Guide to Surviving the Winter Weather

Something about winter just gives the illusion of romance; cuddling by the fireplace, Christmas mornings, hot chocolate, and blankets of snow. However, walking outside on a cold winter morning can cure that in a hurry. If you live in a state that gets rather cold in the winter time, here are some tips for surviving the winter.

-Invest in a good coat, scarf, mittens, shoes and hat. This may be a no brainer but many people buy clothing for looks not functionality or they will spend more time worrying about their kids coats, etc, and forget to take care of themselves as well.

-Winter proof your car. Do you have snow tires? What about winterized wiper blades? Do you have a window scraper in your car? Does your heat and defrost work? You might want to make sure you have an emergency roadside kit available. Having your car break down in the wintertime is not a fun time. Make sure to be as prepared as possible for all emergencies.

-Winter proof your house. The threat of a blizzard can clean the stores out of kerosene heaters, emergency supplies and food in a hurry. Prepare early for bad weather to avoid the crowds and out of stock items. Create an emergency kit with a weather radio, batteries, flashlights, extra clothing, blankets, non-perishable foods, plenty of water, etc.

-Stock your house. In the summer time, if you run out of coffee you just run to the store. In the winter, when it's cold, and the roads are bad, you aren't going to want to go to the store a lot. Make sure to stock up on the items that you use a lot of. Try to minimize your trips out of the house.

-Stock your office/cubicle. Most corporate/government office temperatures are pretty standard. You may find that you think it's too cold. Make sure to bring a sweater to work. If you do a lot of data entry, you might want to consider purchasing some wrist warmers to keep your hands warm. Make sure to keep plenty of coffee or hot chocolate at your desk.

-Energy bills are high in the winter time. Try to keep your electric and gas consumption down by using more blankets and sweaters at home. Turn off lights and other electronic equipment when not in use.

And last but certainly not least, take your kids outside. Make a snowman. Make a snow angel. When was the last time you had a snowball fight? Then go inside, get some hot chocolate and watch a movie. Winter may be cold but that doesn't mean it can't be fun!