A shovel in the garage costs nothing until the storm arrives at six in the morning and somebody has to clear Mom's front walk and steps before she heads out. This decision is less about the snow and more about the mornings. Count those first.

Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.

Count the mornings, not the storms

Think back over the last few winters, or check your phone calendar if you keep one. How many times did snow or ice hit on a workday, or on a morning when you could not get to Ballwin before the walk froze over? Those are the mornings the plan has to cover. A plan that works on a Saturday and fails on a Tuesday at dawn is not a plan.

List the tools and who can use them

Walk the property and write down what exists: a shovel that fits the width of the walk, a pusher, a bag of salt or ice melt that is safe for the surfaces, and a way to reach the steps and the mailbox. Then check who can physically use each one. A heavy shovel that only you can lift leaves the job with a single way to fail. Note which tasks take the longest, like the steps and the path to the driveway, and which take minutes.

Be honest about your own lift

Think about what your body can handle on a wet, heavy morning. Snow that has been packed down or has melted and refrozen is much harder to move than fresh powder. If you or anyone in the house has a back or heart condition, that is a question for that person's own doctor, not something this list can answer. Either way, count the time and effort as part of the job.

If you hire it, get the trigger in writing

A plow or clearing service sets its own rules. Ask what starts a visit: a set depth of snow, any measurable precipitation, or a phone call from you. Ask whether they clear the steps and the path to the mailbox or only the drive, whether salt is included, and whether anyone comes back after the first pass when ice forms. Ask how to reach them at night and how long they say it will take to arrive. Write the answers down and compare them against the mornings you counted.

The Start here page lays out a simple order for sorting out a household job like this one.