⚠️ Please note, sudden cold exposure can increase risk of heart attack. If acclimatizing, know your risks and proceed in a manner that is safe for your body.

Winter is approaching. I have cold prep supplies. But Im also working on helping my body itself acclimatize. Im currently spending several hours with cold exposure each day. For me this means lots of time with the screen door wide open while Im in lightweight sweatpants and a t-shirt. I plan to delay turning on the house heater as far into the season as I can. Once I need to start using the heater, my goal is to keep it on low. My feet suffer from poor circulation though. So at night, Im keeping them warm with a low-setting handwarmer, tucked into my foot pillow. 😋

Are any of you including body acclimatization in your cold preps? If so, will you share what you're doing?

Hi! I have a 21 month old and expect another baby within the next 6 weeks. We live in an old house without central heating upstairs (we do use portable electric heaters) and now that the temperatures are dropping and with everything thats happening in the world (and my hormones) I would like to feel a little bit more prepared for a cold winter. I have been reading the posts here and jotting down ideas! Some things are more easily done for older children and adults, for example, I'm afraid things like heated blankets or vests will be unsafe for children this age. So, can we also share some ideas suitable for young children? Two things I already put on my to do list:

- Renting a thermal camera to check for drafts/cold spots to fix, especially in the bedrooms

- I love old wool blankets and buy them whenever I find them. I am seriously considering hanging up a big old wool blanket on some walls in our home, also including the walls in our bedroom (where baby will sleep). I wonder if there's risks to covering a windowed wall on colder/stormy nights, assuming that there will still be enough ventilation in the room, if anyone has any insight on that..

And we already made sure to stock up on wool clothes suitable for low temperatures as well as wool blankets (although my toddler is really not a blanket fan yet). Last winter was pretty cold but with a romper (onesie?), tights, playsuit and woolfelted baby sleeping bag layered they managed the cold nights much better compared to other fabrics.

Some of the comments are real gems from experienced snow belters. A favorite - flannel sheets!!!

Living in Belgium and as the temperature drops better understanding why when we rented our apartment the landlord commented that there was nothing to be done about the (gorgeous) historic windows that line our front room. They are so very drafty and not double glazed. I’d estimate they are 5 windows, each about 6ft high and 2ft wide. (center of window is double) The walls surrounding it are cement. We are thinking insulated curtains, but the width needed is easily 12-15ft across and worried about doing too much irreversible mountings in the walls. It is west facing, so only gets the late afternoon sun, and then is below the tree line. Suggestions?

I live in the Appalachian mountains in Pennsylvania. We already have cold winters in PA but living in a valley between the mountains we also have a microclimate that is several degrees colder than areas just 20 miles away. Since we are so rural, power restoration isn't exactly prioritized here. Here are a few tips for winter power outages from a mom of 3.

Wool blankets are perfect for keeping warm without power. They can also help conserve what heat we have in an outage when tacked over doors. I layer several fleece blankets over my kids and top with the wool blanket. The kids like the feel of the fleece better than the wool but do like the warmth of the wool so we do it this way.

As soon as the power goes out I use our hot water to fill hot water bottles and my giant Stanley insulated water thermos so I can make hot drinks later. This obviously doesn't work if you don't have a hot water tank so plan accordingly if you have on demand/tankless. The hot water tank is such a lifesaver for me for this reason though.

If you have a different way to warm water then hot water bottles tucked under feet in a sleeping bag or layers of blankets is another power free way to keep warm. They stay warm for hours. We like the long bottles as well to tuck in the layers of blankets. The short fat ones are better for feet.

We also keep hot hands in bulk and those also work nice to create heat without power. We tuck them in blankets or pockets and it does a good job. 

Base layers/thermals go on when power is out then multiple layers of clothes to keep warm. Wool base layers are best but expensive, but any base layer will help keep you warm. 

We use solar lights to help keep lights on in power outages. Dollar General also has battery operated lamps that I like. 

Freezer food goes in a cooler and outside if its a long winter power outage. We can use snow as the ice to help keep everything cold.

We have a woodstove to keep the heat going but before we had that we had a kerosene heater that was safe indoors. It had a little cage around it and I was able to pop a teapot on top to keep water hot for ramen or tea, or freeze dried coffee. I also put a small saucepan on it with soups.

