How to Survive Winter

The first thing you need to do when winter is coming is to sort out supplies. Considering that the first frosts can hit in October, and that by the time November rolls around, things are pretty miserable, it’s important to sort these things out in advance. You’ll find a lot more detail under the various other sections of the Guide. Before you go shopping, though, you need to sort out storage. The most important thing about any of your winter goods, from food to clothes, is that they should be dry. While student and shared houses are better than they used to be, there are still some pretty awful places out there, and as we’ve seen in the past few years, even the most unlikely places can suffer floods. So make sure that your “survival goods” are stored either in high, dry cupboards, or in watertight plastic containers. This isn’t always possible, but do what you can. Of course, if your storage isn’t on the ground floor, you’ve got a starting advantage!
In or around September, go through the other sections of the Guide, and make a list of things you want to get. You can acquire them over a few months, and some of them will need to be replenished through the winter. Having things in stock means you get to avoid the misery of shopping while hungry later - and that’s always more expensive.