The leaves are changing and the temperatures are dropping here in New England. It’s time for all of us to start winter preparations, as it has snowed in October previously. It’s MUCH easier to take the time to do these things before the freezing temperatures arrive, and the upkeep should help keep your utility bills in check. When we lived in Oklahoma, our pipes froze during a blizzard a few years ago, so we know the impact that can have for months to come.
6 Fall Tips to prepare your Home for winter:
- Test your Smoke Detectors
- Check for Drafts in windows and doors by passing a lit candle around the openings. Replace weather stripping, as needed.
- Drain outside faucets and prepare them for winter.
- Replace and/or clean the filters in your furnace and kitchen exhaust fans.
- Make sure your chimney in your fireplace is cleaned and prepared for the winter season, you don’t want a fire!
- Stock up on winter weather supplies, and make sure they are easily accessible.
Since last winter was our first in New England, and we grew up in the South, we really had no idea what preparations we needed to take. The most important being what supplies to have on hand. We hadn’t ever seen 3 feet of snow all at once before, and the little shovel we had was NOT sufficient. We went to the store to get a better one, but they were all gone! This year we were at Sam’s Club doing our bi-weekly stock up, and saw that they were putting out snow supplies. We went over to look, and found the SnoBoss shovel pictured above for $20! That’s less than what we paid for the inferior shovel last year. This one is MUCH stronger!
The kids also found a sled for $15. My general rule when I’m shopping (especially at a warehouse club) is to stick to my list. When were on a budget and trying to stick to it, browsing just encourages impulse buys. In this case, I’d budgeted (MORE) for these items than they cost after we realized last year that we’d need them this year. I didn’t realize they’d be out in the stores yet, so I wasn’t shopping for them yet. We just got lucky that we stumbled across them when they were putting them out, and I was thankful I’d put aside money for these purchases ahead of time 🙂
KD says
“Drain outside faucets and prepare them for winter.”
I haven’t had to do this yet, as I live in an apartment, but this is great advice for when I do get a house someday! (I might have learned this the hard way…not a good plan!)