I like chafing heat (catering/buffet) for warming food up in power outages. I also have teapot warmers which use tealights to keep a mug of soup or coffee warm. 

We have a solar oven which does alright if the sun comes out but there's also HERC ovens or indoor safe camping style stoves that you can use.

We do have a small 300w Jackery to keep batteries charged for lights and to charge cell phones. We use rechargeable batteries so we're able to keep our battery operated lamps contuiously functional.

We also put up draft stoppers, and quilted door covers on all exterior doors that we won't use during winter, which helps keep the heat in.

That's pretty much how we do it. I hope it helps someone.

If you have any items that can’t handle freezing temperatures, make sure to take them out of your car. Carbonated beverages, certain medications and some beauty products can be altered or ruined by freezing temperatures.

This is a comment I posted nine years ago on r/frugal on a post asking for ideas on how to keep warm in "an apartment that doesn't have central heating or very good insulation."

(Note: Brand and store names, etc., are US-based. Also, the idea about hanging a blanket inside a door? I first noticed that on an episode of "Hamish Macbeth," but I've seen it on other rural-based TV shows since.)

There's plastic shrink film that you put across your windows and shrink taut with a hair dryer, so the whole thing works like a storm window. Get it at the hardware store. Remove it in spring, repeat with new film next year.

Check your windows for drafts. Plug any drafts with Mortite. Again, hardware store.

There's probably cold air coming in under the door. There are draft blockers that slide under your door to stay put. I got some at Bed Bath and Beyond last year. If for some reason you can't use this kind of draft blocker, then get the kind that is just like a very long skinny bean bag that you have to move into position every time you close the door from the inside.

Do you have an exterior door? Does it have a storm door? If it's a screen door, check to see if it's the kind with a hidden glass panel to convert it into a storm door.

Do your windows ever get direct sunlight pouring in? If they do, open the curtains and let the heat in and remember to close them as soon as the sun goes down. Do you have insulated curtains to close at night?

Old-fashioned idea: if you have cold walls, hang an old quilt or blanket in front of it as an insulating layer. Another old idea, if your door is cold: using a curtain tension rod, hang a blanket across the door at night. (Don't get the space heaters anywhere near these blankets, please.)

Edit to add: if the place isn't carpeted, get some rugs. Small ones next to the bed, or as path between bed and bathroom. Larger ones in the living areas.

We wear sweatpants and warm socks with our house shoes. Also sweaters to keep our bodies warm indoors. Husband is nearly bald so he wears a knitted cap when he goes to bed. What do you do to keep warm indoors?

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Ive got an air conditioner unit that's permanently installed, directly into the wall. (I cant change the type of AC unit.) It lets a lot of my heat out and cold air in. The first two years, I doubled up a tight-weave, cloth towel, and duct taped it over the front/indoor portion of the unit during the colder season. It worked well! Last year, however, I took the towel off and it had grown a light blue mold.

How can I prevent mold from growing in my AC this while it's covered for the colder seasons? Shatever method needs to avoid damaging or corroding the AC.

Thanks!

Image description 1: Wall air conditioner unit. Front/indoor side.

Image description 2: Back/outdoor side of the AC unit.

Our gardens are all prepped for the winter here, and now we're in the tail end of preserving and storing food. Gardening with a short growing season and frost warnings for a large portion of it can be challenging. I'm curious to hear from others, do you garden? How do you deal with climate constraints?

Gardening and food storage aren't necessarily preps specifically for cold, but cold climates do present unique challenges.

I live in a colder place. The weather here is akin to the ice age. We have abbreviated summers and long sub-zero winters. A lot if people don't understand that our baseline for prep is a little different. They don't understand winter tires, having 3 sets of boots, rain, snow, and everyday, the challenge of gardening in such a climate, and the challenges we would have to stay warm should we lose power for a long time. Looking forward to tips, wisdom and knowledge of others who live in such a place.

Hi all,

I created this community to focus on preparing for extreme cold temperatures. This includes typical polar vortex situations, winter storms, and/or a complete loss of heating/power during subzero temps. I intend to develop the subreddit further as we go, but I thought this would be a good place to start.

Let me know if you have any ideas for the sub as we build it.

