We love living here in Knoxville and have enjoyed our snow days every year! Snow may not be everyone’s favorite and I don’t blame those who dislike the disruption it can cause. My family, however, loves our occasional snow days here in East Tennessee.
After a few years of prepping for the snow, I have learned a few things along the way and I’m always looking for more ideas.
First thing I would advise is to check your weather and as soon as you see snow predicted in the forecast, double check your pantry for soup-making supplies, hot cocoa, and any other cold day meals and treats you want to have. I usually make a run to the local grocery store about a week out to grab those things, but I try not to panic buy. You do not want to be in the grocery stores trying to get items the day of or day before the predicted snow if you can help it. It gets crazy busy and they may run out of your go-to items. More often than not, you really only need stuff for the week of the snow event so you aren’t having to drive on the roads more than necessary. If you live in one of the higher-elevation spots, snow and ice may take longer to melt, so plan accordingly.
Also, if you tend to lose power in your area keep that in mind. In addition to food, I have my husband check our wood pile stock outside to make sure we’re set for cozy fires after playing in the snow. My neighbors advised that we keep the driveway shoveled so it’s not harder to get vehicles out if it melts and refreezes. We missed our chance this go-round and thankfully didn’t have to leave the house. I will be buying my husband a snow shovel for next time though.
Next, we check our snow clothes tub. This tub stores away in our garage for snowy days because we just don’t need these items that often. I like to have snow bibs, waterproof snow jackets, waterproof snow mittens for snowman building, kids’ shovels and sleds, light ski masks for wind protection, and snow boots. My kids have been steadily outgrowing our stash, so I got a few more items from Amazon as soon as I could. We also found the cutest little reusable snowman-making kit from Target that has wooden mittens, a hat, carrot nose, and buttons (we save the regular carrots on hand to go in the soup). You can make do without some of these items, and I’ve seen gently-used snow attire on Facebook Marketplace and at Karm if you’re looking to save on extras.
Once the snow day hits, brace yourself for the kids running in and out of the house! Mine have left snow puddles, mud, and whatever else comes in through the door and down the hallway with them. After a day or two, the snowy mess adds to the chaos of a changed schedule in the event of a snow day(s). I finally came up with a system to cut down on tracking wet snowy mush through the house. We do not have a dedicated mudroom, but contrary to what you might think, if you binge interior design on social media, it’s not absolutely necessary to contain outdoor clothing items and mess!
First, I got a portable clothes hanging rack for hanging up their snow bibs and jackets by the door. My husband and I lined an old towel by each entry to the house to catch the melting snow. A mud tray sits at the bottom of the clothing rack so they can take their boots off at the door and stack them there. The gloves, hats, and scarves go in a basket by the door. This solved the majority of our problems with piles of wet snowy clothes sitting on the floor. 
