We’ve been pretty lucky so far in Monroe, Mich., this winter with little snow so far.

But you all know better. At some point during the next few weeks, there will be a snowstorm or multiple snowstorms that disrupt routines in southeast Michigan. Families who are running on a paycheck to paycheck basis do need to plan ahead for this reality. Disruptions in routines can mean more out-of-pocket expenses than usual, and it’s best to minimize the impact by planning ahead.

Here are some tips on how to deal with southeast Michigan winter weather expenses and keep your wallet intact:

• Sign your cell phone up for free weather alerts. I’m signed up with the service at weather.com. The sooner you know bad weather is on the way, the quicker you can discuss backup plans among the family, reschedule errands, and make sure you have enough milk or diapers or whatever your everyday needs are.
• Sign your cell phone (and the kids’ cell phones) for school closing alerts. Your school office can tell you which services they subscribe to.  My daughter really enjoyed getting 5:30 a.m. text messages on her phone when she was in high school and Monroe Public Schools would close for the day. Monroe County Community College also is among the colleges that have emergency texting services.
• Look over the disaster supply recommendations. The Red Cross has a list for winter weather. Now, as I said during tornado season, there’s a good chance you already have a lot of that stuff already on hand. So just double-check your inventories both at home and in your vehicles and re-arrange supplies as needed.
• Discuss with the children what to do in case school is canceled on short notice. This is critical if the kids rely on you – or a carpool – to get back and forth to class or the bus stops. Remember that 2-hour delays are usually issued by the local schools before a closing notice is issued. It also can happen that schools send children home early if afternoon weather conditions worsen fast.
• Find out what your workplace and school plans are in case of snow alerts. Here’s the biggie for the commuters: Ohio has a snow emergency plan that does affect Michigan residents who commute to work or school or otherwise travel across the state line. My husband has been twice stranded at relatives’ homes in Ohio, rather than making it home to Michigan, when Level 3 snow emergency conditions were issued in the Toledo area. Even the Ohio Turnpike was shut down on one of those occasions.