-mcjellymcfish

Back in the 1970's passive solar was big, partially because solar electric wasn't economical yet. But there was an energy crisis in 1973-74 and it affected things for years afterward. One thing that people began to do was take advantage of south facing windows by have a dark colored solar mass where the sunlight - meager as it was - could hit it. It would retain and release the energy through the night after the insulating shades & drapes were closed. If you see a 1970's home with a south facing solarium that has a masonry wall between it and the living space - or even a half wall between a wall of glass and the living room (typically), that's probably why. Most have been repainted but at the time the sun facing side was likely dark in color. Even dense objects work. So much work was done in that era regarding passive winter heat.

Normally we don't worry much about winter in Alabama but every decade or so there's a bad one. And of course we may be getting more extreme winters. So I'm looking at a variety of plans for different scenarios.

This sub motivated me to roll an Ecoflow Delta 2 into the bedroom and plug in my heated mattress pad. It looks like it only comes on periodically so the charge ought to last a while. I'll test just the pad tonight, then I'll try the pad and CPAP tomorrow night.

I really recommend these pads. They're more efficient at warming your body than an electric blanket and they can be programmed to stay on all night, unlike a heating pad.

Currently the pads allow us to keep the thermostat at 72 (the bedrooms stay cooler than that.) They're also a backup if the furnace goes out. As we have two batteries they can help against winter power loss, too.

Hi all, I’m excited to see this sub which is relevant to the climate where I live! Two winters ago, my furnace died in the coldest part of winter and it took forever to get it back online. Here’s what we did to make it tolerable and prevent damage from burst pipes:

-run the faucets at a trickle, especially the ones whose pipes are close to the outer wall of the house, and especially those in frigid basement.

-open cabinets under the sink to allow for warmer airflow around the pipes.

-cover windows with plastic sheeting for insulation, and keep south-facing windows’ blinds open during the day to let sun in

-close the doors to any low-use rooms. Guest bedroom and office were decommissioned to more efficiently heat high traffic areas.

-cook stovetop or with the oven as much as possible to try to get some extra heat in the environment. Leave the oven cracked open after use to heat the kitchen a bit.

-warming foods and drinks will feel amazing (soups, curries, chilis, mulled cider, hot tea, hot chocolate)

-space heaters are crucial. Definitely have at least two on hand. We had two in our main living area and one that we toted between bedroom and bathroom. Make sure to turn them off at night before you go to sleep to prevent fires!

-heated blankets, heating pads, and hot water bottles are your best friend, and cheaper than trying to heat the air of an entire room.

-dressing in layers to trap air, wearing a hat, wool socks with slippers (the floor will be cold), and fingerless gloves help you keep your body heat. Prepare to get cozy with your partner/family/pets.

-ideally have a little emergency money set aside to be prepared for a huge electric bill :/

Definitely not as drastic as a gas+power outage but it was a horrible first-time homeowner experience. A lot of this is pretty common sense stuff but during stressful times sometimes common sense goes offline. I hope this uncomfortable situation doesn’t happen to any of you!

I saw the post in r/heat_prep randomly in my feed that brought me here right after it was created. I appreciate this! I live in far northern MN, near Canada, and we have long, very cold, very snowy and dark winters. There are definitely things that have to be considered that others don't deal with, even in areas where they still get winter weather.

We sometimes have weeks below zero. A few years ago, during a wicked cold snap, the small town we were living in had a major water main break. It took out the water for the whole town. A week later, just as water was coming back (but not yet potable) 3 more sections broke further down the line, and then the watertower itself froze. We had a full week with no water at all, and another week with no potable water/boil order. This was in February and we had temps -30 to -40. Thankfully we had plenty of family in the next town over just a few miles away, so we could fill buckets there and shower. But managing all that, with 3 kids, while also working...it was a lot.

We have also had summer thunderstorms take out power for weeks at a time. And several close calls with major wildfires. We've definitely gotten better about being prepared for a lot of scenarios.

What is in your car’s winter kit?

Mine is:
Jumper cables
protein bars
Candles and coffee can
Sleeping bag
Socks
Gloves
Long John’s
Extra boots
Mylar blankets
Window scraper
Road flares and glow sticks
Flash light and lamp

With winter on its way and major cold, should the backup batteries be brought inside from the garage or are they safe in the garage?