On the Cheap: Winter Woes

There's nothing like the icy chill of a raindrop on the back of your neck as you leave for work. And then your umbrella won't open when you get to the train station, so you have to run back to your car and get the other one, and more 40-degree water pellets creep down the collar of your jacket. Ah, yes: nothing like Thanksgiving weather in October. I've given up on hoping for normalcy at this point. All I can do is prepare for winter, which has decided to crash the party early.

Etsy really came through today and took away some of the grumps. Starting top left: the tan, cloche-y hat is $8.50, the striped set is $10 for all three pieces, the gloves (which are real leather AND fur-lined) clock in at $9, and the corduroy fedora will set you back $8. All useful things for warding off this "fall" weather.

By the way, I've heard conflicting things about how cold it's supposed to get this year. The Farmer's Almanac claims it'll be brutal, but the Weather Channel says mild days are ahead. I usually side with modern technology, but I'm worried since the predictions are opposites. Your thoughts?