the untapped resource of knowledge you have there. Canning, making meals, repairing items, medical knowledge and so on...do either of you know how to put food up?