Cold Weather Hacks; An Annual Midwestern Chore
Surviving the cold weather can be a daunting task at times. Winter is now in full effect and as we start to enter some of the more colder months like January and February preparation is key. You must have the basic winter necessities in order to roam around the city without hand feeling as if it’s about to freeze off. There are ways for us to carry out our normal routines during the heart of winter season, although sometimes it’ll start to seem like a chore.
As a Midwestern city guy, I have always disliked the cold weather months as it felt like it lasted for such a long time. The number one saying that you’ll hear from anybody who lives in the midwest is “I can’t wait for summer”. Although there are some cons to living in a colder region during winter, there are also a lot of pros.
Layering Up for Cold Weather
Layering up clothing can make a huge difference, especially on the single digit temperature days. This is one of the “traditions” I enjoy. It’s a way for me to spice up my appearance but also remain warm. When you are layering up your clothing, you need to be cognizant of how thick your clothing pieces are. If they are too thick, then you will feel a bit snug or very stiff to where you cannot move around comfortably.
Although I do love layering, I always have to have a very warm coat.
Your Winter Coat Choice Is Important
In the Midwest, you will notice that people have multiple coats. At first, I used to think, is having more than one winter coat necessary? I learned very quickly, that it is necessary to have at least two winter coats.
- Heavy Down Winter Coat – Omni Heat
- Having a larger thicker coat is important for the extremely cold days with the windchill that makes it feel as if it’s negative degrees outside. Now this is a bit of a preference, but I personally like the Colombia Omni Heat coats. The Omni heat coats are a game changer as it uses your own body heat to keep you warm.
- Light But Warm Winter Coat
- Keeping a light winter coat in your wardrobe is key for being able to add a little spice to your outfit as you can really layer up with these kind of coats. Wearing a light coat without layers won’t offer you the same amount of heat as it would if you were put on a couple pieces of clothing under it.
I actually have the Columbia Omni HearThis is completely personal preference. I’ve just learned that you can never go wrong with a couple options.
Extremely Cold Weather – Single Digit Temps
One thing that will humble you are the single digits temperatures in the winter. This version of cold weather is different from normal winter cold. I’ve always described single digit temperatures as “bone chilling cold”. With the wind chill on top of the single digit cold temps, it can be a very aggressive battle.
These are the moments when you need to make sure you stay warm outside in general if you can. A lot of people tend to stay inside and invite other over for the day or night. There are ways to still enjoy yourself in the city with these pressing cold weather temps.
When temperatures do drop that low, it does become a bit of a chore to make sure your home is secure as well. Some of the things I do is run my sinks on a drip so my water pipes won’t freeze or burst. Also, making sure my heat isn’t sky high but a comfortable temperature so my water heater won’t be working as hard. As I have done these tasks so often growing up in the Midwest that it has honestly become second nature.
Stock Up Your Kitchen
Stocking up your kitchen when you know that the next few days will be lower temps makes a huge difference. I’ve learned to just stock up early so that I won’t have to do errands on the days where I don’t want to step outside because of the extreme cold.
You don’t necessarily stock up crazy, but I usually like to do a typical shopping list for me and add a bit more once I’m actually at the store. This has worked extremely well for me, because I would dread going outside when it’s already extreme cold temperatures.
Winter Has Its Ups and Downs
I’ve grown to have a love/hate relationship with the winter season. I love that I live in an area that sees four seasons, but it can become a bit of a chore to keep accommodating at times. As I’ve learned to adapt when winter rolls in, it still is a shock sometimes when it’s below freezing temperatures outside.
Using some of the tips I’ve mentioned, those help me prepare for what is to come. Although, winter season gets a bad rep, especially after the holidays, there are ways to still push through and not let that stop you from enjoying the winter season.
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Joshua Wade
Blogger, Fashion enthusiast, tech nerd, LGBTQIA+, city native. I love sharing insight on my experiences and knowledge.