Comments On Article: The Train

If you would like to share your comments for article The train, this is where to do it! 

Click the Reply To This Topic button below to post yours.

We live in the Netherlands, not very cold. Now it is at night between 3-7 degrees Celsius, at day it is above 10 degrees Celsius. We heat only the kitchen at daytime with our little woodstove. If it is below zero, we heat an extra one at the dining room when the kids are at home. The woodcost are low because my husband helps the people in the village by cutting down threes at there property en he keeps the wood.

We dress in multiple layers especially myself, I count 3 layers today, because I have an hard time adjusting to the cold in the autumn. The kids are used to it en my husband also. 

At day we open al the curtains to let the sun in, we wash al the windows in September to get the most heat of it and  in the evening they are all closed. En we put al the carpets back at the floors, so our feet are not cold.

Thank you Grandma Donna for this post. I really do think we are all starting to notice these subtle changes in climates around the world. Combined with what seems to be rising costs, it is a worrying time. Here in South Australia it isn’t so much the cold that we contend with but the heat. As we approach summer I do worry about the cost of running our air conditioning. Our system had problems last year but we have put off replacing it as it is a hugely expensive job. Here’s hoping it lasts another couple of years. In terms of heat, what we are noticing are an overall increase in temperatures, both day and night. When it’s hot overnight our homes (or us!) don’t get a chance to cool down. Many people, especially the vulnerable and elderly, are negatively impacted by the heat and the cost of energy prevents them from cooling their homes.
Keeping windows and blinds closed and using cooling cloths and towels have helped us a little but it’s still a challenge!
I do hope your winter isn’t too severe

I live in mid Wales UK and similar temps to Marre D in the Netherlands (not too far away).  I have the heating on for an hour in the morning and in the evening for about the same time.  I no longer live in a home with a woodburning stove or with a range in the kitchen, both of which really kept the rooms comfortable.  

I wear three layers at present, and if it's chilly when I'm sitting down, use an electric throw.  Or a hot water bottle.  I am quite active, which keeps you warm - just sitting all day long soon makes you cold.  Hot drinks and soup warm from the inside.

If it's frosty or we have snow, then the central heating goes on for much of the day.  I have to budget for that.  

I live in the east of England and have similar temperatures to Jennie although our climate is probably a lot drier than Wales :) 

Am a great believer in heat the person not the room so the heating goes on for an hour in the morning and two in the evening but during the day we don’t run it. We do dress appropriately for the seasons and layer up in the winter with warm vests or camisoles then a long sleeve tee followed by a jumper. We always wear wool socks in the colder months as  I find these easier to mend than man made fibres and still have my Grandma’s wooden darning mushroom.

We have hot water bottles for bedtime and use sheets & blankets rather than duvets as I think you can regulate the temperature better with layers, I recently saved up for a new wool blanket, made here in the UK with British wool and it’s far better than our old blanket which was polyester

First let me say I am so grateful for you sharing your lives with us, teaching new things or reminding us of things we may have forgotten and being a wonderful motivation for me, at least, to do more as my own ancestors did.

I lived for 55 years in the Midwest, before moving to Tennessee a handful of years ago.  Twenty of those years were Iowa in the middle of corn and bean fields in a house built in 1917, which did not have the best heating system.  Because there were no houses or other structures within several miles, the winds there could be quite a challenge in the winter, especially when it was below zero.  While we replaced our windows and insulated everything as best we could, the thermometer I kept in our bedroom upstairs often showed 40 - 45 degrees Fahrenheit during the wintertime.

About an hour before bedtime, I would turn on one of those oil radiator looking electric heaters, just to take a bit of chill off.  Overnight, though, we wouldn't use it, as we would become too hot, if you can believe it.  That is because, YEARS ago, on a trip to Denmark, we made probably THE BEST purchase - a Siberian goose down duvet which, along with flannel sheets, kept us toasty all night long.  

On the second floor, we also had a pretty tiny bathroom which had southern exposure, so often sunlight would be what warmed that room, since we kept the door closed in the winter.  We also had a ceiling light/fan/heater combo and would turn the heater on a couple of minutes before bathing.  This helped immensely.  

