Winter is coming!! While I’m usually a winter denier in the Autumn, I find the years that I actually get my act together before it snows are the best years for me. So join me as I discuss some of my favorite tips to prepare for the coming white stuff.

I like to break my prep into 3 categories:

  1. Putting summer items away.
  2. Pulling winter gear out.
  3. Actually doing some chores that will help me prepare me when the snow does fly.

Here’s a list of my tips in order:

  1. Summer Gear – Stow summer gear like rafts, river tubes, bikes, and clean out your coolers.
  2. Garden – Compost annuals, deadhead perennials, and cover particularly sensitive areas with tarps.
  3. Patio Furniture – Clean and bag cushions, store furniture in a dry/covered area.
  4. Winter Wardrobe – Pull out your cozies (sweats and flannel pajamas), thermal underwear, sweaters, jumpers, jackets, and snow boots. Store you extra t-shirts and shorts that you won’t need for a few months.
  5. Service the Winter Fleet – Get your snow plows and snowblowers ready by chaining tires, replacing oil, checking spark plugs, checking shear pins, and replacing hydraulic fluid.
  6. Vehicle Preparation – Swap summer tires for snow tires, replace wiper blades, add a winter safety kit (safety blanket, extra hats, gloves, and jackets, tow rope, spare tire chains, flashlight, shovel).
  7. Mark Perimeters – Mark driveways with stakes and determine where snow piles will go.
  8. Clean Garage – Put clutter that has collected over the summer away, mark where vehicles should stop, ensure floor drains operate properly, sweep before it gets too cold to keep the doors open.
  9. Firewood – Cut and stack firewood if you have a wood stove.
  10. Resort Access – Make sure your ski passes are active and use me to buy a ski condo so you can be first in line on opening day.

Spend the time now to get ready for winter and you’ll save yourself some heartache when winter kicks off!