How To Prepare Your Apartment For Winter

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It is October! Halloween is coming and with it brings the beginning of the holiday season. For many people this conjures up images of curling up in a blanket and sipping hot cocoa by the fire while holiday tunes play softly in the background.

Others of us like to sit by the window and watch the rain fall down, or even run outside and jump in the puddles.

And while some of the country seems to still be in the midst of some leftover summer heat wave, cold weather is coming. For those of us facing 80 degree weather this weekend, those cooling temperatures seem a long way off, but before we know it, we will be bundling up for the winter.

Image via Flickr.com

With this season comes an array of activities to take part in, clothes to snuggle into, and various foods and drinks to indulge in. So are you ready? Maybe you are still stuck in the trenches that are midterms, and can see no way out. The change in weather might just be the jolt you need to get out of those dark places and back into the world.

The following are some tips to get your apartment ready for the coming winter months and make you a whole lot cozier when the time comes to turn up those heaters.

Blankets

First off, make sure you have stocked up on blankets, and not just the ones for your bed. When cold weather strikes you will want to be able to get cozy anywhere and everywhere. So place some fuzzy blankets around your home– the living room and dining room are places where you might find yourself getting chilly when lounging or eating.

Everyone loves to snuggle. Image via Flickr.com

Windows

Next, it is important to check your windows before it starts to get cold. In these times of hot weather, it might be hard to imagine ever wanting to close your window, but when the wind and rain and snow come, you will be having a change of heart.

Check for broken or stuck windows that are not properly closing or that may be letting outside air in when closed. If you don’t know how to fix these yourself, property managers, RAs, or parents can probably point you in the direction of some assistance.

Well that could be problematic when cold weather comes knocking. Image via Flickr.com

Warm sustenance

Avid Starbucks-goers can tell the seasons are changing by the appearance of pumpkin spice lattes, followed by peppermint mochas. Warm beverages have come to be prominent characteristics of the holiday season. And rightly so. Sipping a hot drink while the cold bites at your skin makes you infinitely warmer– and usually happier.

Getting ready for the cold weather season, have these hot drinks on hand in your home. Teas, cocoas, and coffees are great to fill your cupboards with. That way, when you wake up in the morning with the chill threatening to enter your cocoon of blankets, you might have an incentive to get out of bed: a nice hot chocolate (or whatever your morning drink of choice may be).

It doesn’t stop there. Soups and stews can make great meals during this time of year. Stock up early on your favorite ingredients.

Yum. Image via Flickr.com

Using the oven

While we are on that note of cooking, the winter is a great time to begin baking. Have you ever restrained yourself from using the oven in the summer, when you don’t want the appliance to heat up the rest of your kitchen? Well during the winter that is one of the benefits of using an oven!

It is time to bring out all of your old recipes for baked goods– brownies, banana bread, lasagne, meatloaf– and turn that oven on! By the time you are done cooking you will have delicious treats, plus a nice toasty kitchen to enjoy them in.

Image via Flickr.com

Slippers and socks

You may have heard the saying from your mom or dad, “Keep your feet warm, and you’ll be warm.” Well there’s some truth for you. Invest in a pair (or pairs) of slippers– fluffy, cozy, squishy, whatever your taste may be– and some fuzzy socks, and you will be ready to walk your apartment in the wintertime.

Tile floors especially can get extremely cold when temperatures drop, so keeping your feet bundled up will help prevent that chill from entering your body. With lots of socks and slippers on hand, you can change into freshly cozy socks when you get home and give your feet something to look forward to on their walk home through the cold.

Plus you can slide around in your socks as if you are ice skating and make games out of this with your roommates. The possibilities are endless.

Socks can be a creative outlet too; make your own! Image via Flickr.com

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