During this time, I was away from the home about 13 hours a day, working in a distant city and my husband was travelling for work 75% of the time, so often was not at home.  When I got home from work, I changed into heavy wool socks, sweat pants (sometimes with thermal underwear beneath, if it was below zero out, plus a turtleneck at that temp), and a sweatshirt topped by a zip-up fleece jacket.  Oh, and I wore slippers - not the cute ones, but ones that were like booties and came up over my ankles and had a sturdy rubber/synthetic sole to them, so the cold didn't come up through the floor and freeze my feet (I had frostbite when I was younger and have found I really don't tolerate cold feet any longer).  Oh, and if I was sitting still, I would read, crochet, whatever, under a quilt.  ;0)

Now that we are in Tennessee, I'm having to figure things out for the weather here.  The first winter here, I pulled out the duvet and after the first night it was immediately removed and packed away!  We practically sweated to death.  I have thought about donating it to my favorite thrift store when I'm back in the Midwest, but we go camping and it can get pretty cold at night, so we are reserving it to use for those times.  

The past couple of days, the temp has been 72 - 74 degrees and my house has been opened up to capture the warm breezes.  Once it begins to cool outside, I shut it up again.  In the summer time, I open up the house and have a couple of small window fans to pull the cooler air through and close up in the early AM, usually before sunrise.  I long for what we had in my childhood in Northern Illinois - we called it "the Big Sucker" - one of those large attic fans in the ceiling in the center of the house.  Once the outside air was cooler than the inside, we opened all of the windows and quite a cooling breeze rushed through the house.  This was a pretty common thing for the houses in our area at that time.

Again, I thank you and all of those in the Forum for sharing.  I greatly look forward to new postings.   Gayle

I live in Boston and it does get very dry and cold, though the last few years winter was milder. We manage dryness with portable humidifiers kept in the bedrooms. We save on heating by doing sensible things like: owning a home in third floor in a sturdy but 55 year old cement/brick (not wood!) structure helps insulate and reduce the costs of heating. Our old home was a one level ranch style that had oil heating and it was extremely costly to heat in winter. Living with smaller square footage (about 1000 for three people) really made a huge difference for us too.

Other things: we wear wool socks and house slippers, we layer our pajamas - long Johns then flannel on outside, and we have a heated electric bed pad for each bed. My daughter sleeps hot so she keeps hers on the lowest setting. My husband and I have dual controls and he keeps his on the lowest whereas I’m always cold and keep mine at the middle one. We are able to sleep warm without cranking up our electric baseboards. 

Also, I find that if we do not dress properly and keep warm when at work or school during the day then we never really warm up well when we get home. We all walk to work or school about a mile each way from the center of town regardless of the temperature or conditions. Over that last fifteen years, I’ve thrifted or invested in the best winter outdoor gear we can afford- insulated waterproof winter shoes, fleece lined tights and wool socks, a down jacket plus water proof layered coat, gloves and hats. We each have snow pants too for very snowy days. With care they have last for many years.

Stay cozy <3
 

Thank you for this article. Basic necessities are getting very expensive. We, currently, live in a very large house (ranch style with a full finished basement) that is on one thermostat. Frankly, I think this is ridiculous, but it is what it is. In our prior home, which we had built, there were three zone thermostats and we could keep areas much cooler that were not being used. 

Our winters can be either brutally cold or, what we call, mild. Temperatures can range from 30 below zero to 45, in winter. We purchased small electric heaters that look like old wood stoves for downstairs, in the rooms that are used most. They take much less electricity and space heat nicely. We, also, have a woodburning cookstove in our kitchen, but haven't used it for ten years. We used it quite alot in our past house as power outages were much more common and the space to heat was much larger.

We have thermal curtains on windows on the north side of the house. The Southern windows are large and provide heat during the winter. Our elevation, in our city, is 5,150 ft. The sun gets very hot on the south side, even in winter.

I apologize for not having more suggestions. I enjoy reading everyone's comments.

I live in the NC mountains and it gets quite cold here once winter arrives. My house was built in 1917 and had no central heat, water, or electric. The chimneys had fallen in and were extremely expensive if I were to rebuild them. So, I installed small propane stoves in three rooms and a water heating system which also provides my domestic hot water that can use propane or wood. I have rugs with pads on all the floors as there is no underfloor. Insulation has been blown into the wall cavities as well as batts laid in the attic and under the house. Underpinning has been added using stones I collected from around the farm as the house is built off the ground. There is insulation there as well to prevent air coming under the house in the winter. It can open in the spring and summer for air circulation to cool. Every year I try to add something to make the house more energy efficient. This year I am adding quarter round at the baseboards as air does come in there. It will take a full year for me to do this as it’s one room per month so it doesn’t break the budget or the woman staining and laying it! Lol

I have insulated curtains and quilts for windows and doors in the winter. Since there are twelve foot ceilings, I stay cool most of the summer, but winter is harder so I have ceiling fans to keep warm air down and moving.

