No matter where you live or what type of home you live in, severe summer storms can quickly put your home out of commission. Being prepared, even just a little bit, is the smart thing to do. Here is a checklist and some advice to make sure Mother Nature doesn’t leave you in a lurch.

Flashlights, batteries and a good old-fashioned, battery-operated radio. This is the most basic of basic needs when the power goes out and the best way to keep informed on what is going on. It’s a good idea to have at least three working flashlights in your home with fresh batteries and a spare set for each one.

Back-up power, another useful asset to have in reserve, comes in many shapes and sizes. Portable, gas-powered generators can keep pumps, refrigerators and some lights going when the power is out. It’s important to buy the right size, place it at least 10 feet away from your home and never in an enclosed area. Also, you’ll need proper-sized extension cords — 12-gauge minimum to power a large appliance like a refrigerator or small AC unit.

These units can range in price from $600-$1,500. Whole-house installed generators are the easiest ways to keep your home running.  These systems kick on automatically and can power most if not all of your home depending on the size of the unit. They typically run on natural or propane gas. They range in price from $4,000-$15,000 installed.

Food and water: It might sound a little apocalyptic, but this is an easy one to do. Keep a six-pack of water for each person in your home. That’s about a two to three day supply and allows you some breathing room. As for food, keep it simple and choose things that can last — again, for a two to three day supply. Granola bars, canned fruit and raisins are just a few examples.

These few steps can keep you prepared and ready, and the best thing that could happen is that you’d never need any of this.

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The brilliant hues of fall arrive and the suddenly dark and chilly mornings mean that the holiday season will arrive sooner than you can say “thaw the turkey.” Anyone who has hosted a holiday gathering will tell you that without proper planning, what is supposed to be a joyous coming together of friends and family can turn into a social disaster.

As a host or hostess, not only are you inviting people into your home, but you’re also inviting the potential for stress into your life. To help you and your guests enjoy the holidays, we’ve compiled a list of tips and a couple of links to help keep the stress out your party and the joy in your seasons.

Take a look around the house

Are there any jobs or chores that need to be completed to get your home ready for the long, cold winter (assuming you live in a climate that suffers through long, cold winters)? Get them done sooner rather than later. Prepping your house for winter is pretty basic stuff: Check for gaps around windows and doors and seal them up, get your storm windows up, and get your furnace or boiler tuned up. All the good food in the world won’t offset the discomfort felt by your guests if your house isn’t ready for the season.

Start compiling a list (or two, or three)

Remember last year when Aunt Edna showed up with three long-lost cousins and you had just assumed she would be coming alone? Call around and start inviting people to get a feel of how many guests you’ll have. As you begin the process of making shopping lists you will, of course, need to know how many people you’ll have for the gathering. Planning a Thanksgiving dinner is a daunting task, so with that in mind we recommend you check out this article from Real Simple, which gives you comprehensive list of tasks and tricks to make the days leading up to the party go smoothly.

Shop early!

Once you have your guest list solidified, make your shopping list and make a trip to the store for items that might be hard to find as the party approaches. If you have a specific plan for Thanksgiving turkey preparation, be sure to order ahead of time to ensure the bird will be ready when you need it. And while you’re at it, why not make a call to your cleaning service and schedule a house cleaning before the gathering. If you haven’t used a service in the past, think of the hours spent cleaning your house to get ready for the event and decide whether or not you can put a price on that time. And remember, everyone else who uses the service will want their homes cleaned before the holiday, too, so don’t hesitate to get on their calendar now!

Craft a plan and accept a helping hand

Lay out a schedule for the week prior to the party and do your best to stick to it. Don’t wait until Thanksgiving Day to start cooking. Prepare as much as you can in advance and remember, if someone offers to help with the cooking, let them. Do you need to clean the dust off the wine glasses or polish the silver? Recruit your spouse and kids to help with the small tasks, right down to folding napkins, setting the table, and greeting guests. If you’re looking for a great primer on getting organized for the holiday, check out this article titled, fittingly, “How to Stay Sane on Turkey Day: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Thanksgiving.”

Remember whose kitchen it is!

Inevitably, party guests flock to the kitchen – it’s the center of the action, especially early in a gathering. If you’ve ever tried to get a big meal on the table, you know how hard it can be with people hovering over you. Recruit one or two “official” helpers and politely encourage everyone else to take the conversation away from the prep area. Let them know that they’re more than welcome to stick around, but if they do so they will be responsible for the cleanup after dinner. That should move them out quickly!

Get the food out, get the guests seated, and take a moment to relax

As your guests get settled and the food begins to get passed, take a deep breath and relax before heading to the table. The hard work is done and the time has arrived to enjoy your friends and family. You’ve earned (and created) a fantastic gathering and meal. Now about that cleanup…

Photo courtesy of CarbonNYC on Flickr

For our readers in southern coastal regions, hurricane season is always a time for concern. And no matter your location, any sort of severe weather can be cause for concern. We might not be in the thick of hurricane season yet, but it’s never too early to begin your storm-proofing your home.

According to CNN.com’s Gerri Wilson, there are some relatively easy steps that can be taken to make your home as ready as possible for hurricane and storm season. Here are a few:

Get your things inside. Take all the furniture and other outdoor equipment you might have on your patio or deck and bring them inside when strong weather threatens. This also includes trash cans, grills, toys and potted plants. It’s important to keep them from becoming flying objects that can cause additional injury or damage during storms with high winds.

Check your trees. Checking for damage or disease in the trunk or major limbs of your trees before storm season hits is important. They may be near power lines or leaning too severely, which makes them more vulnerable during storms, so they should be looked at and the proper authorities should be contacted if damage or disease is seen. This is a step that could be considered now and it’s a significant step to be taken.

As for windows, Wilson suggests that if you live in a storm-prone area, you may want to think about installing impact-resistant windows designed to withstand flying debris. Marvin’s StormPlus windows and doors meet coastal impact standards and are available in a wide array of beautiful styles.

Photo courtesy of CoreBurn on Flickr