Winter is barreling down the tracks as we speak! Since it always promises to be a cold winter here in the Midwest, I thought I would share some tips and tricks to stay warm this winter and not have to crank up that thermostat!

Saving money is more important than ever now so if you can find ways to keep the bills low, you can save even more money! Before you start these tips though, you and your family need to agree on a minimum and maximum temperature you are willing to keep the house. Make a sign to put by the thermostat and set the settings in the thermostat. This will help keep your heating bill consistent.

16 Ways To Stay Warm This Winter & Not Have To Crank Up The Thermostat

1. Wear clothes! I know this is a given, but I know people who can’t understand why their heat bill is so high. They are wearing shorts and a tank top in the house with their heat at 80 degrees! What?!?! Wear some layers, put on some socks, and you will stay much warmer without having the heat so high.

2. Get your furnace and heat system checked out. Just like you, your heating system needs a good check-up every 1-2 years to make sure it is running smoothly and efficiently! If you have a propane system, make sure you get a leak check done on your tank and regulators so you are not losing propane in the air. Be sure to always change your filters on a regular basis. 

3. Layer up your beds. Make sure you have blankets and quilts for the beds so you can add more layers to the bed to stay warm without having to turn up the thermostat.

4. Turn down the thermostat overnight. Most people sleep better in a cooler environment anyway but keeping the thermostat turned down also saves you money. See #3 and wear some more clothes to bed to stay warm!

5. Shut off the rooms you are not using. If you have rooms that you are clearly not using and nothing in them will freeze, close off those rooms. Turn the registers to close and keep the doors closed so you are not heating those rooms.

6. Put plastic on the windows. This saves us a tremendous amount of money. I recommend doing the north and west-facing windows for certain, but we try to do all the windows if we can. We have a bay window that is just a drafty pain in the neck so it has plastic almost all year round.

7. Use extra heaters or baseboard heat. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but hear me out. If you have rooms that you are using that the heat does not reach well through the vents, shutting off those vents and putting a heater or electric baseboard heat in the room will keep it warmer. Your furnace will not have to work so hard to heat that room thus saving you money.

8. Keep moving! We get rather sedentary in the winter. We sit on the couch, covered in blankets, and wonder why we are so cold! Time to get moving! Working out, keeping the house clean, and taking care of those indoor projects will help get the blood moving and keep you warmer!

9. Eat hot food and drink hot drinks. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If you eat warm, hearty foods, you will get warm. If you drink hot drinks to warm up, you will stay warm.

10. Light some candles. They add warmth to the air, great ambiance, and cover up the funky air smell in the house. You can also make some clay pot warmers to add some more warmth to the room.

11. Wear a hat in the house. You will stay warmer if the head is covered. You really do lose body heat when you have your skin or head uncovered. Wear a hat and you will stay warm.

12. Make sure the windows are closed and the doors stay closed! We have storm windows and we use those babies all summer. The breeze is great! However, your money will just go out the window if the windows are not properly closed. Make sure the storm windows are closed and the windows are closed/locked in the proper position.

And yell at the kids for not closing the door. You have my permission!

13. Fill in the gaps and block the drafts. On a breezy day this fall, take a walk around your house inside and out. If you see some gaps outside, fill them in with caulk or expandable foam. Inside the house, look for fluttering curtains. Take a match along the outside walls inside your house and look for the flame to flicker or go out. Address the drafts. Either do #6 or fill in the gaps if you can. Also, using a draft blocker on the bottom of your doors will keep the house warmer too.

14. Hang heavy insulated curtains that are designed to block drafts and keep the house warmer. They really do help to keep the house warmer.

15. Use hot water bottles and hot bricks covered in towels to help warm up beds and bodies at bedtime. Getting into a warm cozy bed is the best thing ever. Getting into bed with cold sheets is not the best thing ever. Waiting for those sheets to warm is torture! Putting a hot water bottle or a hot brick covered with a towel into the bed to warm the bed up will help you stay warm!

16. Snuggle with the one you love! Cuddling with another person helps create more body heat! Some of you are very anti-cuddling (and I get that, trust me!), but winter is the time to put aside your personal preferences and help your partner stay warmer. You will also be saving money which might help this idea seem like a better one!

I know some of you are going to say “Put in a wood burner!” which is a lovely thing, but some people cannot put them in. Apartments, rentals, and some insurance companies are completely against the idea. However, if you can, do consider it!

These are all ways we use to save money while staying warm in the winter. What do you do to stay warm in the winter?

Thanks for reading,
Erica

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Updated 10/25/23

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