It isn’t uncommon to hear people chatting about the upcoming cold weather. Because with it comes the holiday season, lots of great food, and fun quality time spent with family. But one thing that many people rarely think about with the impending cold weather season: being prepared for an emergency.
Thinking about all the things you should have on hand when the emergency happens isn’t very helpful. You can be prepared for cold weather emergencies easily and frugally this season by shopping at Goodwill for all the supplies you need.
While we hope that old man winter is easy on us – there have been times when snow, ice, and even wind have knocked power out for days or even hours. So, while we hope that is not something that happens, if we are prepared for it, we can make that time less stressful and maybe even enjoyable with a few simple things.
Here are 10 survival items you can buy at Goodwill to save money and be prepared for impending cold weather instead of waiting until the last minute – when it is too late.
- Clothes – maybe you need an extra few sets of clothes to bundle up for playing in the snow or even for the worst-case scenario – the heat goes out!
- Bedding (Blankets, sheets, towels) – You can never have too many blankets in the winter months. You never know how many layers you may need to cover up with.
- Shoes – 3 feet of snow? No problem! Grab yourself a pair or two of shoes that can be alternated each time you head outside (while the other pair is drying).
- Activities (Books, board games, toys) – we are all pretty tight with our technology these days, but when the power goes out, then what? Be prepared for some fun family time during a power outage.
- Cooking utensils (Manual can opener, pots/pans that would be good on a fire) – No one wants to have to cook without their stove, but it happens! Be prepared with several things you might need to alternate the way you cook dinner during a power outage.
- Candles – if you have no power and the sun goes down, you will need something to illuminate your house. Candles are a great way to do this frugally.
- Old jars (baby food jars, other small jars for remaking candles) – don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on new candles? Just repurpose those that are only half used. By melting down the wax from several used candles, you can have new ones prepped and ready to go.
- Mutli-purpose tool (Screwdriver, bottle opener, scissors) – you never know what kind of situation you might find yourself in that will require some extra help from various tools.
All of this – plus more – can be found at your local Goodwill store. So before you head to the store for new items that might break the bank – check out Goodwill first.
Collectively, over 313,000 people in the United States and Canada connected with jobs or earned employment using Goodwill organizations’ career services programs this past year. And more than that – tens of millions access the Goodwill education, training, and online learning services that Goodwill offers to strengthen their job training skills.
So, while you’re headed to your local Goodwill store anyway – you might as well take a haul of items you are no longer using with you so that they can be repurposed for someone else who might need what you have on a budget!
I love knowing that I can not only get a great bargain on some really useful items when shopping at Goodwill, but I know that I am also helping to create jobs for my local community!
Share your survivor finds with us on social media the hashtag #ShopGoodwill and #DonateStuffCreateJobs!
