Question Of The Day, Friday, January 18

[micknsnicks2mom]

i'm almost always okay with groceries, so no need to make a trip to the grocery store before bad winter weather. i do make sure i have plenty of firewood in my back enclosed porch. i take out the trash before a winter storm hits. i generally don't go outside during extreme cold and/or winter storms, unless i really need to.

during this cold patch and winter storm we're starting here, i'll be baking lemon bars, possibly roasting more acorn squash, and spending time on my budget and planning as well as playing computer games, doing jigsaw puzzle(s), and watching tv.

if there's a power outage, i'll keep the wood stove going and heat up soup/make grilled cheese sandwich and etc on the cooktop of the wood stove.

edited to add: we're always relatively well stocked on kitty needs here!

 

[marmoset]

We keep pretty stocked up on groceries or at least pantry stuff so it's not our needs that worry about. It's cat food, cat litter, toilet paper (ok that's for us) and my seltzer because I drink a ton of that stuff.

Then we batten down the hatches as it were. We get wild wind here so we have to tie all the refuse pails and lawn furniture down. I also bring the shovels and equipment into the basement because our shed gets snowed in from drifts.

 

[denice]

Got an order of cat food delivered yesterday, got coffee delivered today and have plenty of food stocked up. We are supposed to get below zero Sunday night and single digit highs Monday, then 37 on Tuesday. I was thinking today at work that my battery is 4 years old and I make a lot of short trips which is hard on a battery so I stopped to get it checked. I am glad I did because I needed a new one. I have to go to work Monday morning, hopefully with a brand new battery I won't have any problems.

 

[artiemom]

I was thinking today at work that my battery is 4 years old and I make a lot of short trips which is hard on a battery so I stopped to get it checked. I am glad I did because I needed a new one.

REminds me, I need to get my battery checked.... hopefully, next week..

 

[Cats and Bees]

We don't have bad winter weather but I do prepare during hurricane season if one is predicted. I make sure I have bottled water, batteries, candles, cat food, human food, charcoal for the grill in case the power goes out and of course booze. All the essentials.

Having done Hurricane Matthew and Irma, I'd say the hurricane's are worse because you never know what the damage will be, or how long you'll be out of power. I was without 6 days for Irma and was considered lucky as those that had been thru the '05 season of Wilma, Jeanne, and (I forget), they were without for over 20 days! It was impossible to sleep in that humidity and the noise of generators from those that had them made me bonkers. (They were supposed to be turned off at 10p but nobody did). If I had planned to stay there any longer, I for sure would have bought one.

As for winters, being without heat must be a scary prospect. I have a woodstove here, but no firewood. Not a dry piece of wood in all of central KY! I am not supposed to have any type of severe weather, but it will be cold on Sunday night (11). I do lose power more often than I like, but so far has never been more than a few hours.

As for stocking up, I live 20 mins from town, so as a rule, I'm prepared for the apocalypse. I also hate errands and driving, so when I do buy, I make it worth it. I buy cat food and litter for 6 months at a time and I keep a stocked freezer. I never drive home on less than a half tank of gas (20 gallons). There is no Sam's Club here which doesn't matter since they aren't allowed to sell alcohol , otherwise I would stock up on that as well But I do have plenty from the liquor store in town.

I hope everyone stays safe and warm!

 

[misty8723]

Make sure the cars have gas and get stuff from the grocery store we can eat if the power goes out, and enough so if we get stuck inside for a couple days (they don't deal well with snow down here).

 

[lizzie]

I don't like to go into a storm situation and not be stocked up with everything we might need.We went today and picked up a few things,and I made sure we had cat food,dog food,etc,so if it does get bad,we're good to be homebound for a couple of days.Right now I'm not looking at a power loss,but if we do,we'll be fine.Thru the weekend,we'll just hang out.I'll probably make bread tomorrow and some cookies,watch some PBS...he just got some new bee magazines so his nose'll be buried.

 

[JamesCalifornia]

I do prepare during hurricane season if one is predicted.

~ Yup. I remember Florida hurricane preparations. Shutters on the windows , etc.

 

[Willowy]

There is no Sam's Club here which doesn't matter since they aren't allowed to sell alcohol

Huh, must be a local law. The Sam's Club here is chock full o' liquor.

I live half an hour from town and only do big shopping once every 2 weeks, so I'm usually pretty well stocked with frozen food and pantry food. I could probably survive a month or more on what I have around here, LOL.

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I don't usually prepare for storms. Living in Minnesota anytime there is a snowstorm I know the plows will be out clearing the roads before I even have to worry about travel problems. Also, I'm used to winter driving, so going someplace isn't that terrifying.

 

[1 bruce 1]

We prepare 6 months in advance at least, rain, shine, snow, wind, sleet, hail, and since we don't get hurricanes we plan for them anyway.
We have huge freezer/pantry space and can easily stock an awful lot of food to feed a lot of mouths for a very long time and sometimes this can't avoided. But we have to plan ahead so we don't find ourselves stuffed with freezer burned food or expired dry goods, or we don't get lazy and forget to re-order and find ourselves on a big shortage.
Always check the generator. Most generator systems will do a test run once a week or so, make sure you know when this is scheduled so you can keep a listen for things to go well. If you hear it turn over then nothing happens, something is wrong. Don't mess around.
Check your gas tanks so the generator can run.
If you're not in good health or live with someone who isn't, arrange for a doctor visit before bad weather for a check up. Make sure any medications are refilled for human or animal.
If you don't have a garage, point your vehicles front end towards a protect spot to keep the engine from freezing up. Don't stuff your gas tank to the last penny but don't let it sit on empty, either.
I shouldn't even have to mention keeping flashlights, batteries, or candles on hand and if you run off a well, fill some jugs of water in case the power goes out and you not only lose electricity but the ability to use water for drinking, toilets, etc. as well.

 

[kashmir64]

fill some jugs of water in case the power goes out and you not only lose electricity but the ability to use water for drinking, toilets, etc. as well.

And just so you know, on most American toilets, it takes 2 gallons to fill the tank and flush.
Trust me on this one.

 

[rgwanner]

Since I live in Atlanta we really don't have to worry too much about winter storms. But if snow or ice is predicted, I make sure we have adequate cat food and litter. There have been a few times when the whole city shut down. I always have enough food (and booze!) for several days which is plenty. And I check meds for both people and cats.