How do you keep warm during winter without going overboard on heating expenses? Depending on how cold their region is, different people have different tips for keeping warm during winter. Here are some of the best frugal tips to keep warm in winter.
1. Buy an Electrical Blanket
An electric blanket is an affordable way to keep yourself warm inside a cold house in winter. You won’t need to turn on the heat in your bedroom, and this can help you save significantly on electricity. Some people pre-heat the bed with their mattress pads and turn it off before bedtime to have a cozy night’s sleep.
2. Place Plastic Sheeting on the Windows
Plastic sheeting or heavy curtains on windows can make a huge difference because they insulate the house without having to spend a lot of money. Buy them when they are on sale or clearance.
3. Warm Food and Beverages
The secret to staying warm in winter is having something warm inside your stomach. Drink hot beverages to keep yourself warm inside the house instead of keeping the AC running throughout. A hot cup of tea, coffee, chocolate, or cider can do wonders during the cold season. Buy a thermos to keep your drinks hot always.
4. Insulate Properly
Proper insulation will help conserve a lot of money you would have spent on electricity to warm up your home. Seal your windows, insulate the doors with a door cover, and wrap your pipes (the ones exposed to the weather). You can use cheap noodles to do so and tie them around the pipe using a zip tie to hold them in place. Get black-out curtains if possible.
5. Use Warm Water Bags
It takes just a few minutes to boil water for use as a warm water bag. You bring the bag inside the blanket as you relax in the evening, watching a movie or reading a book, and everything warms up quickly, making it cozy. You can take one with you when you sleep on the coldest nights. It is an easy and cheap hack that can save substantial amounts.
6. Keep the Oven Door Open
If you use the oven, keep it open while it cools down after you are done cooking. The heat from the oven will warm the house fast without the need to use a heater or spend more on electricity. If you use the oven, keep it open while it cools down after you’re done to warm up the kitchen. You will be losing crucial heat when you keep the door closed after you finish baking, and this does not help your AC.
7. Block off Any Possible Heat Escapes
The upstairs is one of the common heat escape routes for a large house. Block it off. Try using a heavy ceiling-hugging curtain across so that your hot air does not go downstairs when you are asleep upstairs. Do not forget to block keyholes as well. Keyholes blow a lot of draught.
8. Layer up Indoors
Wear as many clothes as you are comfortable with to keep yourself warm indoors. Cover every inch of your body. Wear socks and gloves and layer up with light clothing inside. Use the furnace as long as you can to keep warm inside the house during this season.
9. Get Rid of Dampness
Water condenses on cold stuff. Cold air holds less water than hot
air. The air outside will be very dry if it is below freezing point. The cold air condenses on the walls and dampens them. Try to get rid of this dampness as often as possible to keep the inside of the house warm at all times.
10. Remove Obstacles From Your Heating Vents
Air should flow uninterrupted through your heating vents to reach every corner of the house. Make sure your heating vents and connected ductwork are free of obstruction, are securely attached, and any moving parts work.
11. Use a Space Heater
Get a low-energy space heater and heat the room you’re actually in while keeping the thermostat down. You can buy a programmable thermostat. You schedule certain times of the day for the heater to be warm or cool as you like. When you go to sleep, keep the temperatures on the thermostat low, as you will be tucked inside your blankets. Schedule the thermostat to warm the house up a bit before you wake up. Schedule cooler times when you are outside the house.
12. Shovel Regularly
Shoveling is a form of exercise that gets your heartbeat up and warms your body. Do so every two hours during the day and before you sleep if the snow is falling steadily. This keeps the snow in check and helps you control it better and faster.
13. Get a Wood-burning Stove
This is ideal for people who can access pallets of wood or a lot of firewood for free. This can go a long way in saving your electric and gas bills you would have spent on heating the house. Using a wood stove is a lot of work, but if you do not mind, you can have a warm, cozy, and stress-free winter season. You would need to invest in a good wood stove, though, and most of them do not come cheap.
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