Welcome to the Smarter Living newsletter. The editor, Tim Herrera, emails readers with tips and advice for living a better, more fulfilling life. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Breaking: It’s cold out! The “bomb cyclone” is here and it’s affecting people all over the country, with rare snow buildup in the South and heavy snowfall and wind chills as low as minus 25 degrees near New York.
First things first: Get your snacks ready to go. What would a winter storm be without the perfect mug of hot cocoa? So here is a great recipe from Cooking to keep you warm. And if you’re feeling ambitious, here are 56 warming stews and soups to make while you wait out the storm, and 70 more recipes to cook when you’re snowed in.
With your snack game set, here are five things that will help you stay toasty while the weather rages outside, compiled in collaboration with Wirecutter, a New York Times company that reviews and recommends products.
(For even more, check out Wirecutter’s guide to all things outdoors here.)
Electric blanket and heated mattress
Continue reading the main storyWhy bother even getting out of bed today? Stay cozy and warm with an electrified cocoon, complete with a heated mattress and electric blanket. Wirecutter found that most people will be O.K. with just the mattress, but if you’d like to double up, you’re covered.
Wirecutter’s favorites are the Sunbeam Premium Quilted Heated Mattress Pad and Sunbeam Velvet Plush Heated Blanket.
Space heater
Nothing beats a reliable space heater for a quick warm-up of your area. For smaller rooms, Wirecutter recommends the Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat. If your dwelling is a little bigger, you can’t go wrong with the De’Longhi TRD40615T.
A great insulated jacket
If you must venture outside, make sure you’re protected. Your first line of defense should be an insulated jacket to protect you from the wind, snow and cold, and Wirecutter’s favorite there is the Montbell Alpine Light Down jacket.
And for especially frigid temps, you want to layer up, so here are Wirecutter’s favorite base layers and long underwear for women and men.
Touch-screen gloves
To go with that new jacket of yours, pick up a pair gloves that will let you use your phone. Having just bought a pair that doesn’t work with my phone, I cannot stress enough how crucial this is — taking off a glove every time you want to answer a text is simply torturous.
Wirecutter’s favorite touch-screen gloves for two years running are the Moshi’s Digits. While they’re not the warmest gloves you can buy, they strike just the right balance between touch-screen usability and keeping your pointers warm.
Hand warmer
All you’ll need is the Human Creations EnergyFlux Ellipse 5200mAh hand warmer. Not only will this little wonder keep your hands warm, but in a pinch it can even charge your phone’s battery on the go.
— Tim
Best of Smarter Living
How to Prepare for Cold and Flu Season This season spares few between now and spring. Here’s how to build a survival kit to get you through unscathed.
If You’re Sick, Stay Away From Work. If You Can’t, Here Is What Doctors Advise. Those who have paid sick time should use it but often don’t, despite doctors’ warnings that it risks infecting other people.
How to Avoid a White-Knuckle Drive on Black Ice The slick roadway condition can be difficult to detect and develops unpredictably. Here’s what you can do to avoid this hazard.
Cold Weather, Hot Cocktails Recipes for Cozy Cider, Port Toddy, Hot Milk Punch and more.
How to ‘Winterize’ Your Dog Dogs can face special hazards in the colder months, ranging from cracked paws and dry skin to electrocution or immersion in a frozen pond.
How to Manage Your Career A successful career requires managing the person in the mirror — overcoming your tendencies and habits that can undermine efforts to find happiness at work.
What We’re Reading
• Easy ways to save money in 2018.
• Essential Instant Pot links.
• What if parents loved strangers’ children as much as their own?
• Teenagers aren’t partying.
• Ditch these seven bad habits in 2018.
Continue reading the main story