Winter is a great season. The temperatures are very low and though you cannot carry out certain activities during winter, you can still have a great time. Winter brings its own very unique activities and opportunities. Everyone wants to make the best of the season. To have a great time and the best of experiences despite the weather conditions. This means that certain things have to be taken into consideration so that you are ready for winter. Whether you have had hundreds of winter experiences or just a few or it is your very first, you need to be prepared for the challenges of the season so that you have a great experience. One point where people miss it is with regards to the increasing cost associated with the season, of which the most famous is heating cost. Despite the availabilities of ways to save heat energy, this remains a major issue for most people. As a result, those who will have a great winter experience must be able to minimize cost and save on energy bills.
Consider your budget
Winter could make a mess of your finances if you are not careful. You may have to make a budget way ahead of the season in preparation for the extra expenses necessary for having a great winter experience. Having a budget could even guide you to deciding which winter home safety tips to apply. This will include taking advantage of some of the ways to save heat energy we are going to mention here. It could help you to save and plan with the season of winter in mind. Your budget would determine what you can get and how you can make up for the things you cant buy.
Plan way ahead of time
Winter is one of those seasons you must actively plan for. You have to plan way ahead of time. As soon as fall sets in, you should know its time to start making winter preparations. From the things you have to wear, to specific household items that are a must have during winter, there are several things to buy and put in place. Planning for winter will involve making the following considerations and preparations that will go a long way to help you save on energy bills. There are several winter weather tips to take note of. Planning ahead of time will help you know what you have to do and when you have to do it.
The Right clothing and footwear
It is important you check to make sure your winter clothes are in check and all other winter wears are ready for use. If you don’t have the right things to wear, discomfort is not be the only thing you will be worried about. You may have to spend some time in the hospital before the season comes to an end. Get your winter jackets, pull-overs, snow boot and other items ready for the season.
Taking care of your dresses and shoes
During winter, you don’t have the luxury of sunlight, plus it is not as pleasurable doing laundry during winter as it is in summer. You must learn to take care of your dresses, shoes and all that is needed during winter. If you need to make purchases of some items that would be needed for the season, it will be wiser to do it way ahead of time as prices for winter items will still be fairly low but are likely to go up as the season draws nearer.
Home preparation
During winter there is usually minimal outdoor activity for most people. You most often just want to stay indoors until you are probably homesick or really have to go out. Seeing that most of your time will be spent indoors and from there you seek for warmth, it is clear that preparing your home for the harsh weather conditions of the season is a very important thing to consider. You have to take special note of the ways to save heat energy and take advantage of them. It is a vital part of getting ready for winter. There are several winter home safety tips and winter weather tips you have to consider and take care of when you prepare your home for winter.
Prepare the compound
Before winter sets in, you have the opportunity to make outdoor preparations. Should you go ahead to make preparations inside the house without handling certain issues outside, you will hardly be prepared for the uncertainties of the season.
As far as outdoor preparations are concerned, you need to start by getting an expert to look around the compound and advice you on what to do, just to make sure you don’t miss out on some of the things we may omit here. Also get yourself acquainted with winter weather tips that could be handy in the midst of the season.
During summer, the trees around the compound could beautify it and act as shade, but when fall sets in and those trees shed their leaves, it is time to make a few changes that would prevent possible damage during winter. Damages that could sabotage your plans to save on energy bills. As you get ready for winter, check for branches that hang close to your house or the roof. Cut them off very close to the main stalk so that they pose no threat of destroying your roof or any other part of your house during a winter storm. When you find yourself in the midst of this very bad weather, the last thing you want is a leaking roof or a broken window pane.
More so, things like this could take days to fix in the heart of the season. First you may have a serious problem getting someone to come over and examine the situation. Secondly, if the situation is critical, it will may take a few days to fix. This could lead to health complications and increase in your heating bills. All that besides the fact that you have lost the comfort of a warm home in the midst of the bad weather.
