Are you moving somewhere colder than you’re used to? Perhaps you might even find yourself relocating to some of America’s coldest states year-round, like North Dakota, Minnesota, or Maine. These cold temperatures will require you to make many adjustments from your wardrobe to your lifestyle and how you set up your home. Here are some changes you should already be making throughout the moving process so that you can comfortably move in to your new cooler environment.
Get a suitable water heater
Water heater installation is necessary anyway, even if you live in warmer areas like Millcreek that also experience cold winter seasons. This installation becomes ever more critical, though, when you end up moving to a place that sees an average high temperature of 34 to 42° F even in the spring. If your heater of choice is not too space-consuming but is long-lasting, it would be a good deal to get it as soon as you can so your family doesn’t need to freeze.
Winterize your car
Aside from practicing driving in snowier regions, it would be essential to prepare the components of your vehicle for the change in temperature when it’s operating. That means switching to more durable wiper blades, make sure you have proper tire treads or actual winter tires, using antifreeze wiper fluid, keeping your washer fluid and oil full, and flushing out your heater. That is just to make sure that your car stays functional, whether it’s often used or mostly parked in these colder areas.
Make sure you have the right insulation
Insulation is vital for a home, and if you’re moving to an already-built structure, double-check for their insulation. Otherwise, invest in some good insulation yourself as this will keep your home nice and warm as needed, but it should accordingly adjust when the weather is warm and you need to have cooler indoors. An added benefit to this is that it can lower your energy usage and carbon footprint in the long run.
Prepare your pets (if any)
If you have pets or are going to get some, make sure they are built for the cold. Otherwise, you would need to invest in some clothing that will help keep them warm so that they don’t get sick. If you have established activities from more temperate climates, you may need to readjust this as well as a run will not have the same effects as it does in the heat.
Overhaul your wardrobe
This step is an apparent consideration since most of the clothes you will need here are the ones that were built to warm. If you don’t know if you can allocate enough of a budget yet to change up your clothes completely, a good option is to buy some base pieces you can use all the time and combine it with lots and lots of layers so that you feel nice and toasty as you do your activities.
Moving in itself is already a big step, but when you’re switching to a whole new climate, it can be daunting unless you properly equip yourself and your home.
