So whether you are installing an electrical outlet for the first time or replacing a worn out one, the question always comes up on How to wire an electrical outlet.
You’re in luck because it really is not difficult and you will look like a superstar to your wife for getting the job done without spending a ton of time or money.
The first thing you will need to do is check for current. You can use a voltmeter or just a simple lighted tester. I bought this one for about $2 at Menard’s. It doesn’t matter which side you touch the red or black wire to (just not ground) because we have A/C power. If the light is out you have no power. If the light is on, trip the breaker.
Next thing you will want to do is expose the wires that you working on. You will need to strip the back about a half inch or so. 
TIP: If you are going to be doing a lot of stripping I bought these self stripping wire strippers for $13, but if you are just doing a little bit you can buy a cheaper wire stripper or even a utility knife will work in a pinch.
Once you have the wires stripped and ready, you will want to twist a little hook in the wires with a pair of needle nose pliers, like this
IMPORTANT POINT: Never ever, ever put a black and a white wire on the same side of the outlet. The two screws per side are there to allow you to run outlets in parallel.
Notice how the two screws in the above picture are connected with a piece of copper ?
Then it’s just a matter putting the wires on the screws. There is no rule, that I am aware of but I generally run white wires on the silver screws and black wires o the copper screws. Don’t forget the ground…it’s that little green screw shown in the above picture towards the right.
Silver screws, white wire.
Copper screws, black wire.
The last thing to do is secure the outlet in the electrical box. This is a double gang box, which will eventually have two outlets in it.
I hope you see how easy it is to put in your own outlets.
You can also view my youtube video of me installing this light here
Until next time,
Scott