My suggestion is to work on one goal per year to find ways to make your home more energy efficient. One year my goal was to buy a solar oven, so I watched for sales and got the oven and pans at 20% off. I can use it all year round and it does a marvelous job baking bread or small cakes as well as cooking meat or boiling eggs! Lol Just keep studying and looking for ways and you’ll find them! 

Grandma Donna,

Would you (or anyone else) please share where you found thick flannel pajamas? I’m only able to find what’s really a thin brushed cotton at best, or a polyester velour at worst.

Lovely post, as always, and thank you in advance!

Such a thought provoking post. Thank you.  I live in the inland NW (USA) and we do get real winters. I have had wood heat most of my life. We moved from the mountains closer to town in 2021 and rented until we found a place to buy that was what we were looking for.  The rental had an inefficient electric heater.  I had every door closed and vent shut in the unnecessary rooms and the bill would still be outrageous keeping it at 54-64 degrees (only about 700 sq. ft.). We bought a house this year and have wood heat again. We go get the firewood during good weather.  I have been cooking on the wood stove over the past couple weeks since the weather has turned- not every day but frequently.  I have been keeping the fire going but dampered all the way down so we don’t just burn through the wood.  It’s not ‘that’ cold yet so this is working well and keeps the house roughly 65-70 degrees.  I still wear a sweater or flannel shirt over my regular shirt.

At night I have a “foot-warmer” that I set on the wood stove to warm up and take it to bed with me. I have a heating pad I use at times but prefer the foot warmer.  It’s just a flannel rectangle with pockets of rice.  When my great grandmother was young, they would heat bricks near the fire then wrap them in an old towel and take them to bed.  I’ve also heated rocks on the stove and put them in my coat pockets so if my hands got cold doing chores, I could warm them up.  Making the most of the heat source while it’s hot- which I know you do. 
Have you read “Aunt Arie” from the Foxfire series?  If not, you might enjoy it. 
I need to ponder this topic some more, and will be interested in the comments. 

What an inspiration to hear about hand mixing the cake! 

The first part of October was very mild, but then it got cooler. It always feels extra cold when the weather first changes. I kept the heat off this year and started layering up, knowing that I would get used to the cold in time. I read Ruth Goodman's books about how to live like a Victorian and a Tudor, and paid special attention to how they layered to stay warm. At first as the weather kept cooling, I added another layer when necessary, and then I ran out of layers! I ordered another set of woolen leggings. I was trying to find a Union suit, but didn't have much luck. Most of what I found wasn't practical, but meant to be fashionable. That's why I was left with leggings. The weather warmed up again for awhile, but we're getting a deep freeze over the next few days so the layering starts again! I did find that I got used to the cold over time. I'd look at the thermostat and a temperature that felt freezing a few days before was much more tolerable. 

I leave the oven door open too after baking, and I now make sure I move my pot or pan off the electric burner when I'm done cooking. That way the heat as the burner cools down can heat the air, and the pan in another spot does the same. I found that leaving the pot or pan on top of the burner blocked some of the heat.

In the living room, when I want to watch TV, I tuck myself into a cocoon with a blanket and stay toasty and warm. Since my central heating has never worked right since we bought the house, and needs replacing, we find it's more energy efficient to heat the smaller bedrooms and stay in there for most of the winter. We hibernate. :) The kitchen warms up as I cook. We're supposed to get a very cold winter, so at some point I'll heat the kitchen because of the pipes. We don't usually get a lot of snow here, but after last year's power outage in the snow, snow boots and pants is on the list of things to buy this winter. We had to go outside and drain the faucets after we'd turned off the water during the outage, and it was in negative temperatures, and very uncomfortable without the proper clothes. 

I've done very well this fall with not turning the heat on except for a little after a particularly cold overnight temperature, but the weather helped, and the layers I'd bought previously helped too. But winter is coming and I'll see how that goes! 

