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Cold weather shopping

December 11, 2025 10:25PM
It's been a fortunate week for shopping, in spite of everything else.
I just happened to find shops that were in the exact same place I was - hotels & restaurants, so I did them.
I think this is longest I've ever gone without doing a gas station shop.....
I can't bear to stand out there in the cold and wind unless I have to....
so I only get gas when absolutely necessary.

Are you shopping more or less lately - any cut backs due to the cold? I assume in the south, this isn't an issue
when I lived in the south, for most months of the year, I would get up early before the heat of the day and knock out a few shops.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2025 10:38PM by BarefootBliss.
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December 11, 2025 10:59PM
I am contemplating this just now. We may get 2-5" of snow or 1-4" depending upon which station you listen to. I am off of work tomorrow- Monday, but it's going to be bitter cold with a windchill Monday of below zero. The price will have to be right for me to get out!
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December 11, 2025 11:21PM
We don't get much snow, and it rarely sticks when we do get some. I'd rather be out in the cold than the heat. I get dizzy and feel weak in the heat and bright sunlight. In the cold I'm mostly fine, and I own enough cool weather gear to make it mostly comfortable. The worst part is wearing a jacket in the car, I feel like the Michelin man..
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December 12, 2025 03:23AM
Cold weather doesn't stop me from parking my car and going inside a store. The snow or ice is different. I hesitate to schedule anything more than a few days out in case of snow.
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December 12, 2025 03:29AM
@Morledzep wrote:

We don't get much snow, and it rarely sticks when we do get some. I'd rather be out in the cold than the heat. I get dizzy and feel weak in the heat and bright sunlight. In the cold I'm mostly fine, and I own enough cool weather gear to make it mostly comfortable. The worst part is wearing a jacket in the car, I feel like the Michelin man..

For me wearing my jacket, I feel like Ralphie's little brother in the Christmas Story movie. "Guys, guys, wait for me. "
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December 12, 2025 01:44PM
Speaking of scheduling out....there are some MSCs where you can self adjust the dates if bad weather pops up or you cancel without too much or any penalty,
but with RBG, you risk an immediate ban even if you need to cancel due to events beyond your control, like weather, - so I probably won't schedule any of those until spring or until they come to me when they're in a bind.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on
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December 12, 2025 01:47PM
Also, speaking of weather, I belong to one of those vanlife groups online - I am not a vanlifer, but
I'm always curious about it....and one woman was asking others for advice on where she should go next
to stay warm....I was surprised by the answers....I guess I don't know as much about this country as I thought - apparently there are very few places in the US that escape very cold temps at night - at this time of the year....either parts of FLA or close to the Mexican border it seems.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on
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December 12, 2025 02:50PM
It's been surprisingly mild in UT thus far, with long-range forecasts trending that way. I'm heading doing an out-and-back today, with Cooper the Boston terrier co-piloting, and it will be clear and sunny with a high in the mid-50s.

That being said, I fully expect to do some cold weather work in 2026, though my teaching schedule for Spring semester will be putting a crimp in my style. I won't be able to get out of town until 5:30PM on Thursdays.

I can usually count on a loop of Phillips 66 shops in WY to get to huge bonuses, making it worth some discomfort.

As I live in snow country, I'm fully prepared: all-wheel drive vehicle, Sorel snow boots (with brand new liners this season after wearing through the originals), thermal underwear and ski socks, a gaiter/hood getup, multiple weights of screen-friendly gloves, and a fleece layer I can remove should it get warm enough at any point.

Have synthesizers, will travel...
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December 12, 2025 07:20PM
This time of year.. in Southern CA the temps will drop into the 40's at night. The high desert is better, it only really gets close to freezing for a couple nights in any given year. you can empty your pipes in the water system and they won't freeze, the freshwater tank won't freeze unless it's very close to empty. Ask me how I know..

I don't know about FL, and we all remember just a couple years ago when the entire state of TX froze and kids died because their parents just stuck them in their beds with blankets rather than keeping everyone together for the body heat.

If I were homeless again, and living in an RV, I think I would start heading toward Sandy Eggo this time of the year, spend most of January there and then slowly work my way back East and North until April or May.
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December 13, 2025 03:26PM
I've cut back on mystery shopping in all seasons. I pretty much just look for a shop or two when I'm already out and about. Since the busiest time for substitute teaching is flu season, I'm out and about a fair amount.

But if it's starting to snow after school, I head home rather than checking for a shop. Maybe a gas station on the way.

Cold is a given until the end of March lol

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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December 13, 2025 03:37PM
One winter there was a travel trailer parked in a campground by the highway all winter. -30 °C is not uncommon here and -40 happens. I can't imagine how they managed.

Though when I lived in oil field part of Alberta. People did stay in their trailers. That was at a campground with power hookups. It also had water/sewer. Not sure if they could use that in the winter. But there was a building with toilets, showers, laundry room. They had well skirted trailers and I'm assuming trailers that were built for winter use with good insulation. These are mostly workers who work two weeks in and one week off to go home.

When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.
Alexander Den Heijer
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December 14, 2025 02:24AM
The high here tomorrow is supposed to be 30 degrees.. after going down into the teens tonight. And I have 2 shops scheduled for daylight hours in a city far, far away. It may not warm up enough for me to get my car out of the driveway if it's still frozen. I guess I'll find out.
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December 14, 2025 03:03AM
I don't mind shopping indoor locations during cold weather, but tonight I had a parking lot that had to be done in the evening, and I sure was cold killing time before I could return to pick up my car. I'll be rethinking how many of these shops I do until it gets warmer.
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December 14, 2025 03:51AM
I am at the point that if it is below freezing (32F) I am not doing anything outside that takes much more than 5 minutes (like the Citgo 2 picture credit receipt job).

We are in a freeze all Dec here in MI and it is not even (technically) winter yet.

I can remember being outside for 45 minutes a job (gas stations) in the low 20s and 25mph gusts. That was for Maritz who, overall, were nice people.

No more outside work of that nature for me anymore.
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December 16, 2025 05:54PM
Right now we are in the teens and yes, it deters me. I picked up two presto shops this morning and I am currently at work thinking.. do I really want to do these after work when the temp drops even more? Not a fan of the cold plus there is snow and ice on the ground and the parking lots are a mess because nobody knows how to clear a parking lot with a plow.

So yes.. it deters me but my bank account often tells me to get over it.
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December 16, 2025 08:35PM
We are having a huge warm up today. Almost 40 degrees and sunny!
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December 16, 2025 09:32PM
Ours will be here tomorrow for a couple days before dropping back...even reports of a record high on Friday! woot!
Reminds me a bit of my mom....she used to go to Florida for winter and call us to compare temps....the colder it was in the north, the more she felt like it was all worth it lol..she was funny.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on
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December 17, 2025 02:17AM
We get 2 days of about 40s then back in the 20s Fri. I am hoping to be done for the year by the end of the week but good paying stuff keeps popping up.

Being in MI a little global warming has not hurt my feelings over the last 30 years. I moved to MI away from better winter weather in 81.

The change in winter since then has been awesome. It makes SE MI a good place to live for 7 months a year. One of these years I am going to find a place in a major market down south and go hang out and work for a few months.

I am eligible for SS on Xmas, so maybe next winter.
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December 17, 2025 01:32PM
it's changed here too....good for the people, not so great for those in the snowmobile business or ski resorts....they have lost money.

Life was passing like a hand waving from a train I wanted to be on
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