How To Prepare Your Home, Self & Car for Winter

Each season we should be changing out our preps to serve the needs of the season. If it’s summer then we need to be thinking about summer needs such as sunscreen and bug spray. Around September or October is when we should get together what we need for winter.

At the end of this post, you can download a FREE winter checklist to print and use.

Let’s jump right into what we need in order to prepare our home, selves and car for winter:

Home Prep:

• Window and door insulation (they offer film, bubble reflective and more), blackout curtains are also helpful
• Alternative heating (such as indoor propane heaters)
• Blankets at the ready
• Warm clothes at the ready
• Candles, flashlights, batteries and lighters/matches at the ready
• If you have a fireplace or wood stove, plenty of wood chopped and ready to be used
• At least 2 weeks worth of nonperishable food and water
• Indoor alternative way to cook if no gas or propane
• External charging devices for phones and other devices
• Make sure first aid kit is up-to-date, including medications
• Update bug out bags with warm clothes, consider getting a cover (like a garbage bag), feel free to do a whole inventory of all the bags for family
• Keep HAM radio and/or NOAA weather radio plugged in and active

Car Prep:

• Update car food to some freeze dried food such as Mountain House (can use cold water to eat Mountain House)
• Update fire starters (just make sure they’re good to go, keep matches around, also)
• Keep important fluids in the car
• Ice scraper
• Snow chains (if necessary)
• Keep a beeswax candle or two in the car, can provide heat in emergency
• Keep extra blankets and even extra warm clothes in the vehicle for whole family
• Shovel
• Salt, kitty litter and/or sand
• External phone charger
• Bottles of water, keep in insulated bag or bottle and keep wrapped around blankets to help keep from freezing
• Update first aid kit
• Include a garbage bag or two and/or ponchos
• Survival blankets
• Keep gas tank above half full at all times
• Check your tires

Self Prep:

• Get into a winter mindset; it’s cold, days are shorter, people are crankier
• Always dress appropriately, even if it’s “just to go down the street”
• Stay hydrated
• Continue to exercise (even if indoors)
• Continue to keep morale up through fun activities

Download the checklist here!

What are some other winter preps that you do in your area?

Conquer tomorrow, by preparing today!