Keeping Warm without the Heat
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Update: This post originally ran 11/12/13, but I am exhausted and fighting a cold, so I thought it would be nice to run this oldie but goodie.
Now that winter is around the corner, we all know chilly days are up ahead if they aren't already here for some people. If you're like me, you're really, really trying to save money. Last winter was particularly long, so we got accustomed to getting creative on how to keep warm without heat. Here are some tips I learned. Fortunately, some of them go hand in hand with having a cozy home for winter!
- Firstly, always wear socks and hats. Heat escapes out of your outer extremities. Just wearing socks and hats keeps heat insulated in your body. Plus, it just looks warm.
- Change your bedding to flannel sheets. Reason is obvious. They are cheap at Target.
- Speaking of sleeping, if you have pets, let them sleep with you. Once we allowed both dogs to sleep on the bed, the extra body heat from them kept us really toasty.
- Drink lots of hot tea. Tea is inexpensive, and herbal teas can be pretty healthy for you. Other hot drinks can include cider and coffee, but tea is typically calorie free and can be caffeine free.
- Let food simmer on the stove or use the oven! Not only do you have a hot dinner every night (which also keeps you warm!), but cooking produces a small amount of heat throughout the apartment. In fact, cooking your own meals in general will warm up your home. Need a recipe idea? Visit my cooking blog for lots of cozy recipes.
- Dress in layers. Yeah, wear thermal underwear or fleece pajama bottoms around the home. It really helps.
- When showering, don't use the fan. Let the humidity leak out into the home and provide extra warmth.
- And I am assuming you know to weather strip the place. Or, if you are really lazy, rolled up towels in the window sills help a ton!
- Exercise! Or just clean house! Sitting in front of the TV doesn't make your blood pump.
- Let in the light. During the day, keep all curtains and blinds open to let in sunlight. At night, close them again to trap the heat. If it really gets cold, try pinning a thick blanket above your window if you don't have curtains
Good luck and keep warm. Nothing like wearing warm socks, a hat, and hoodie to bed in December. :)
P.S. Changes are coming... things will be wonky for a few days. I may be ill, but I can still fool around with name changes and such, ha!
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
