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10 Tips for Making Winter More Tolerable

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Snow is lovely … for a short while. After a few days, not so much. Shoveling snow and scraping ice off your car are tedious tasks, and your commute takes even longer than usual because of all the people who don’t know how to drive in weather. It sucks, but it can be slightly better.

Here are 10 tips for making your winter a little more tolerable:

10. Finally, a use for those mismatched socks

Got a couple of mismatched socks? If it looks like the weather is going to be a bit questionable, slide one sock over each windshield wiper and pull them away from your windshield. This will keep them from getting stuck to your windshield when there’s ice and snow.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

9. Shave your sweater

Sweaters are perfect winter attire, but sometimes, when you pull them out of the drawer, they look a little worse for wear. To get rid of the pilling, gently shave your sweater with a disposable razor.

8. Easier snow shoveling

There’s no way around it; shoveling snow is a miserable experience. You can make it go a little bit faster, though, by spraying your shovel with nonstick cooking spray before you start. Your shovel will cut right through the snow!

7. Use a credit card

Stuck with an icy windshield and no scraper? A credit card can do the trick in a pinch, and you won’t even be charged any interest. A plastic spatula will also work, but definitely don’t use anything metal (it will scratch your windshield).

Photo Credit: Pixabay

6. The cure for hat hair

Winter hats are adorable and essential for keeping your head warm. If you have one on for more than a few minutes, though, you end up with unsightly hat hair. To revive your hair, keep a can of dry shampoo in your bag. After you take off your hat, spray on some dry shampoo and restyle your hair until it’s back to normal.

5. Rises in the east

If you can, park your car facing the east. That way, the morning sun can do a little work for you and melt some of the ice off your car. Probably not all of it, but every little bit helps.

4. Try kitty litter

Getting out of an icy parking spot can be the pits. If you’re spinning your wheels, you got to get a little traction. Kitty litter sprinkled on the ground behind/under your wheels works like a charm. You can also try car mats in a pinch, but they’ll get pretty gross.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

3. Zip ties on bike tires

If you need to use your bike to get around even through the cold dreary winter months, you know that your tread doesn’t hold like it does in the summer time. You could buy expensive specialty tires for your bike, or you can save a few (hundred? I don’t know) dollars and buy some zip ties. Tie the zip ties every inch or so, and you should have enough traction to ride around – and you can just cut them off once the snow melts!

2. More layers, less bulk

Long-johns are warm, but they’re also bulky and hard to fit under jeans and other tight-fitting clothing. Instead, try running pants or even tights. They’ll keep you warm(er) without making you look like the Stay Puft marshmallow man

1. An easy way to protect your side mirrors

Use plastic baggies to cover your side mirrors and protect them from ice. Just don’t forget to take them off before you drive!