How Do You Keep Warm?

[cdttmm]

It is time for our annual keeping warm thread! Many of us like to keep our thermostats set as low as possible, so share how it is you keep warm without simply cranking up the heat!

[cdttmm]

We have an outdoor wood boiler and I have little interest in loading it more frequently than necessary, so we keep our heat set at 60 degrees F. Here's how I'm keeping warm this morning:

Wearing sweatpants and a sweat shirt over my pajamas, plus Smartwool socks and slippers, a hat and a down vest. For some reason I was still feeling a bit chilly so I'm sipping hot chocolate and I have a cat on my lap. Soon I should be quite warm and toasty!

[herisf]

Flannel sheets and faux-down comforter on the bed. Afghans and throws everywhere I would sit/recline. Fleece-lined jeans and ankle boots/snow boots for outside, mock turtlenecks/fleece shirts and pants/vests etc for around the house. And one of my dogs always needs to wear some kind of sweater nowadays, as she gets really cold otherwise. I keep the house set at 64 right now, but may move it down a bit. Oh, and on a windy day I need to install the insulating plug covers that I have, just need to figure out which plugs leak the worst. And coffee/tea/hot chocolate always works a treat. When it's really cold, I put on my fingerless gloves when I'm on the computer.

[Mrs-M]

Sweats (tops and pants), long-sleeved shirts/sweaters, long, thick, warm socks, and my favourite quilted comforter! And a cup of piping hot tea! :)

[Merski]

Our house is very cozy though we lived for over 25 years in three very old , drafty & cold domiciles. One trick we have is having two throw blankets where we watch TV. We don't have to fight over one blanket and each cat also has a snuggly place to curl up on when we watch the tube.

[sweetana3]

a friend gave me a hot water bottle and it is a treat. You can use hot tap water or add a little boiling water. Stays warm and is so nice for the hands or feet.

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Sweetana3.
a friend gave me a hot water bottle and it is a treat.What a super idea! Not once have I ever given thought to using the old hot-water bottle as a cozy, while sitting watching TV or relaxing. (Going to rewrite the book on that as of this morning)!

[Simpler at Fifty]

We keep the heat at 67 all the time. The MB is farthest from the thermostat and is about 5 degrees cooler than the living areas. We keep throws by our chairs and one on the couch. DH has arthritis so lowering the heat causes DH to get very achy. I have a lot of hot flashes so my throw is on and off all evening. At night I sleep with the blankets on and off too. We have a down alternative quilt on the bed. It is quite warm on very cold nights.

[kally]

man 60 degrees is so cold. You must be so hearty.

[leslieann]

Yeah, I am impressed with all of you, staying toasty while keeping the heating bill down. I hate feeling cold. One thing that I do know is that I get cold a lot faster when I am tired, so I try to get to bed before I feel totally wiped out (and chilled to the bone). Once in bed, though, the duvet and snuggly jammies are a big help. I will also don socks and hat as needed. When it gets really cold here in January, I may wear my hat around the house, though this year with clients coming to the house I may have to modify my plans a bit.

I wish I were as willing to work with the cold as some posters because I know that you can develop a tolerance and over time it would become easier. I am not there yet. However, I can manage without air conditioning in pretty tough conditions (guess that thread will come up next summer).

[razz]

We set the air-to-air heat pump at 60 once the weather gets cool. It is very cost-effective for the coolish days of early fall and late spring.

For the balance of the cold season, we heat our small ranch with wood. Once the temp drops below freezing, we are using electric heat source so, since we have a woodlot, whoever is up first starts a fire in the airtight fireplace of the LR in early morning which heats up the ground floor of the house very quickly. Around 4pm, DH starts a fire in the airtight stove downstairs which keeps the house warm through the night. Only rarely on the very coldest nights of the year does the electic heat kick in. Occasionally, we need to keep both fires going throughout the day if the wind is really blowing and the temp is realy low.

Since DH has noticed that he is feeling the cold earlier in the season more than he used to, he wears long johns under his pants plus a tshirt, flannel shirt and vest in the house with extra layers for outside. I wear several layers with a sweater or fleece top as well.

What I find really helps me to stay warm is the mile-long walk morning and evening with the dog which gets my circulation going and I am sweating when I get back in the house. I rarely feel cold throughout the day but do drink hot tea frequently with soup for lunch most days.

One bonus is that we use our electric laundry dryer only about 1-2x per year as we simply hang the weekly laundry on racks which adds needed moisture as well.

