I don't know how to winter. Hold my hand?

[WanderingJuniper]

We keep a small stash of easy food invade of power outage. We have 4wd so I don't worry about getting stuck but I do keep blankets in my car at all times. You will want an ice scraper and brush to keep in the car. Few things are more frustrating than being in a hurry to go home after being somewhere and having ice caked on your windshield until your defroster melts it. I also keep mittens and a hat in the car. We keep a 5 gallon bucket of salt in the front closet and have two snow shovels. All my kids have snow pants, warm dry boots, winter coats hats and gloves. Hmm.. I never thought much about the preparations we have for bad weather. Living my whole life in a state that gets winter makes it almost second nature.

[ShangriLewis]

I was so afraid of winter and it turns out I like it We didn't have any outages here like when it snows in Washington State. I think part of it is less trees and the lines are used to snow and ice.

I have a great giant scraper with a brush on the end for the van. I can reach the top of the vehicle when a foot of snow falls overnight.

Warm socks, Boots in a larger size then you normally wear, layers, layers, layers.

I keep my pantry and freezer full so we don't have to go shopping.

I keep extra blankets in our van. We don't drive long distances in the winter. We live in a small town so if I got stuck or something, I would just go to the closest shop or house.

I am switching to a Suburban for my next vehicle. My van kinda sucks when it gets deep. My husband has a Suburban and it can do all the things.

We go for walks when it snows. So, that is why I have big boots. I really enjoy it. Although, I am pregnant this year and really don't want to take a spill.

Some towns require you to keep your sidewalks and drive snow free so check on that. You might have to clear the street if a plow comes by, as well.

[2sunshines]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

I absolutely love winter. Get good snow gear and head outside!!! It's glorious!

I aspire to be you. Seriously. I live in Michigan, but my sport is running, which I do all year round outside, but it's not quite as enjoyable in those frigid subzero temps. Every year I tell myself that I really need to take up some winter sport and fall in love with it to make the weather more bearable.

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by 2sunshines

I aspire to be you. Seriously. I live in Michigan, but my sport is running, which I do all year round outside, but it's not quite as enjoyable in those frigid subzero temps. Every year I tell myself that I really need to take up some winter sport and fall in love with it to make the weather more bearable.

Snowshoe!

[esperanza]

If you can, get a snowblower! And learn about ice dams. They can cause a lot of damage. Also frozen pipes. Turn off your water if you are going out of town. When it is really cold leave cupboard doors open that hold pipes to keep the heat circulating near the pipes. Also get an ice scraper for the driveway. Not sure of the actual name. Long handle with a blade on the end to get thick ice up. Ugh. Winter is coming too soon!!

[JoyGal]

Auto start

[Indigo]

Where I used to live, whenever the weather forecasters predicted snow everyone would rush out & buy milk & bread. Literally, all the stores would be mobbed & the shelves emptied. So, this to say, have some non-perishables on hand so that you can make some meals if you lose power and/or get snowed in.

Thrift stores are great for stocking up on winter clothes. Good, warm, waterproof boots are a must. Buy the kids (and yourselves!) some sleds and enjoy it! Winter is beautiful.

[esperanza]

Thought of something else. If you have a deck, you may have to shovel it off if the snow gets really deep. It can risk collapse from the weight. In really bad snow, roofs may need to be shoveled too. Hope we haven't scared you off yet!

[2sunshines]

Originally Posted by JoyGal

Auto start

That, or in my case, our auto start are my teenage kids.

[blessedwithboys]

It sounds like you're mostly worrying about winter emergencies. I grew up in the north and now live in the upper part of the Midwest. There aren't too many emergencies. I would just keep a snow scraper and kitty litter and bottled water in your car. Maybe a few granola bars. I also keep blankets in there but we use those a lot - not just in emergencies. I've never cooked outside during a power outage, nor do I know anyone who has. They just aren't that long that eating shelf stable cold food hasn't been fine. Usually during a power outage, my biggest rule is "do NOT open any doors and let our warm air out!".

Winter is more annoying than emergency. Buy a LOT of socks. There is a huge portion of the year that my kids can't run around in flip flops or crocs. Looking for socks every morning is ANNOYING! Don't do it. Get the SAME kind of sock in large quantity for each person. Buy gender neutral boots that both of your kids can use (we love Kamik- expensive but mine have lasted through my aunt's 3 kids and now my 4). Same for snow pants. Buy black and hand down unless you find a girl color cheap at a garage sale. Buy 3x more gloves/mittens than you think you need. We like fleece because they don't get wet quickly. I have one pair of "ski type" for each kid as well but they think the fleece are a lot more comfy and typically choose those. You need sunglasses even more in the winter because the reflection off the snow is blinding. Buy some NOW while they're on sale. You'll need 2 or 3x more hats than you have people, because they get misplaced.

Turn off outside spigots and put away hoses before winter. Buy enough shovels that your kids can help shovel. Have ice melt for your steps. Throw a pile of wood in the garage so it'll be dry (if you have a fireplace) and keep some non perishables on hand. Mostly though, your power won't be out- you'll just be stuck at home- so also keep things to make chili on hand. We eat a LOT of chili in the winter.

[Quiteria]

I second buying a zillion identical socks, and will add that that's how we handle mittens/gloves, too. I go to the Dollar Store and buy at least doubles (preferably triples) of those magic stretch gloves/mittens for myself and the kids, so that if someone loses a glove, the remaining glove matches all the other pairs. Then ideally, I get them a nicer, thicker pair for actual snow play, but the bazillion identical gloves are what get us through the million and one trips to the store, library, etc. where they have the gloves on from doorway to car and seem to lose them constantly. The rule is to tuck your (still dry) gloves into your coat pocket when you enter that store, library, house, but somehow they still disappear frequently.

Designate a place like a wire shoe rack or a heating grate or a rubber mat or hooks or something where they can put wet shoes and gloves to dry. Try to put a bench or chair nearby so they can sit to take off boots, or else it will be more convenient for them to track elsewhere and not put stuff away.

[Llee]

Costco snowsuits have been great for us. Buy them in the state you'll live in.

[blessedwithboys]

Originally Posted by Quiteria

. I go to the Dollar Store and buy at least doubles (preferably triples) of those magic stretch gloves/mittens for myself and the kids, so that if someone loses a glove, the remaining glove matches all the other pairs. .

Oh yes- we do that too. 5 zillion black stretch gloves that can be either right or left, and all of us but my tiny daughter can wear. Those are what we grab for running in and out of the grocery store or what not. Most times you need winter gloves are again, going to be more annoying than survival emergency. I don't like my kids to wear their $5 fleece gloves to the store when they can lose the $0.50 stretch gloves instead. The fleece gloves live in a little canvas bag on their coat hook or in the front pocket of their school backpack - we have stretch gloves in the car, coat pockets, um, everywhere.

[ShangriLewis]

This year I am knitting mismatched mittens on purpose. I figure if we are going to be looking for mittens that we match, we might as well as really cute mismatched ones.

[Soliloquy]

Yes, winter emergencies and stores running out of food is a borderline climate phenomenon, at least in my experience. When we lived in Nashville, people would lose their minds over a few inches of snow. In WI, 2 feet of snow meant school may start late but it was business as usual by 10 am with all roads plowed and salted. No big deal.