Check the drainage
Next place you should check is the drainage. Drainages are sometimes too close to the house and they have to hold a great amount of snow. Now when they have held more than enough snow and the time comes when some of it has to thaw away, you don’t want to have your drainage blocked then. Make sure you clean out your drainage of all leaves and be sure that it is not blocked in any way.
To get ready for winter, you also need to check your roof and make sure no part of it needs repairs because you may not be able to do that when winter sets in. A leaking roof in the midst of winter will probably be the worst nightmare of your life. One other reason why you should check your roof is to ensure that it does not already hold leaves and wood particles that may have accumulated over time from the trees around. There is a large amount of snow that your roof will have to hold during the season and as you should already know, it does not need any extra weight. You could do yourself a favor and get a technician to check the roof, just so you are sure it can hold up under the challenges of the season. All these are winter home safety tips that should be taken seriously.
When you are done checking the surrounding, drainages and roof, its time to consider your your walls and window panes. It is funny how many things could go unnoticed if one does not make a proper check and worse still how much money and discomfort these unnoticed cracks and faults in the surrounding and building of your house could cost in the worse part of the season. Needless to say, you sure want to avoid any mis-happening that could take every little fun out of the experience and make it the worse winter ever.
Usually, rats create holes around the house, making it vulnerable to leakages. Sometimes, these cracks are so small that they can go unnoticed until there is a major problem. Then replace weak or broken window panes to keep the house warmer and minimize heating cost.
Check your pipes to make sure they can stand the pressure of the season which comes as a result of constant freezing and thawing of water in the pipes. All these home preparations will definitely help you save on energy bills during winter.
Health tips for winter
There are a number of health problems and accidents that are more likely to occur during winter than any other season of the year. Understanding winter home safety tips helps you better prepare for the season. This implies that you must be ready for whatever comes. Some health tips would help you stay healthy and prevent accidents during winter. These are very important because if for any reason you have an accident or fall sick and it is very serious, you may not be able to get help or go to the hospital at certain times during winter. You must be ready and prepared for any form of emergency before it comes.
Get the right clothes
Get a good number of clothes that can keep you adequately warm indoors and especially when you go outside. Good winter jackets are usually pretty expensive but they could save you from some large amounts of hospital bills and the discomfort that comes from getting sick, especially in this season. Also make sure you have your snow boots ready at all times. You will also have to keep these items ready for use at all times.
Have an emergency kit ready
Having a health kit or First Aid box is absolutely important during winter. Your health kit should contain basic drugs and everything you will need in case of an accident. You should contact a medical doctor for more information on the essentials that should be found in the first aid box. This is very vital if you are going to have a great winter experience. Just the fact that you are prepared for certain uncertainties can help keep you at rest in the face of an accident.
Consider driving and movement tips
Surely winter does not seem like the time for a lot out outdoor movements and activities but you will have to step out at one point or the other. As you prepare for other things, you have to get ready for winter driving too. Getting acquainted with winter weather tips is vital for moving around during this season. You cannot stay indoors through out the season. But going out during winter could be more dangerous than you thought. You may never get to know the dangers of walking or driving around during winter until you have a terrible experience or see some other person go through such an experience. There is need therefore to know what you should do or not do in order to avoid certain dangers, some of which may even be lethal.
Be properly dressed
First, before you step out, make sure you are properly dressed for the weather. Sometimes, even in winter, some people are tempted to yield to the temptation to stay fashionable. To wear things that do not adequately cover the body even when they seriously need it. It is better to be uncomfortably dressed before going out than to be under-dressed.
Its better, when choosing footwear, to choose those made out of plastic or neoprene since they make for better traction than leather and plastic shoe soles. Secondly, avoid shoes or other footwear with soles that cover little surface. Things like talons and heals are definitely out of the question of things to to wear out during winter.