[Stella]

This is kind of a strange sounding thing, but this time of year I just kind of make myself buck up and get used to the cold. My dad and I were talking about that this morning. Neither of us is making the transition to the winter coat yet because after that it's all over. If you start thinking, "Man it's cold out! It's like 30 degrees!" you'll be dying when it's -20. You know how when it gets to be 40 degrees in fall everyone puts on their coats and when it gets to be 40 degrees in March "(in MN at least) everyone is running around in short sleeves and shorts? Like that. I try to keep that perspective. :)

[redfox]

We heat with wood, and our house is well insulated. Plus, we wear our "cozies" at home... for me, an array of cashmere men's extra long pullover sweaters I find at Goodwill, leggings, and thick socks I knit, plus shearling slippers.

I have many long wool shawls and rebozos I have found at Goodwill over the years that are folded & draped on chairs around the house for use by whomever needs it. (Color coordinated with the room, of course!).

My DH wears his flannel cozies under an über heavy fleece bathrobe my Mom made him years ago, and his shearling slippers. We tend to hang out next to the wood stove, where we both are right now. We keep our bedroom door closed as we like that room cold; sleep is better. We use flannel sheets & have 3 different weights of down comforter.

Our house is very comfy & snuggy. I love heating with wood! We burn about 1.5-2 cords per year. In really cold weather - which in Seattle in 20 degrees F - we do have backup space heaters if needed. We rarely use them.

[redfox]

And of course, it's Seattle! So... it's not that cold here, mostly damp.

[frugal-one]

Also sit with a heating pad on my lap (under the blanket). HATE HATE HATE winter!

[cdttmm]

You must be so hearty.

LOL - thanks, kally, I will take that as a complement! I actually think I'm a total wuss when it comes to the cold. I always think we should be able to keep the house even colder and I am always fantasizing about doing crazy outdoor adventures in the cold (climbing Mt. Everest, racing the Iditarod, etc.), yet I never do these things because I don't want to be THAT cold!

[Tweety]

I do the low thermostat. lots of warm clothes and blankets on the couch bit, but I also have some small electric heaters placed where I don't want to be bundled in a blanket, like at the computer, under the kitchen table, and in the bathroom. They aren't on for long, but give that extra bit of local heat I need in those places. And not to forget the electric mattress pad that gets turned on when I get ready for bed, and turned off when I crawl into that nice pre-warmed nest.

[kally]

second the electric mattress pad. it makes a huge difference.

[redfox]

Let me add sipping a small bit of Kracken spiced rum as I sit by the fire...

[Zoebird]

we have the redfox situation.

wet here, can get chilly, but not terribly cold. houses are poorly insulated. we wear layers indoors, and then we might run our little gas fireplace in the evening for an hour or two before bed.

if it happens to be an exceptionally cold day, and we are spending most of it in the house (rare), then we MIGHT turn the fire on for more hours. :) But, that's not that frequent. it also helps dry the house, though, so that is beneficial.

we haven't used the fire in over. . . uhm, 6 weeks? 8? I can't remember. It's heading toward summer now. We spend most of the time with the windows open. :)

[Zoebird]

oh, and lots of hot tea, lemon/honey/ginger, etc. :D

[Rosemary]

I walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes every morning while checking email and reading the news and that keeps me warm for a few hours. I drink a lot of tea, eat lots of soup. When I feel chilled during the day, I try to do something about it before I really get thoroughly cold... such as use the treadmill, run up and down the stairs, put on an extra layer, etc. Although I haven't gone to my full layers yet, in the coldest season I wear sock liners and wool socks, long johns, and 3 top layers. When I'm writing using the computer in our basement, I will often wear my down vest and put an afghan on my lap. My feet get very cold and I recently bought a new pair of "slippers:" some really fleecy, lightweight pull-on boots that I only wear in the house. Having my feet toasty warm helps the rest of me feel warm. The cats enjoy a warm lap in the winter as much as I enjoy their warmth, too. I asked my MIL for a heated throw for Christmas, which I plan to use to heat up our beds in the evening... more portable than a mattress pad, hopefully the same results.

[Stella]

Rosemary, I agree about slippers. If my feet are cold, forget it. When they are warm I can tolerate much lower temps.

Another thing I like is to put a hot water bottle in my bed near my feet.

[treehugger]

Flannel sheets and an electric blanket on the bed (to "preheat") help us turn the heat off at night. The dogs each get a fleece blanket on top of their comforter and dog bed (they're greyhounds; they have no undercoat and no body fat).

