New England, Here’s Why You Should Always Leave a Coin in Your Freezer

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.

There's a reason we all love fun facts and life hacks.  So here's another one that's especially crucial during our New England winters.

Our winters can be brutal with heavy snows, harsh winds, and brutal ice storms.  And with winter lasting longer here in New England, I loved running across this incredible useful tip for our health and safety.

Here's why you should always leave a coin in your freezer.  And it doesn't matter if your freezer is old and inconsistent or brand new, because when it comes to the reality of power outages, especially during our winter Nor'easters and storms, the concern is always there. This coin hack will help you.  It's also helpful if you're on a weekend getaway or away from home for extended periods of time, and have no idea you ever lost power.

When power goes out, our frozen food thaws and bacteria takes hold.  The food then refreezes with the bacteria.  We all know that refreezing frozen food is a no-no.

According to Tiffy Taffy, fill a cup with water and place it in the freezer.  Once it's fully frozen, put a quarter or whatever coin you want on the top, and put the cup back in your freezer.

You know where I'm going with this, right?  If your freezer gets warm enough that the water melts, then the coin will fall to the bottom of the cup.  When your freezer is working properly again, the coin will remain at the bottom of that cup after the water refreezes again.

According to No Grid Survival Projects, if the coin is frozen in the middle of the cup and not all the way at the bottom, then your power wasn't out long enough to be too concerned about your food.  Of course, that's your call on what you want to do.

Super helpful life hack, right?   I mean, this even works if you just have a temperamental freezer and losing power plays zero roll.  Also, this obviously lets you know the food and milk in your fridge have possibly spoiled, too.