“Do I have enough stuff? Is there a way to make do with what I have right now?” I’m sure many folks in the path of Hurricane Sandy are asking themselves these types of questions right now.

Not 30 minutes before starting this blog post, I ran out to the local drug store to get a few last-minute books and snacks before the wind and rain of Sandy become hazardous. A young man in the store was searching frantically for lamp oil, after he had tried unsuccessfully to find it all over town. As I looked around I noticed that there wasn’t a “D” or “C” cell battery, jar of peanut butter, jug of milk, or loaf of bread in the place. The store shelves were looking bare, which is good in that It means that at least some people are thinking ahead. But it’s also bad. It means that the stores weren’t planning ahead for the demand.

So what if your stash of goodies is not good enough? How do you make do with only what you have? 

Fall is a great time to consider how you should get ready for cold weather emergencies. Blizzards, deep cold snaps, ice storms, late season hurricanes—and combinations of all four, like the Frankenstorm that is predicted to hit the northeast next week—can leave you sitting in the cold, literally, if you are not ready ahead of time.

When you’re not busy hunting, a few nice days of “Indian summer” give you a great chance to stock up on a few cool weather preparations to keep you and your family safe and warm, no matter what kind of weather the next few months might throw at you. Now’s the time to think about stocking up with the following:

For those of us with functional fireplaces or working woodstoves, the impending cold weather doesn’t seem too bad. But most people in America don’t have a stove or operating fireplace. For those who rely on electric heat, or a system that needs electricity to burn fuel, the thought of utility outages and winter storms can be scary.

Here are some important things to consider when heating your home without power.

Any good Bug Out Bag should include a minimum of gear, most of which would be similar to the gear you would take on a backpacking trip.

Just for starters, you need necessary prescription meds; shelter items; 2 to 3 quarts of water, and purification equipment to disinfect more water; fire starters; first aid supplies; spare clothes; and, of course, some food. But that’s where all of the experts’ opinions diverge from a recognizable average into wildly different food lists based on personal preference and influenced by tastes.

MREs are popular for Bug Out Bag food, and they definitely have the high calories and long shelf life that you need. But they are also bulky and heavy.