I use a woodstove and electric radiators.  The woodstove is reserved for power outages, extreme cold when the radiators can't keep up, days when I'm working in the part of the house only heated by wood, or when I'm boarding a dog who sleeps out there.  The wood is "free" because I cut it myself, but not truly free due to wear and tear on the saw, time invested in cutting/splitting/hauling, et cetera, so I kind of ration it's use.  I probably only use it about 40 days in total most winters.

The rest of the time electric radiators in the bedroom and kitchen keep each of those rooms (where I spend the most time) around 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the day.  I usually shut them off overnight and wake up to temps in the low 40's, but will run them all night when the outdoor temp is single digits or below and the wind is really howling, because I don't want pipes, canned goods, et cetera to freeze.

I also wait much later in the year than most people to start heating at all, basically not turning the heaters on until daytime temps are staying below freezing.  This both saves electricity and helps slowly toughen me up in preparation for winter.  

Some other things I do to stay warm, in no particular order:  At least seven layers of blankets on the bed, two of them wool.  Lots of hot herbal teas throughout the day.  Bring a hot water bottle or, when the woodstove's going to heat it on, a hot brick to bed with me.  Light a candle for a few hours in the evening (really takes the edge off the chill in a small space).  Dress warm, sometimes to the point of wearing a hat and coat indoors (I have a specific "indoor coat" I chose because it doesn't restrict arm movement or make noise brushing against itself like some coats). Jump straight out of bed and into said warm clothes, don't give myself time to get chilled in-between!  Two layers of socks when needed, with a dusting of corn starch to keep my feet dry if they sweat. Keep a handkerchief handy (I've learned that I often felt miserablely "cold" only to realize that the real issue was my nose getting sniffly from the cold - blow it frequently enough, and the cold itself is no longer miserable!)  Spend enough time outdoors in true cold, that stepping into even my unheated addition feels warm by comparison: "Ooh, shelter from the wind! Nice!" 

Grandma Donna, your new flannel pajama and robe are both very pretty!  I was glad to see you write about having a robe!  For about 15 years now my favorite robe has been styled like a hoodie, with a long zipper (quick to put on) and a hood.  I grew up putting on a robe in winter.  Most younger people I know don’t wear robes.  My own adult children would rather just put on their clothing, and my husband is the same way.  But right now on a cool morning that will warm up significantly, I’m wearing my robe and wool slippers.

Having installed solar, our electricity is now “pre-paid” in a way, but we are learning about the system as we go and have found we are generating far less electricity now that the days are shorter and the angle of the sun is lower.  I am determined to not use the grid if I don’t have to, so week by week I’m learning how to use less electricity.  I now only run the main oven once a week at most.  I purchased a 4 quart electric pressure cooker that runs at 800 watts — I knew it would be useful in the house and in our campervan.  The pressure cooker is more efficient than a pan on the stove because of how well sealed it is.  Last night I used it to make “baked” potatoes, and instead of the 1500 watt toaster oven cycling on and off for over an hour, the pressure cooker used 800 watts off and on for less time, with far more off time than the toaster oven.

We enjoy twinkle lights at dinner, and I used to have them programmed (via the outlet) to come on for an hour each evening.  Now I turn them on when we sit down to eat and turn them off when we stand to clear the table.  The strand is 40 watts because it is incandescent.  The overhead light has 5 LED bulbs in it that consume 36 watts altogether, so it isn’t very different.  I don’t like to eat under the bright overhead lights.

Where I live we have mild winters.  But one thing I think is true is that people adapt to their local weather, so when our winter is cold, I do feel cold, whereas someone from Minnesota might not feel cold at all.  At the same time, our heat in summer is truly shocking to people who aren’t accustomed to it.  As for experiencing deep cold, we spent a month in a very cold country once, and learned a lot!

Where we stayed, the heat was never on at night.  The bed was piled with down duvets.  In the morning we were to get out of bed in the frigid room, turn on an electric powered oil radiator, and get back in bed for 30 minutes or so, until the chill was off the room.  At home, we keep the heat set very low overnight, so it doesn’t come on, and then about 30 minutes before when we plan to get out of bed we have a schedule set to turn up the heat.  We set the heat to 64°F and it takes at most an hour to warm up the house for the rest of the day and into the evening.  Before I learned how to stay warm we used to set the heat much warmer.

