How We're Staying Warm This Winter

It's been a pretty cold winter around here. Tonight the temps are supposed to be in the low 20s and tomorrow we may end up with five inches of snow or more. Brrrrr. Here's how we have been staying warm this winter AND saving money at the same time:

• We have an adjustable/automatic thermostat which we set at 55 degrees from 10pm to 7am (the time we are sleeping) and 65 degrees from 7am to 10pm.


• When we do leave the house during the day, we always remember to set the heat back to 60 degrees. No use keeping the house toasty warm when no one is home to enjoy it! (note: we have a note on the door that says 'TURN DOWN HEAT' so we won't forget to do this).


• We wear sweaters or sweatshirts when we are home (otherwise I would want the heat set to 70 because I am usually cold all winter). I wear heavy socks as well.


• I don't mind having the heat set so low at night because we have a couple extra blankets on the bed which keep us snugly warm.


• When we are home we usually hibernate in our bedroom. Our bedroom is fairly big so besides the bed we have a sofa as well as a TV and our computer tables in there so it is kind of like a living room anyway. The benefit to this is that we can (again) set the heat back to 60 or even 55 and use a small, $7 space heater from Walmart which heats the room up almost instantly. It's better, and cheaper, than heating the whole house when we aren't even using the rest of the house.


• We are often out during the day. This allows us to set the heat down to 60 degrees (I hate coming home to a freezing cold house which takes an hour to warm up so 60 is a good compromise temperature). We then enjoy "free" heat at whatever place we happen to be at.


• When we are home we generally hang out in the kitchen. During this time we are usually cooking a meal such as lunch or dinner and at the same time I like to use the oven to bake which also helps heat up the kitchen.

And some more things about keeping warm:

• Choose your house carefully. Our house is a big tri-level and it didn't dawn on me when we were buying the house that this design lets all of the heat immediately head up to the ceiling thus the lower areas of the house always seem cold and the heat tends to run continuously because the temperature control is on the mid level so it never senses that it is warm enough to shut off.


• I remember that when I lived in an apartment during college that I hardly ever had to turn on the heat as the heat that came from all of the units below and next to me seemed to keep my apartment warm.


• Be sure you insulate and weatherstrip! Our first house was nearly 100 years old and you could practically watch the heat head straight up the stairs and out the roof because it had literally NO insulation. Eventually we added insulation in the attic, walls, and between the floor joists which, along with installing new insulated windows made a huge difference in our heat/energy consumption.


• A small house is cheaper to heat!


• My friend has a small house with a wood stove in the middle of his home as well as a nice wood lot out back and heats his home for free each winter. Of course he has to go chop down and dry the wood himself, but his wood stove keeps the entire house cozy warm all winter.


• Never use combustion appliances to heat your home! Things like barbecue grills and other appliances that give off heat yet are designed to be used OUTSIDE should never be used inside because you can die from carbon monoxide poisoning.


• If you can't pay your heating bill, call 211 and see if there are any local agencies that can pay this bill for you. A community service agency in our area coordinates a program which pays one utility bill per year for families in need which can really come in handy during the dead of winter.


• If you have no heat in your home at all (ie: the gas has been shut off, etc) consider going to a warming shelter when it is bitterly cold. Our city opens shelters for the homeless and anyone else who doesn't have/can't afford heat in their home. People can stay over night and even get a free meal at these places (call 211 for shelters in your area).

Stay safe and keep warm!

25 Free Ways to Beat the Heat

It's been a super hot few days here. Fortunately we haven't had the extensive heat the East Coast has had but my melting point seems to be about 80 degrees and it has been in the mid 90's for the last three day. With no central air, our house is hot, going outside is like stepping into an oven, and exercising outside has become nearly impossible. Here's some free ways we have found to "beat the heat":

1. Go to the library, mall, or other public air conditioned place.


2. Go to the free public beaches or fountains and play in the water.


3. Take a cold shower.


4. Open all of the doors and windows in the morning to let the cool air in; close them when it starts to heat up.


5. Set a tray of ice in front of the fan for extra coolness.


6. Spend most of your time in the one room that has an air conditioner.


7. Have a picnic outside under a shady tree and eat dinner.


8. If you must exercise or do other outdoor work, do it early in the morning before it starts to get warm.


9. Do any house work that will heat up your home (cooking, baking, laundry, etc) early in the morning then air out your house before the temps heat up.


10. Keep the drapes closed on the sunny side of the house to keep temps lower in your home.


11. Wear loose fitting, light colored clothing--it will make you feel cooler.


12. Take this opportunity to wash heavy blankets and rugs and hang them outside to dry--this will save lots of money over the cost of drying them in the dryer.
13. Drink lots of cold water to both cool down your core and keep hydrated (skip the pop, coffee, and alcoholic beverages which actually can make you dehydrated).
14. Eat light meals (salads, fruits, etc) and skip the heavy greasy meals that usually don't set well in high heat.
15. Hang out in the coolest part of your home (in our case the basement is about 20 degrees cooler than the top floor of our home).
16. Take it easy the first few days of hot weather. It takes our bodies a bit of time to become acclimated to hotter weather so forcing yourself to keep up your usual frantic pace could be exhausting. This is why "siestas" were invented.
17. If your regular job includes working outside during the heat of the day, ask your employer if you and your co-workers can start earlier and leave earlier for the duration of the heat wave.
18. Keep kids, pets, and the elderly cool. They have a more difficult time regulating their body temperature when it comes to periods of high heat.
19. Use your electricity reasonably. During heat waves, cities and towns are more likely to suffer power outages due to the increased used of power (fans and air conditioners being used in each room of everyone's house) and the increased likelihood of overheated transformers.
20. Entertain yourself and the kids. Make a big pitcher of "sun tea" to enjoy and, if it is hot enough outside, let the kids experiment with frying an egg on the sidewalk.
21. Take precautions to avoid being sunburned if you must be outside--cover up, wear a hat, and use plenty of high-SPF sunscreen.
22. If your home is absolutely sweltering and you have no other options, call your local 211 and find out where your nearest community cooling shelter is.
23. Keep an eye on those around you. Exertion (even minor exertion if the person is elderly or ill) can result in heat exhaustion or heat stroke which requires immediate medical attention.
24. During a prolonged heatwave, you will have other things to worry about as well: clearing your yard to prevent the spread of wildfire, being aware of areas that can suffer from flash flood, storing water for later use in the event your well dries up or city water becomes rationed, etc.
25. Take special precautions with your car: fuel up during the cooler part of the day, pay attention to your gauges to prevent overheating, and never leave kids or pets (or anyone for that matter) in your car when the temperatures are even moderately hot as the interior can reach triple digits in a matter of minutes without the air conditioning on.

Fortunately heatwaves don't usually last long, however each day during the hot weather can be miserable without taking some of the simple (free) precautions above. With a bit of ingenuity and common sense, you will weather the heatwave just fine.