Three Ways to Warm Up Without Turning Up the Heat.

I love autumn - it goes really well with my hair. However, with colder weather coming to visit every now and then I think we're all mindful of the change of seasons.

Thoughts turn to hiking on crisp autumn mornings while our boots stir the scent of fallen leaves...returning to indoor projects that were left behind with the busy pace of summertime....baking tall loaves of fresh bread...paying the heating bill...

I like warm. Warm is good. Warm is...warm. But if we're not careful about how we achieve warm, it can get pricey, and I'd much rather use my money for other stuff like craft supplies, wringer washers, and Wii games. So, rather than give you a comprehensive list of strategies that you've heard or read a thousand times before, I'm going for a few eclectic choices.

They all boil down to this one concept: Instead of turning up the thermostat and heating up the whole house because you are cold, just heat up you. Odds are that you'll feel just as good (warm), but it won't cost near as much money or fossil fuel.

The next time you're tempted to turn up the heat try one of these:

1. Wash Dishes. This really works, unless you use the dishwasher. Run a sink full of hot sudsy water and actually wash the dishes old school. The hot water warms your hands, and before you know it you're warm all over. Plus, your dishes are done! I don't care how high you adjust your thermostat, you furnace will never wash your dishes.

2. Take a Shower. If you are cold, take a quick warmish-hot shower, then put on warm clothes. You were probably going to take a shower pretty soon anyway, so you can warm up and get clean at the same time. If you are really, really cold, go for a bath, so the water can warm you longer. This also works in the heat of summer - just take a cool shower, and leave the a/c turned off.

3. Use the Dryer. We are a clothesline family for the most part. I hang the laundry in good weather, and I use those cute little indoor racks in the winter. I do have a dryer, but mostly it's used to knock the wrinkles out of hubby's golf shirts (I do not iron) or to heat the wrinkles out of a vinyl tablecloth (Now there's a tip! Just watch it closely, lest you melt it!) Anyway, if you're cold and you want to be warm, put a pair of sweats or a heavy blanket into the dryer for about 3-5 minutes. It will heat up nice and warm. If you heated clothing, put it on. If you heated a blanket, get under it. At bedtime on a really cold night, we pull all the covers off the bed and heat the blanket that is closest to us in the stack. When it's warm, we put it on the bed, put all the other blankets on top of that one, and climb in. Heaven....pure, blissful heaven.

4. Free Bonus Tip! Drink some hot tea, or coffee, or cocoa. It'll warm you right up!

Stay warm, save money, and come back soon!

In fact, before you go, please share a tip for staying warm in cold weather. I heart comments!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi, Y'all

Some other warming tips are:

Bake something, then leave the oven door open after it is done (after you turn the oven off)

Simmer a teakettle or pot of water on the stove. The added humidity makes it seem warmer.

Or: cook a pot of beans or chili or something that takes a lot of time to simmer and it will do the same thing, but then you have a pot of food to eat and maybe freeze some.

If you like, you can put some spices or oils in the kettle of water and it smells good, too!

Hope you manage to keep warm.

Love,

Granny Ladybug
Anonymous said…
These are great tips! About the bath - after you get out, don't drain the water if it is still warm - let its heat radiate out into the room before you send it down the drain (or bail it out for flushing, or watering non-food trees, etc.)
Francie said…
When my kids were little they took their bath at night. If the morning was cold, I would warm their school clothes up in the dryer for a minute or two. They loved that their clothes were warm and cuddly as they set off for school. Another tip, they dressed after breakfast, so things didn't get dirty. Love the tips. I actually do several of them.
Take care,
Ladyfern
Laura said…
Wouldn't you just know it? I posted this last night and today, it's 70 degrees!
stacey said…
Knit a blanket. Seriously. The blanket sits in your lap and keeps you warm.
I bought one of those snuggies last year, the blankets with arms? Love that thing.
I also have a hand knitted sweater that is really warm, I wear that a lot.
How surprised are you that two out of three of my tips invlolve knitting? lol!
My favorite get warm tip is throwing a pair of my favorite knit socks in the dryer. Pop them in there for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending on how long it takes your dryer to heat up) and then pop them on your feet. Slide your feet in some slippers and instant warmness!

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