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Money-saving tips to keep your home warm this winter!
Fill up a rubber hot water bottle while you’re doing the dinner dishes and seal it tightly, or microwave a bean bag. Slip it between your sheets to preheat your bed, or keep it on your lap, and you’ll feel warm all evening.
Two words: flannel sheets
They never feel cold when you get into bed; they retain your body heat all night long, and after a couple of washes they’re so soft it feels like you’re sleeping in a warm, cozy cloud. Pile it on Add extra blankets to your bed, and consider an electric one! It costs cents to run an electric blanket all night. It takes a
LOT of cents to run a heater for even one hour.
Comfort over couture
Sure, those leggings are comfortable, but you’ll also be cold in them! Looser fitting clothing traps more of your body heat, which helps you stay warmer. Go for multiple layers of natural fiber clothing and save the spandex/Lycra for later.
Let it sit
After a hot bath, let the water sit in the bath until it reaches room temperature. Not only will the heat from the water warm your bathroom, but it will also help increase your home’s humidity — something that makes the air feel warmer AND helps prevent painful winter-dry skin. After cooking dinner, prop the oven open to release its heat into the kitchen. Do the same with the clothes dryer and dishwasher, too. Just k eep an eye on small children.
Open the curtains on the sunny side of your house during the day, and the radiant heat will help warm your home. Close them before sunset to trap the heat indoors and shut out the nighttime chill.
Drink up… properly
Hot tea or coffee and soup are all delicious ways to feel warm. But skip the alcohol: you’ll feel warm at first as blood rushes to the surface of your skin — which is why your cheeks look so rosy after a few sips — but when the alcohol prevents your blood vessels from constricting you’ll quickly begin losing body heat.
Spin it backward
Since heat rises, reversing your ceiling fan will pull the warm air from the ceiling and send it down to where you want it.
Don’t just sit there
Not feeling energetic enough to do a major cleaning? Then do a few one-minute chores throughout the day. You’ll get your blood pumping, and your home will look nicer.
Snuggle up
(Ideally under blankets) with your spouse, kids, and pets. By sharing body heat, you’ll all stay warm!
