Oooh its chilly here in central Ohio. We have a fire blazing and we are all bundled in our warm sweaters and slippers. Occassionaly I slip on some fingerless wool gloves because overall we are not keen on big winter heating bills so we keep things rather chilly in the house and seal off sections to conserve our heat. My oldest son moved to the guest room so that all 3 of the kiddos can be in the warmest section of the house….where we are diverting the heating ducts.
So just like many other budget and eco conscious families we turn down the thermostat as low as we can get away with. I find here are many small things you can do to help keep things cozy and warm while saving money at the same time.
1. Plug drafts with caulking and weather stripping.
2. Use left over bubble wrap by placing it inside windows to act as an insulator.
3. Put clear plastic dome covers over basement window wells to keep cold air out and allow solar heat in.
4. Hang some blankets or quilts inside window frames with adjustable shower rods to insulate and stop drafts. Roll small ones up to use as draft stoppers for doors and window sills. Add a blanket or two to the top of your mattress just underneath the fitted sheet and you have a homemade pillow top bed.
5. Sweaters – Look for cheap, 100% wool sweaters at thrift stores. I have found many for $1-$2 a piece. You can wear them of course but you can also do so much more. Use them make wool pants or diaper covers for babies and toddlers using the sleeves as legs. Make pillowcases or throw blankets by patching the leftover pieces together.
So what’s your favorite stay warm tip or trick?
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Love all the tips!!! yes it’s been starting to get very cold over here and we are not going to put our heat before Jan !!!! and we already have snow!
We use a a valve to save the heat from our dryer to heat some of the house!
Cooking and baking everything from scratch is helping to warm up the kitchen
Slippers are a good way to stay warm
heating washroom help because you could do stuff around the house to stay warm but going there you need to be a bit warm at least!
We have a tone of windows in our house, so in the summer we use slik drapes, and the winder we use fleace.
Thanks for the tips
Make your own Ankle/Wrist socks, but taking the old holey socks, cutting the foot portion, leaving behind just the ankle part. Put them on your ankles or wrist, (since we lose our body heat thru our hands, feet and head.)
Black thick socks really do the trick and look decent. It keeps me so warm, and I don’t have to use my undergarment layer.
And they are easy to take off when you get too warm.
Cut a Slit for your thumb to be xtra groovy, and sow the tattered edges with a different color! These are my favorites.
We started using the woodstove again this year. It keeps the front part of the house, where we are all day, heated. At night, we use an electric blanket in our room. We also use a programmable themostat so it’s nice to not think about that.