Relentless snow, freezing temperatures, and vehicles in ditches all along the highways — Michigan winters are something people from other states just can’t understand until they’ve survived one. The struggle is real.

Scraping your windshield with anything you can find Anything can become an ice scraper if you try hard enough. CD, credit card, spatula — whatever! Photo via Flickr, user Robeeena
Snow covering your seat when you open the car door You have to open door to get the scraper, but if you open your door snow falls all over your seat — see the problem? It’s an unavoidable issue. Photo via Instagram, user eric.deschamps.photographie
Parking spaces become snow banks The plow trucks have to pile the snow somewhere, giving us less parking spaces but more mounds of snow. If we need to climb the highest mountain of snow to park, then so be it. MT file photo
Having to shovel your walk after you shovel your walk “Will the snow ever end?” you ask yourself as you push your old plastic shovel past your mailbox for the fourth time that day. MT file photo
Salt stains on everything you own Don’t get us wrong, we’re grateful for the salt on the roads and sidewalks. So, thanks to all you conscientious Michiganders who don’t want us cracking our heads on your property. But salt stains quickly become an unwanted winter accessory when we can’t even take a day to wash our “big coat” thanks to constant subzero temperatures. Photo via Rodale’s Organic Life
That random 50 degree day Sun’s out, guns out. We’re not afraid to wear shorts and barbecue outside on the only warm day of the month. We gotta get that Vitamin D while we can! Plus, we’ll probably get another three inches of snow within the week . Photo via bbqbarbecues.co.uk
Letting your cute shoes go into hibernation Having to sacrifice fashion for function is the hardest decision of the season. Michigan winters aren’t as picturesque as Instagram makes them seem. Photo via Instagram, user rocheteausandra
Not knowing whether that’s an innocent pile of snow or a curb that’ll ruin your tire Everything’s covered in snow. There’s a lump here, a pile there, who knows what’s what. Photo via SimcoeReformer.ca
Those a-holes who don’t remove the snow from their car roofs You’re pretty much in a white-out if you’re stuck behind them on the freeway. It’s like your own personal snowstorm. Photo via NBC
Aggressive pickup truck drivers Look buddy, we get it, you have a big car, but some of us are just trying to get from point A to point B without wiping out. Cut us some slack! Photo via The Odyssey Credit: Photo via The Odyssey
Lack of sunlight It’s dark out when you drive to work. It’s dark when you get home. Nothing sounds better than making yourself into a blanket burrito and hibernating until spring. Photo via Instagram, user Eat_Kaye_Love
Black ice Just when the roads seem clear, you hit a patch of undercover ice and your life flashes before your eyes. Photo via Mashable
Forgetting your lip balm at home Cracked lips are one of the most painful and annoying symptoms of a Michigan winter, and leaving the house without that trusty tube of lip balm means dry lips for the rest of the day. Photo via Home Remedies
Cabin fever Winter is the perfect excuse to cancel plans and hole up indoors, but after a while we’re itching to get out — even if we have to freeze our tushes off. Photo via Momtastic.com
Having to awaken 20 minutes early to warm up your car Winter forces us to choose between two evils — lose out on precious zzzs or suffer through a bone-chilling commute. Photo via CarBattery.org
Fighting off the flu and other seasonal illnesses With people spending more times indoors, contagious illnesses hop from person to person like fleas at a dog pound. Hand sanitizer becomes an essential daily item and sharing drinks is elevated to a criminal offense. Photo via Greatest.com
The “winter uniform” you wear every single day What’s the point of wearing different outfits when they all get covered in the same coat, scarf, and boots every day? Photo via LifeSucksinaStraplessBra.com
Knowing that no matter how bad the snow is, it’s always worse Up North The snow never seems to end in places like Marquette and Houghton. We get three inches, they get 13. Photo via Travel Marquette Michigan
Making left turns in slow motion Left turns require concentrated effort, especially in winter when everyone’s doing more slipping and sliding than driving. Please be patient. Photo via Travelers.com
30 minute commutes become 3-hour commutes every. Single. Time. It. Snows. Between rush hour, black ice, accidents, and that a-hole who didn’t brush the snow off the roof of his car, commutes quickly become a never-ending purgatory every time it snows. Photo via Wired
Crazy crater-sized potholes Swerve at the last second or have your entire suspension system rocked by these holes in the road that seem to spring up out of nowhere. Photo via Twitter, user MichiganPothole

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