Phil Saw His Shadow: Tips to Survive 6 More Weeks of Winter

It’s Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. According to folklore, this means we’re in for another six weeks of winter. And with the giant storms that have been battering huge swaths of the United States recently, this verdict probably isn’t much of a surprise. But since there’s nothing we can do about it, why not make the best of these last six weeks of winter? From prepping for extreme weather to taking up fun hobbies, we’ve got several ideas to keep you occupied until the first day of spring.

Restock Your Winter Supplies Now

Don’t wait for the next storm announcement to restock on any winter supplies you might be running low on. Take inventory and set aside time to get anything you’re running low on like low temperature windshield washer fluid and ice melt.

If your local stores are out of ice melt, Projects Editor Ethan O’Donnell, has an alternative: water softener salt. He admits that it’s not quite as effective, since the pebbles are larger than traditional ice melt, But it’ll get the job done and might even save you a few bucks in the process.

Recharge Your Devices

Take some time to make sure all of your important devices and winter tools are recharged. Power banks, snowblowers, electric shovel batteries…you get the picture. Making sure everything is fully charged now means you’ll have a jump start on preparing for the next storm or cleaning up the next snowfall.

Get a Space Heater

If you don’t already have one, you should look into getting a space heater. Six more weeks of wintry weather more than warrants it. If you already have a space heater, check that it’s still in working order. And if you own an older model, consider upgrading to a more energy-efficient option so you don’t raise your energy bills too much while staying warm.

Try Out Some Hobbies With Your Kids

If the weather threatens a snowstorm, or if it’s simply to cold to go outside, try taking up a new hobby. If you’ve got children, see if there’s a hobby you can learn with them. You can start small. Learning to knit or crochet is a fun way to keep your hands busy while making useful items. If small isn’t your speed however, fear not. You can jump straight to the big stuff and pick something like a large woodworking project to work on instead.

Lay the Groundwork for Spring Plans

Got an idea for a new vegetable garden? Planning a renovation? Just hoping to change up something about your space? True, you may need to wait until spring to actually break ground on these projects. But now’s a great time to get started on the plans. Figure out what each step is going to entail, and estimate costs as well as what kinds of building materials you’ll need to stock up on. This way, you can jump right into your project the moment the weather allows.

Get a Head Start on Spring Cleaning

In a similar vein, get some of your spring cleaning out of the way now so that you have less to do once the weather actually turns. Whether it’s taking on a new organizational project or just starting to sort through your items to make “keep,” “donate,” and “toss” piles, anything you do now makes the actual spring workload a lot lighter.

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