If you're in the northern hemisphere right now, it's winter. Even though this past December made it seem that winter had decided not to grace us with its presence this year, it finally arrived, full-strength. For many, this can lead to horribly high heating/utility/hydro bills, and that's just not what we need right now, on top of icy sidewalks, slushy puddles leaking through our boots and drafts coming into the house seemingly from nowhere.
If your house is getting chilly, don't crank up the heat to a million and accept that future-you will just have to deal with the bill, because present-you is too damn cold. Follow our 5 easy pieces of advice and see if you can do without the extreme heating bill this winter.
1. Heat your bed with an electric blanket, says Almanac. Just make sure it has a timer so it's not running all night. Turn it on 15 minutes before bedtime so that you get into a toasty warm bed every night.
2. Socks and slippers. Old fashioned? Absolutely, but this works like a dream. Buy thick socks and change them when you start to feel cold, says Almanac, and invest in some good solid slippers. Never walk around the house without them.
3. Heat your feet or belly in bed with a hot water bottle. This is the cheapest solution by far, and if sharing a bed with a big bag of rubber freaks you out, buy or knit a soft cover for it.
4. If you have large windows, buy some thicker curtains for the winter. You'd be amazed how much heat escapes through the glass panels and the minuscule gaps in the window, and thick curtains will help you stay warm, says BBC.
5. Buy some rugs. If you have wooden or linoleum floors, go out and get some rugs ASAP. Walking from rug to rug will keep your feet much warmer, and subsequently, will keep all of you warmer, says BT.
