Autumn has barely started, and here we are talking about winter already. Well, at least I’m already talking about it. Of course, that’s what preppers do. We think ahead.
Waiting until the first hard freeze to figure out heat, food, snow removal, and backup power sort of defeats the purpose, right?
I’ve covered winter preparedness from several angles over the years, so I thought it would be useful to pull those posts together in one place. If you’ve got a free afternoon this fall, work through the articles below and see where your winter plans could use some attention.
Start With Heat
Staying warm tends to get most of the attention, and for good reason. A winter power outage can turn an uncomfortable house into a serious problem if the outage lasts long enough.
Start with 8 Ways to Prepare for Winter Now. It’s a good place to review the basic things that are easier to handle before cold weather settles in.
Then take a look at 7 More Winter Warmth Hacks. Even if you already have backup heat figured out, there are plenty of ways to hold onto the heat you have and make a bad situation more tolerable. (Come to think of it, I there’s a lot that I cover inside my Survival Blueprint book about heating an so much more! It’s one of the best places to start if you need a step-by-step guide.)
If you like DIY projects, Solar Heater Wall for Free Winter Heat is worth a look. Free heat is hard to argue with, especially when you’re trying to cut fuel use or add another layer to your winter plans. And considering just how expensive everything is getting lately, free is free.
For those who want to think beyond a short outage, How to Prepare for Living Off the Grid in Winter, which is a guest post, takes a wider look at getting through cold weather when you can’t count on normal services.
Food and Cooking
Food storage gets plenty of attention from preppers, but winter adds another question: how are you going to cook what you’ve stored if the power is out? I talk a lot about storing food in my book on the topic, but cooking is an afterthought, if I’m being honest.
How Will You Cook During a Winter Power Outage? is a good reminder to think beyond the pantry. Having shelves full of rice, beans, canned goods, and other food doesn’t do you much good if your cooking plan depends on an electric stove that isn’t working.
You can also review Must-Have Survival Food and Storage Systems if you want another free resource. Fall is a good time to check what you have, use older food, replace what you’ve eaten, and fill any obvious gaps before winter weather makes a grocery run harder than it needs to be.
Snow, Ice, and Everything Outside
Cold weather isn’t only about staying warm indoors. Snow and ice can make your driveway, vehicle, property, and normal chores far more difficult, even dangerous.
Winter Storms: What You Need for Snow and Ice is the place to start if you haven’t checked your snow and ice gear lately. It’s much nicer to discover that your shovel is broken, the ice melt is gone, or your winter car supplies are lacking in October instead of during a storm.
If you have acreage, gardens, animals, or more property to manage, read this guest post: 10 Tips for Caring for Your Land Over the Winter. Winter prep gets more involved once you’re responsible for more than yourself and the house proper.
That’s the point of doing this now. Winter isn’t here yet, so there’s still time to fix problems without rushing around before a bad storm hits.
Take an hour or two this fall, maybe this weekend, and review your winter plans. Check your heat, food, cooking options, snow gear, and whatever else cold weather tends to expose where you live.
