Can you even believe that it’s already fall?

I know this doesn’t come as a surprise to anybody but the older I get, the faster time passes, and as cliche as it is, I feel as if it was just February. 

I remember so clearly the anticipation of leaving my contract and my birthday and going on a extended trip to Europe. 

I remember launching my other site, Unsettle, back in January and it’s now almost the fourth quarter of the year. 

I’ll stop reminiscing to say that since fall has happened upon us rather unexpectedly, I think we should open up a conversation about winter. 

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I can say without a doubt that we tend to spend more money in the winter months. This wasn’t something that I was always aware of but our spending goes way up in the cold months for a few different reasons.

Heat and Electricity

We live in a climate that experiences an honest-to-God winter so we spend substantially more on heat and lights (since it gets darker earlier) that our summer months. I also use my dryer and oven more since my outdoor clothesline and BBQ are not available for usage when it’s, you know, snowing. This is an expense we have always budgeted for year-round, so I don’t really notice this expense but not everyone does.

Eating Out

If I’m being honest we eat out a lot more in the winter. It’s Friday, and cold, and pitch black at 5pm, I want to be home in my pj’s watching hockey as soon as possible, pizza it is! Where, in the summer I have way more energy and look forward to hanging out on the deck while we cook some burgers on the grill and don’t care that we don’t sit down to eat our meal until 8pm. Eating out wins more times than not in winter.

Healthcare

We are generally a healthy family. We rarely get sick but this year our family was nailed with illness like I’ve never experienced. The mother of all cold viruses attacked us for almost three months and it was awful. I’m eternally grateful that we have universal healthcare in Canada so I talk very loosely about healthcare expenses around my American cohorts, but my husband and I spent an easy $100 on additional medication costs this year. Advil, cough medication, antibiotics, sinus medication, dehumidifiers, I don’t think I spent $100 in the five previous years on these types of expenses. I felt like I would get my paycheque and head right to the pharmacist with it. While we’re mostly illness free, for now, it’s been an expensive three months.

Clothing

In the summer my footwear of choice is a $2 pair of flip flops. Obviously this won’t do in the winter. If you’ve ever experienced winter for any length of time you know you need good boots, the $20 ones from WalMart will not come close to cutting it. Despite living in this climate almost my entire life, it’s been a long time since I owned proper winter boots (the ones you can walk through wet, gross slushy snow after a storm and have dry warm feet and not care what they look like, aka not cute leather boots you spent a mint on). After an awful winter last year, I vowed to save my toes and protect them. I found great pair 40% off and still paid $79.99 for them. Since using them in the snow I’m very happy with my decision but hated dropping the $91.99 on them (yes living with 15% sales tax sucks too).

I really do enjoy living in a four-season climate but am looking forward to the warmer, less expensive months that’s for sure. Do you find you spend more money in the winter?