Make sure the soles of the shoes you wear are as flat as possible. The explanation is simple. You are less likely to have your feet submerged in snow when the weight of your body is spread over a wider area. Remember to keep your hands out of your pocket so that you are ready to cling onto any form of support in a case of an emergency. You know this practice most of us have picked up with the popularity of smartphones? The one that makes you itch to always have your phone in hand to reply a text message or go through your social media feeds? Just make sure you are as disciplined as possible during the season. You don’t want your phone to be the reason why you have an accident. You are about 3 times more like to have injuries when its snowy than during sunny seasons. Theres no need to increase your chances of having an accident because of your phone.
If you are going to walk along the road, especially one which is frequented by cars, be sure to put on clothing that makes you clearly visible from afar. While you are out of the house, you can keep away your headset and any other gadget that disturbs you listening. You will need all your senses active to avoid any accident.
You should also be prepared for safe drive during winter by taking the following tips to heart and applying them.
Make sure you are prepared to drive.
The first thing to is prepare to drive in the weather. This simply means ensuring you have everything you may need for the journey in your car. This will include a spade, some salt and other instruments that will help you clear the road if your vehicle gets trapped in the snow. Salt helps to dissolve snow and ice more quickly. Also have a first aid box, some water and some well preserved fast food with you. If you get trapped in your car in the snow for too long, hunger will only make the wait or experience feel twice as bad as it already is.
Use roads you are familiar with
Make sure you are familiar with the road you will be using and the weather forecast at least for the day. You can always get weather information from the internet or from radio stations that give frequent updates on weather conditions in your city. Check on the weather information before leaving your house. While driving, keep your radio on. You may get weather update information and road situations that could keep you away from a major situation that may take hours to fix. If the road you are using is around a mountain or maybe surrounded by hills, be careful as you go along.
No matter how late you are to where you are headed, just don’t drive too fast. In fact, your driving pace should be pretty slow. This will enable you break without any accident if some obstacle suddenly shows up in your way. Tires are pretty unstable on snow as you should already know. Make sure you don’t break suddenly, especially when you are diving at high speed. However, usually when you meet an obstacle, your only option to instantly slam in the break. That is why you have to avoid driving fast as much as possible. It is better to drive slowly and arrive late than drive fast and never arrive at all.
Keep your lights on while driving so that you are visible to oncoming vehicles. This simply prevents collisions.
It is best, if you have to attend important events to get to the venue hours or if possible a day ahead of time. There is no telling what can happen during winter. If you have something very important you have to attend to out of the house, you should make sure the weather does not trap you in before you get out of the house. Remember, even if you are going to use a car, traffic is usually slow in snowy weather and you may have to wait for some time at certain points of your movements.
Get a radio and Keep your Radio on and tuned to weather stations
If you don’t have a radio before the season sets in, make sure you get one as soon as possible. This will be important for getting weather updates and news. Having a radio is one thing required in winter weather tips. Keep the radio turned on at all times so you are always informed about what is happening. With Internet connection, you can also get weather updates and forecast.
Reducing home cost throughout winter
Apart from having winter home safety tips , there is the issue of increased cost that comes with the season. During winter, your bills, especially with regards to home heating may sky rocket to more than a few hundred dollars. This makes it necessary for you to know how to save on energy bills. It is only wise to make sure that you are not spending more on heating cost than you have to. Other costs associated with winter as far as the home is concerned will be related to repairs and maintenance of the house. However, you don’t have to spend any extra money if you make use of the following tips that will help you keep heating cost and repairs at minimum.
Get wood well ahead of time.
Using fire in the house is one of the ways to save heat heat energy. You do not have to depend entirely on electrical heating if you make the right preparation for winter. Of course that is why you have a fireplace and chimney. Get as much wood as possible packed up for the fireplace. You may not be able to get a lot more once the season sets in. Make sure your house is well insulated so that you don’t loose heat. If the thermostat is using more energy and you still cant tell the difference, you have to check around to make sure there are no holes or openings around the house responsible for the loss of heat.
Use the right blinds. Let your blind be preferably made of wool and thick enough to keep the warm temperature in the house by decreasing the speed with which warm air escapes form the house. Amongst several ways to save heat energy, making use of the right household material and furniture during winter is probably the most effective.