Please educate a Southerner!

[sirron]

Originally Posted by deanat30

Oh ok..that makes sense. How often should we do it to protect our vehicles? I always heard that cars from up north have a special protective undercoating..do we need to have that done to ours to prevent it rusting?

Just run your vehicles through the wash whenever you notice any buildup of salt, which will dry a dull white-gray color. Blech! But, like someone else said, don't wash 'em when it's sub-zero, or you'll not get the doors open for a while.
Not sure about the protective undercoating, as cars are made in so many different locations, and shipped everywhere. I suppose you could get one applied.


I'm glad you brought up the heating question because I have wondered about some things. Our rental has gas heat but several of the houses we are looking at buying have oil heat. I've been told it is very expensive (like $800/mo) so I wonder why people don't convert and put in electric or gas heat?

We have propane heat, which is a bit cheaper than oil. We use a year-around savings account fund to pre-pay for an entire year's worth when it's cheapest in the summer months. That way, we just call for delivery when needed.

[GaBison2007]

Originally Posted by deanat30

We are moving to NY/PA this weekend from Georgia and I'm clueless on how to dress my family for winter. Can someone please take pity on me and give me the scoop? Starting from head to toe. Do kids wear blue jeans to school in the winter? Any advice is welcome. Thanks!

I'm a "Northern" Georgian as well! The word is LAYERS, LAYERS, AND MORE LAYERS...my big mistake was buying a big monstrous heavy coat and wearing it with like one sweater and thinking that'd be good...Nope, suprisingly wearing 1 undershirt, 2 t-shirts, and 1 sweater with a fairly decent coat actually did the trick better...I live in DC so you may need even more layers..Long Johns are a must and invest in some nice knee high boots and put em inside your jeans/pants, 2 or 3 layers of socks.......

GLOVES ARE NECESSARY--no ifs and or buts on that...don't get the cheap kind either but the insulated ones. Also hats are nice but for the REALLY rough days....they dont cover your ears or your cheeks nearly as much as they should..Get something like this
Amazon.com: 2 in 1 Knit Ski Beanie Skull & Face Mask Hat 2ply Black: Clothing

and be sure your coats have an adjustable hoodie...you'll feel like a warm fetus with the combination of the hoodie and face mask while everyone's lips are being blown away...

[hashford]

i always buy a can of waterproofing to spray all my boots and shoes for the winter..little extra protection for my feet.

[jasper12]

with the combination of the hoodie and face mask

Just don't go into the bank this way!