The weather’s starting to get colder, and with that comes turning on the heat. It’s so nice to come home to a warmed house every day, but how warm are you keeping it? Is your energy bill higher than your thermostat? You don’t have to break the bank in exchange for keeping warm! If you’re looking to save money during the colder months, here are some frugal ways to keep warm that don’t involve turning up the thermostat!
Keep thermostat colder
Here’s the first step when it comes to saving money. When it’s finally time to turn on the heat here, we usually set the thermostat to 68 and keep it there during the day for most of the winter. At night, we turn it down to 64-65 and use extra blankets on the bed. I know some of you keep it even colder, so go you! What’s helped us is buying a programmable thermostat; John set it to automatically turn on at a set temperature at different times of the day, so we never forget to change the temperature.
Dress in layers
When it starts to get cold, you’ll never see me without a hoodie! When you’re at home, wear long sleeved shirts, hoodies/sweatshirts, even hats and gloves if you need to. Wearing a hat in the house seems strange, but you tend to lose a lot of heat from your head, so it could help. Allison keeps a long-sleeved shirt on all the time, and usually she’s pretty good at keeping her socks on- your kids may like the barefoot feeling, but holy cow, those toes get cold.
Cook and bake often to warm up the house
In the summertime, I’ve been pretty awful about heating up the whole house by using the oven. I don’t ever regret it in the winter, though! Bake a loaf of bread every couple days, or roast some yummy veggies for dinner. Here are some of my favorite bread recipes:
Keep active in the house
Especially once the snow hits, you may find yourself at home more often. It’s so easy to just lay around complaining about the cold, but if you just force yourself to get up, you’ll find that it’s pretty easy to keep warm inside! Have a dance party with your kids, either with the radio or through a dancing game like Just Dance. Or get up and do some light cleaning- dust the house, sweep the floors… even get the kids involved with it to get things done faster (maybe) and keep them warm, too.
Drink lots of coffee
Yes, I am giving you permission to drink extra coffee! If you’re not a coffee person, make it tea or hot chocolate instead. I can’t go one morning without drinking a hot coffee; in the summer, I’ll usually drink and iced coffee in the afternoon, but when it gets cold I’ll switch it out for another hot mug.
Make soup once a week
One thing I like to do when it gets colder is make soup, because it’s easy to prepare and makes lots of leftovers. I usually make mine in my slow cooker, so it doesn’t always heat up the house, but it definitely warms me up while eating! Here are some of my favorite soups that you should definitely try:
- Sausage, Spinach, and White Bean Soup
- Just Like Mom’s Chili
- Spicy Cheese Soup
- Cream Cheese Chicken Chili
Cuddle with your kids/spouse
One advantage I have of staying home with Allison is that I find many opportunities to cuddle. Whether it’s reading books or watching TV, we’re usually under a blanket; so I’m basically multi-tasking by keeping warm and getting in some quality time with my daughter.
The above ways to keep warm this winter won’t cost you any extra money but will still benefit you in many different ways! Who doesn’t love having a freshly-baked loaf of bread for dinner, or sitting down with your kids and reading while cuddled under a blanket? What are some other frugal ways to keep warm that you follow in your house? Post a comment below and give us ideas!
Jaime is a Nutrition Coach through the ISSA and professional writer. She has 4 years experience coaching and 9 years experience in writing. She enjoys cooking easy meals, running, and learning more about food.
Jaime specializes in helping women with ADHD learn to meal plan and cook healthier meals without getting overwhelmed.
Kay
Saturday 29th of December 2018
On extra-cold nights we fill empty 2L or 4L water bottles with hot water and put them under the kids blankets, makes them really warm. We first did this when my husband and I lived in a small bachelor apt and the floorboard heating was too expensive to turn on - it worked great! (For kids make sure the water isn't too hot that they will burn if they touch the bottle.)
Jaime
Saturday 29th of December 2018
That's an excellent idea, thanks for sharing!
Rob
Wednesday 15th of November 2017
Get a big yellow Labrador retriever and let him/ her sleep with you and you will never be cold
Jaime
Wednesday 15th of November 2017
Dogs are wonderful at keeping you warm! =)
Nonarae
Monday 30th of October 2017
Boil some water on the stove to bring up the humidity of your house! Its not an immediate fix, but if done continuously over time it will help make your house feel warmer, even if the thermostat is less than 70!
Jaime
Tuesday 31st of October 2017
That's a really good idea! It gets so dry in the house in winter, and it'll certainly help with dry skin!
Karin
Thursday 26th of October 2017
Come Winter I switch out my ice water for green and herbal tea for hydration. I just brew a big pot in my thermos in the morning and drink it throughout the day.
Jaime
Thursday 26th of October 2017
That's a good idea!
Teresa
Friday 20th of October 2017
Great advice Jaime!! We have a space heater tower that works like a fan and oscillates. It works wonders to warm us up during the day when we're all in the living room/kitchen area. We also have heating blankets with automatic shut off timers we use at night. And when we use the oven, we gate off the kitchen from the kids and keep the oven door open when we're done cooking to let it heat up that area. Our coffee table is a storage box that We keep old/extra comforters in so when we are watching tv or a movie, we have thick comforters we grab instead of the thin throws in the couch.