With the blustering winds of November here, you know that winter is just around the corner. Of course, with the change in the weather forecast higher heating prices are sure to follow, which isn’t exactly great for your budget in the already financially tight holiday season. Of course, there are ways to bring some heat to your home without ever turning the thermostat on. These simple methods to avoid the high cost of your heater are pretty easy to follow and shouldn’t cost you much, if anything. Now, you can embrace the cold weather and find that the season of snow and ice doesn’t have to mean burning money just to stay warm.
1. Run the Dryer
Doing laundry, for some families, is an everyday occurrence. Even if you don’t find yourself loading laundry every day, you can still reap some benefits from the common chore. That is, of course, the joy of the dryer. Generally, if you run the dryer it tends to heat up any room in the house, which means you have a great space to hang out when you don’t want to spend three times as much to run the heater. So, when you’re doing laundry try to move the family into the area in which the machine is going. If you live in an apartment this shouldn’t be very hard, but larger homes may pose problems especially if the laundry area is located in the garage or basement. If you plan to use your dryer to heat up the home then you may want to add a little strategy into your chore. For instance, running a load in the morning could help heat up the home as everyone gets ready to prep for the day. Also, running another load at night when the home gets very cold again will help cut down on your desire to turn up the heat. Not to mention, you can always wash sheets before bedtime, so they’re nice and warm when it’s time to sleep. Also, drying jackets, school clothes and work attire in the morning will help everyone feel cozy first thing in the morning.
2. Bake
When it comes to the cold season, nothing says home quite like a nice baked meal or homemade desserts straight from the oven. Of course, the food is a delicious way to come together as a family, but the baking is another way to add a bit of heat to the home. Try to come up with a few meals that allow you to bake for dinner and breakfast, in order to give the home a little boost in the coldest portions of the day. You may also want to consider baking your own bread during this season. It will cut down on your heating bill as well as your grocery bill, which will help you save even more. You may even get the whole family involved in the baking to help make it a family event that will ensure everyone gets to enjoy the warmth. The warm foods you put on the table will also help warm up your family, which will help them feel more comfortable as the temperature drops.
3. Bring on the Layers
As the weather gets colder, you should try to embrace your fashion sense to help cut down on the heating bill. There’s no law that says you can’t wear more than one sweater, or even a jacket in the home, especially if it helps save you money. Kids will usually quickly embrace this idea, especially if you let them choose the clothing on their own. It may even help to add some warmer items to their dress up clothes. You may also want to consider onsie pajamas for the entire family. These are designed to keep the body as warm as possible and will improve your comfort levels. Of course, you may want to keep in mind that most heat escapes from the head and feet. So, a nice pair of thick socks, slippers or a beanie can really help keep your body feeling nice and warm.
4. Add Some Curtains
This year, you may want to think about boosting your décor for the winter months. Curtains are one of your best defenses against the outdoor cold. Of course, you may want to start looking for thicker drapes if you tend to have a lot of problems with drafts during the winter months. Curtains actually help block out the wind, which will add more heat to your home without costing you anything more than the curtain’s price. Darker curtains are great for this time of the year too. Basically, they tend to soak up the heat from the sun, which can be redistributed into your home. You may want to leave the curtains open on particularly sunny days, but if it’s cold, rainy or particularly windy, simply close the curtains and let them do their job. You won’t be disappointed.
5. Light a Fire
Lighting a fire to keep warm is pretty much a tale as old as time, right? So, why not utilize this timeless tradition to cut down on the amount of money you spend on heating. Sitting around a warm fire with the family is a great way to bond and share a comforting experience with everyone. Of course, you should keep a few things in mind when you do this. First, you should shut all the doors in the home to help maximize the heat into the main room. This will also help prevent other rooms in the home from growing unbearably cold. You should also consider saving money by finding cheap or free wood online. If you surf the classifieds for your area, you should be able to find a few people who will gladly give you their wood in order to get it out of their space. You can also use wood from your own yard, especially if you’ve recently trimmed the trees in your space. Don’t forget, you have to clean your fireplace from time to time too, in order to prevent fires from occurring.
6. Exercise
Your winter body doesn’t have to make its annual appearance, especially if you’re trying to save a bit of money this season. Rather than gaining a few pounds over the winter season, you might want to use this cold period to amp up your workout routine. With the cold weather working against you, one of the best ways to actually stay warm is to move your body. Thus, exercise will help you spike your temperature for longer than you think. You don’t have to do a full on workout every time you’re feeling cold though; however, you can help combat the heat by doing a few jumping jacks, pushups or sit ups whenever you’re feeling on the cold side. Some exercises are actually designed to help you stay warm though. For instance, the breathing work yoga promotes can warm up the body and leave you feeling more comfortable than you thought possible. If you’re feeling a bit tired though, meditation is another great alternative that will help you bring up your body’s comfort level.
7. Enjoy a Warm Beverage
There’s no doubt about it, having a warm beverage can do a whole lot for your comfort level when it’s cold outside. Thus, rather than spiking the heater up to a higher temperature, you may want to consider making yourself something warm to drink. Hot chocolate, coffee and black tea are some of the more common choices, but you can also use this season to help you benefit your health. For instance, rather than drinking cup after cup of coffee which is packed with caffeine, you can keep it lighter with green tea. Green tea will actually boost your metabolism, which will help you feel even warmer. You might also want to try hot lemon water. This low calorie beverage will help rehydrate you, but it is also amazing for your digestive health. If you’re feeling a little hungry then consider having some soup or stew in a cup. The warmth of the food will warm your insides while the cup will help bring heat to your hands, which will help out even more.
8. House Inspection
If you’re worried your heat is going straight out of the home, then you may want to consider getting a home inspection before the weather starts to get really bad. Sometimes, your insurance company or power company will send someone out, but if not you might want to browse around for coupons or to see who has the best price. The inspector will go over your insulation and make sure you don’t have a problem with your heater, fireplace or drafts in the home. You can do some of this work yourself if you’re worried about the cost of such an inspection. There’s even a lot of websites that will show you how to DIY some of the fixes, so you can save even more!
9. Hot Water Bottle
Sometimes, when it comes to staying warm, an old school trick is the best way to go. In order to avoid turning up the heater before going to bed, all you need is a hot water bottle to help regulate the heat in the bed. Simply add the hot water bottle to the bottom of the bed and enjoy the extra warmth it brings to your feet. Hot water bottles are generally pretty cheap at most stores and you can even find special ones to suit your children’s needs and interests. Of course, if you want to save even more money, there’s some awesome DIY hot water bottles that will make you want to craft a few for each room. Some of these can even be made without using a bit of water, which adds to your frugal way of life. You can even knit your own hot water bottle cooshie, to help bring even more comfort to your winter nights.
10. Rotate Your Fans
One thing most people do that costs them a lot in the energy department is forgetting to switch your fans’ rotation. Generally, you keep the fan on a counter clock wise setting in the summer because it helps circulate air while also cooling it down. This isn’t something you want when it’s pretty cold out though. By switching the fan to clockwise, you’ll still be able to circulate air, but the fan won’t cool the air down. Thus, the hot air that is in the air will be moved around the home, which will mean your heater won’t have to work as hard. This is sure to keep your power bills down and will make the house feel more comfortable when it comes to the breathability of each room.
Winter time doesn’t have to mean forking over lots of money to your electric or gas company because the heater needs to be on full blast. In fact, if you’re willing to put a little extra effort into your day, you may get away with no heating or the bare minimum on most of the winter days. This will not only help you financially, but will help reduce your carbon footprint, which is always a good thing. So, grab your favorite coat and hot water bottle and enjoy your homemade warmth.