I’ve found little things that help, such as not sitting next to a window when it is cold outside!  We sleep with bedroom doors closed — one pup with us and one with our adult son.  Keeping the doors closed holds in any heat our bodies make as we sleep.  In our bedroom the window is covered with an insulating layer and then an insulting drape over that.  If it is particularly cold I make a hot water bottle for my feet.  During the day we have warm throws lying on the sofa and chairs, ready to cover our legs and warm us.  Another thing we learned, is that even on a cold day, the sun can be quite warm, so sometimes I’ll sit out in the sun.  We drink a lot of hot herbal teas.

Last year we purchased heavy wool duvets, but we only need them a week or two out of the year.  Most of the time a good down and feather duvet works for me during the coldest months.  We sleep German style with each of us having our own covers — I think it is common in many other countries as well.

During the day I layer my clothing.  It isn’t cold enough here for merino wool long underwear, but I do have silk long underwear for the coldest days.  I buy wool sweaters at the thrift store to layer over my shirts, and I also have thick cotton sweaters for when it isn’t cold enough to want to wear the wool.  One thing I’ve found is that a wool clog or shoe really helps me stay warm in the house.  Growing up my children always had good boiled wool slippers with knit cuffs at the ankles, probably much like Gayle described, although I don’t think they had rubber souls.  Thinking of my children, we also wore and still wear knit wool hats if it is very cold inside — Waldorf moms are very serious about natural fibers and keeping children warm with layers, lol!  This year I intend to sew a wool flannel sleep bonnet much like we see pictured from the 1800s.

I’ve decided I’ll check the forum and respond on Saturday mornings, if I am home

I live on the Quimper Peninsula in the northwest corner of Washington State.  Being surrounded on three sides by water moderates our temperature fluctuations.  This morning when I got up, the temperature was 41 degrees.  The high temperature today will be around 54.  We still haven’t had our first frost.  

Years ago, when I bought my home, I only had baseboard heat, which was terribly expensive even then.  After about 10 years, I had a wood stove installed.  As I’ve gotten older, I knew it would become more of a hardship to manage wood, so I had a mini split installed.  I have a small home, so this small heat pump heats our kitchen, dining room and living room much better than the baseboard heaters and has cut electrical costs about in half, even though it’s “on” all the time.  The bedrooms stay cooler, but we like sleeping in a cooler environment.  We generally turn the heat pump off when the weather is warm enough in July.  We try to wait until the end of October to turn it back on.  In the warmer spring and early summer months, though “on," it doesn’t run, when the room is at the designated temperature.  The wood stove is still there for a power outage.  I still wear my wool socks and wool booties and a couple of layers, especially if I’m sitting, as we run the heat pump on its “economy" level.  Thanks for asking the question.  It’s interesting to learn how everyone is coping with the temperature.  I appreciate your posts and sentiments.  Yes, it does seem like many folks do not have access to their heritage of skills from our ancestors.  I feel lucky in my seventies to know how to do many of the things I need to do to live a frugal life.  I’m also grateful for your lessons.

As someone who spins and knits wool, I can attest that wool is truly a miracle fiber for keeping warm and comfortable. I have collected many wool throws and blankets over the years and wrapping up in them is very cozy and warm. Lately I’ve been focusing on only buying wool clothing for the fall and winter months. Gradually I’ll be purging my synthetic clothes. We live in Washington state on the West side which is cool and wet. It seems to me that once that damp gets into your bones it’s hard to truly warm up. Your flannel pjs look lovely. I love mine! Also, taking to bed a hot water bottle or a rice bag heated for a few minutes in the microwave makes all the difference in how I sleep. I used to have a lovely kitty to cuddle, but we lost him last week. For the writer who wanted to know where to get heavy flannel, The Country Store catalog has them but they are very expensive, however, they’ll last you forever

I'm no help really in staying warm as I live in AZ and we are relishing the cooler weather.  We now have 80 degree days, but about 5pm it drops 30-degrees and I don't do well with such a huge fluxuation.  My DH runs HOT, not warm, and I run cold. I froze last night (LOL) as the A/C has to be on for him. I have an extra blanket on my side, but too many blankets makes me not sleep well due to weight.  Means nothing for you all really, just say'in!  I wish I had a fireplace, because it would definitely be a working one for the amount that we need heat. We have heat issues in summer and we use blinds to cool and sun to warm (latter for winter). Not your question, but in summer, we freeze ourselves overnight and that coolness would carry over until about noon-1:00 if I handled my blinds correctly.  It saved us about $50/month. So we used the ac to cool it the most when it's cooler so it didn't work as hard.  Probably hard to do in reverse as no one wants to sweat during sleep. But maybe it would give an idea to someone.    On the mixer, I often wondered if I should sell my Kitchenaid mixer and just mix by hand. (I do have a hand mixer from the 80's - you know, the kind that still has heavy duty beaters!) The big mixer is handy for cookies and I shred cheese, but it is a beast for weight and space. Anyway, being cold (as I type my hands are icy - I'd never make it in a winterwonderland, lol), I do keep oven doors open after use, use sun for sure.  I swear I'd do well with a hot rock at my feet.   And darn it all if I can't get through a post without editing... that is to add... where, Grandma Donna, did you get those jammies?  They are adorable! 

