by Hope
I know this may not be debt related, but we are anticipating our first snowy/icey weather here in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area tonight (last night when you read this, I suppose.) Originally it was predicted to get here today. I stocked up last week on food/water just in case since I had a crazy busy weekend with Little Gymnast out of town meet and Sea Cadet’s drill weekend. Feeling pretty comfortable with where we are at, but thought I’d throw this question out there: What are your must have items for winter weather?
Since I don’t drive AT ALL if the roads are hazardous, I make sure that we are well stocked on all food essentials, plus batteries, flashlights and charge all our electronics fully. Do you have any must dos to prepare where you are?
We are blessed that we don’t get too much snow here although every year that seems to increase. As a result of the last couple of years, we are fully stocked on snow pants, gloves, sleds, hats and other warming stuff. I HATE the snowy stuff, I don’t mind the cold, but the snow and ice is not my thing at all. This year I’m dreading the dog chores with snowy weather since last year we could just let them out the door…now we have to walk them which normally is no issue, but in snowy, icy, not so much.
Any tips, tricks or ideas for getting through winter? What to keep in stock, what to ignore? I’m definitely all ears.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
Even if you don’t drive when there’s now, I would keep a small shovel, kitty litter/rock salt, and a blanket/flashlight/safety kit in your car. When you’re in a hose, you’ll need a bigger snow shovel, but now, even in an apartment, they may plow the parking lot, but not dig you out. It’s nice to be able to clear a path for your car to get traction to get to the cleared parts of the road.
Man I remember those days when I lived in VA Beach that I didn’t worry about it.
I live in Maine where we get a lot of snow and ice. Right now it is -10 degrees. Anyhow we always have sand, shovels, food, jugs and jugs of water. We used some of the water already since pipes freeze a lot up here. Flashlights, candles. propane lanterns and a portable propane heater. If our power goes out we have no heat/furnace. We have a gas cook stove so we can still cook if we have no power. Always have a 1/2 tank of gas in the car along with blanket and jumper cables, tools and a shovel. Cell has minutes and are charged.
Last year we had 3 days with no power at Christmas due to an ice storm. We had no back up heat source and it was -30 outside. Temp inside was -5. Needless to say we bundled up. My mom has a wood stove so we went over there for a while. Definitely more prepared now.
I like in an extremely wintery environment (Will it even get above zero today? Doubful!) I keep a bag in my trunk full of extra winter hats/gloves/blankets/food/water, etc.
In the house I always have enough food to generally last through an extended power outage as well as a gas fireplace to use for heat. I will stock up on water and make sure to fill my freezer with jugs/containers of ice to keep everything cold for longer. If anything, I make sure to run to the store to stock up on coffee and wine when a really big storm comes through! Priorities, right??
I can definitely relate with the dogs situation. I just brought my dog up to our apartment (he’d previously been at my mom’s). With her, we could just let him out in the yard, but now, he needs to be fully leashed and walked. It may be too late for your dogs now, but when mine was younger, I taught him to go on command. It’s a godsend in bad weather. I’m out in the snow/ice for only 2-3 minutes. I also don’t know if it’s possible, but our courtyard is near a covered area, so sometimes I take him on the retractable leash and stay under the covered part while he roams and does his thing.
A bonus for your current car – I have found Honda cars to drive very well in the snow. My 1999 manual transmission Civic got me through many commutes in the snow. I was sad when it reached the end of its life.
I live just across the border from Jackie in New Brunswick, Canada. I’d take the snow over the cold any day! I usually always have a blanket and a bottle of water in my car just in case. I also keep a small shovel in the back in case I get stuck in a snow bank.
We have electric heat only so if the power goes out we mosey down the road to my BF’s parents who have a wood stove that we can cook on and keep warm etc.