Warm slippers are a must, sometimes with socks, too. Fleece blankets for couch time in the evenings. Lots of layers. A lap cat and snuggly dogs who are allowed on the furniture help a lot. :)

My mom made DH a pair of fleece "wristees" to wear while working on his computer. They help with the dreaded cold "mouse hand."

Kara

[kally]

oh yes, the wristies are good too. Must dig mine out.

[Gardenarian]

I sleep with my dog.

[reader99]

I live in Florida.

[ljevtich]

WOW really great Ideas which will help when we head to Grand Canyon in the spring. But for now, we are in Las Vegas area, where we still have highs in the high 60s, and lows in the high 40s.

Since we volunteer at a National Park (during the winter), our utilities are paid for. We only use the propane to cook with and electric space heaters to keep the RV comfortable. But let me tell you about our layering system with the bed:


5" Mattress
2" Mattress Topper
Flannel sheet
Deep Mattress Pillow-top Cover (works over both mattresses and the flannel sheet)
Fitted Flannel Bottom Sheet
Down Cover with Duvet
Extremely Fluffy (and warm!) Blanket

Two pillows each, one with regular cover and one with a flannel cover to either sleep on or to have on the side to keep out the cold, and a long body pillow to have under the window and to keep our heads away from the wall.

During the night we do not turn on the space heaters or we turn them down low. Usually when I come into the main living area (we have a sliding door that we keep closed at night) it is ~ 52-59 degrees in there. I heat up some water for our teas, coffee and milk, and we have cooked oatmeal in the morning. We usually do a crockpot dinner that lasts for several days.

During the day, we go hiking, or we go to the office where we can get some work done, or we go to the library. It is usually the nights that are the hardest. But we always wear socks and warm clothes.

I will have to look into these things that you wear around your wrists - does anyone have a link to what you are talking about? Thanks!

[treehugger]

I will have to look into these things that you wear around your wrists - does anyone have a link to what you are talking about? Thanks!

Here you go: http://www.wristies.com/

I don't sew, but my mom has made several pairs and they look fairly simple.

Kara

[shadowmoss]

Mostly my solution was to move to Honduras. :) Actually, I'm going to have a difficult time when I come back after being down here. The locals are in heavy coats, wool hats, thick gloves. I did put on a windbreaker this morning over my short sleeves, it was that chilly. I laugh now, but I'll be like that when I go back up north.

A Platypus water bottle can make a good, cheapish hot water bottle. Campers use them for that at night, then have water for the morning breakfast. They are flexible, so work well for feet.

[Acorn]

Those warmers made from socks filled with rice or beans can be really useful. I tend to do burpees or squats when I'm feeling really cold. Amazing what a short burst of high intensity exercise will do to warm up the body.

[Spartana]

I live in So. Calif so I never really get too cold - usually cold only in the mornings and evenings and hot during the day - as much as a 40 degree difference (i.e. 36 last night and 85 today). So I wear stuff that combines both conditions - like now I'm wearing shorts and a tee shirt with a fleece jacket and uggs boots (and have flip flops and running shoes in the car - I'm at a library now). Very Californian :-)! At night I wear a flannel top and cotton shorts to sleep in and keep the thermastat low - throw a flannel blanket over my legs if I get cold. So far I am just sleeping with a sheet and thin bedspread at night, but will add a flannel blanket to that soon.

[frugal-one]

oh... it is 33 degrees now and it is daylight. The dastardly dredges of fall.

[artist]

Layers. Lots of layers. From clothing to bedding layers are the only way to go.

[Rosemary]

time to bump this thread and remind myself the frugal ways to stay warm. Our temps have dropped 40 degrees in the past 2 weeks, and it's been cloudy and blustery.

[SimplyL]

#1 I'm glad my husband will be home this Winter to warm the bed, because last Winter was brutal without him!

#2 I bake on colder days and leave the oven open, after I'm done. It boosts our temperature in our kitchen/dining/living area at the townhouse, at least temporarily.

#3 Dress in layers. Our area can be frigid in the morning and then warm in the afternoon. You never know what you're going to be dealt. In fact, people are still wearing shorts and flip flops. However, the mornings can still get icy and below freezing.

#4 Wearing socks in the house. Something about cold feet can send a family member racing to the thermostat. So, I try to make sure that everyone is wearing thick socks if they start complaining.

Basically, if you're in my household, wearing a tank top, shorts and complaining about how cold it is, you best be getting upstairs and putting some clothes on before you come to me. That really drives me crazy. Husband sometimes is in shorts and no shirt -- 'I'm freezing' -- put a shirt on? (My MIL said that drove her crazy when he lived at home over 20 years ago..he still does this). And my in laws had four children and a tight tight tight budget, so she especially was very careful about the heating bill.

[JaneV2.0]

Wool. Fleece. Space heaters.

[bunnys]

Furnace off at night. On timer and goes on half hour before I get up. Also it's off all day and goes on a half hour before I come home. Then it turns off at 10P. I also close off two rooms during the winter.

I have a heavily made up bed and a dog who sleeps under the covers and a cat who sleeps on top. Use a heating pad at my feet to keep them warm. Wear long underwear when I'm home and sweats and long sleeves and sweaters. Also, frequently wear a hat in the house when I'm at home if it's really cold. Socks with my slippers. Drink lots of hot drinks. But if I'm doing all that and I'm still cold I TURN UP THE HEAT. I am mean when I'm cold.

[SteveinMN]

The mantra at this house is "local heat". We keep the house between 60 and 65 degrees (warmer in the morning when people are rushing around in lighter clothing and on weekends), managed by a setback thermostat (great invention; paid for itself the first year we had it).

We have a heated mattress pad and my wife has an arsenal of down-filled or electric throws, sweaters, slippers, a passive heater in the main bath, and an electric fireplace in the basement that she switches on when she'll be down there for a while (craft corner). I'm perfectly comfortable at 60-65 degrees and my wife is comfortable with all of her heating devices.

[early morning]

DD makes emergency wristies out of worn soxs - cuts off the foot, makes a slit in the heel for the thumb- voila! Depending on the soxs, they last quite a while and are free. DD often wears a metal wrist brace, and these help with padding, too. You can also just cut the fingers out of cheap or worn gloves.

[Kestrel]

Layers. And space heaters. Our home isn't all that efficient (typical subdivision tract home). Sigh. I'm cold and DH is hot/cold (male menopause) :~) and drives me crazy.

[awakenedsoul]

It's still very nice during the day here in Southern California. At night I sleep in a flannel nightgown. I have a down comforter and featherbed mattress on my bed. It's so cozy! I'll put on the flannel sheets tomorrow, once they're washed and line dried. I wear Uggs slippers with wool socks, and a cashmere bathrobe that I bought at T. J. Maxx 10 years ago. My dog slept in the bed last night; I guess she was cold. I have another big dog that will probably join us if the temperature really drops. She likes to guard the door, though.

[Tussiemussies]

Am always cold and as soon as it is cool out I need to have layers and fleece on. Am looking for the gloves with fingers with just the tops are cut off and DH got me a pair of special socks from Woolrich that really keep my feet warm.

I find that cheaper quilts keep me warmer since the batting bunches up a little in spots and air is held in the rest of the space.

For those who use electric blankets I would be wary since they emit electromagnetic pollution...:) Christine

[BayouGirl]

We have central heat but our house is off the ground and not completely and sufficiently insulated so it isn't ideal but it is quite adequate. I just feel we could save more money by properly insulating and taking other measures but as usual, it cost money and takes time.

But on the plus side, we do have a lovely fireplace, lots of free firewood from trees that fall on our property. Hurricane Isaac was kind enough to blow nice big one over in the pasture but we expected that. BayouBoy will chop it up, stack it and let it dry out some while we use what we still have left over from last year. Our house is small so the fireplace does a great job of warming the place up. Last year our heat broke and the part took many days to get here, during a cold spell and we were snug and warm with the fireplace going.

We also keep the house a bit cooler and use a heated blanket on our bed, We have a queen size bed but i find that a single heated blanket is sufficient for the 2 of us, any larger would be a huge pain to deal with.

[artist]

I have hypothyroidism and arthitis in my hands and spine, so keeping the temp low is actually painful at times. I keep mine set to 65-67 and wear lots of layers. But if in pain I will turn up the heat for an hour or so to get the chill out of my bones. (especially my spine).

[Rogar]

I'm a wimp when it comes to turning to the heat down. My comfort range is somewhere in the 68 to 70 degree range in the winter. I've beefed up the insulation in my house and can use a wood burning fireplace insert on colder days, so the hit on utility bills is not so bad.

I am a huge fan of wool. I have smartwool top and bottom long underwear and an Ibex wool vest that get used a lot in the winter time.