I just get miserable if too cold, our winters fluctuate wildly from day to day and month to month. It is supposed to be cold and start snowing tomorrow and then by the end of next week back into the 50-60's. 

My furnace is propane and used as little as possible because the price of propane is terrible and fluctuates daily. I have a woodstove and use it mostly. I layer up and always wear sneakers in the house as there isn't enough support in slippers or socks for me. I usually wear wool socks. 

On really cold days I will even wear my knit beanie in the house. I use drapes and curtains to help control temps: using sun for solar heat and closed in summer to help keep it cooler. 

I do have to buy my firewood but it is still cheaper to buy wood than propane. I do use the woodstove to cook on and I dry laundry around it also. I raise bread around it for baking and dry noodles also.

Living this way takes a lot of work and planning but it is worth it. When I remember the things my grandmother told me about living thru the depression and the lengths they had to go to, I am thankful not only for her stories but for the knowledge she passed on. 

I wish we didn't always have to be hyper-aware of all of the costs and repercussions but at least we can attempt to control what we can in our lives.

i live in western new york state, in lake effect snow country.  we're getting our first snowstorm tomorrow night (2"-10" predicted).i live in a small city in a 950 sqft, 1.5 story, 100+ year old house, heated by an antique natural gas furnace. it's not practical for me, currently, to have wood heat or to harvest wood. i turned the furnace on about 3 weeks ago, when overnight temps went below freezing and daytime temps didn't get out of the 40s. if it's over 50 and sunny, the sunshine can adequately heat my house all by itself.

i still have the original wood windows in my house, with storm windows, and good attic insulation. my heating bills are typically lower than my summer cooling bills (!!!) and are simply part of the equation of living here, and part of the budget. my fuel bills are not extravagant in the winter, and it's not possible to leave the heat off in this climate, everything will freeze. i'll turn off my furnace in april, possibly may, depending on when the temps are amenable. 

i am also an avid knitter, and agree with Lisa T above that one of the keys to staying warm in winter is wool. in the winter i wear handknit wool socks, and if i really get chilled i wear a hat indoors (beanie in knitted wool).  keeping your head insulated makes SUCH a difference in comfort and retaining heat. i also have fingerless gloves that i will wear as needed. second the recommendations for hot soups and stews, hot tea, hot oatmeal, pretty much anything that will heat you from the inside. 

i work from home most of the week, and for the most part the furnace doesn't actively heat the upstairs of my home (bedroom, office). i use an electric oil-filled radiator to heat my upstairs office during working hours.  my work is very computer- and desk-based, and i have some medical conditions that don't allow me to turn the heat down as much as some others can, so the temps stay in the mid-to-upper 60s throughout the heating season. i recently installed portieres on many of my doorways (i have cats and closing the actual doors is impractical, haha), and they have made a huge difference in regulating the temp in my home.  thank you, Grandma Donna, for teaching me about portieres. 

one other thing i wanted to mention, is that i use the electric oil-filled radiator with a plug-in programmable thermostat, where you plug the thermostat into the wall, and plug the radiator into that. they have been amazing, and totally worth the purchase. i'm not someone who will remember to turn the radiator off (or get up in the middle of the night to turn it on, ha) and this way i can heat as needed, and also conserve energy. 

Well, it's getting down to -2 overnight now. (all temps in Celcius) Currently keeping the thermostat around 21 during the day, though it is usually at 23. We have gas for our heat. I wouldn't mind 21 all day, but my parents control the finances and the heat. I beleive our natural gas doesnt' cost too much to keep us warm, since we can afford to keep the heat on during the day :)
we have a 2000 sq ft house to keep warm, and we use every inch of it. At night we let the thermostat go down to 18 degrees and everyone has multiple blankets to keep warm.
Unfortunatly I get quite cold due to poor circulation so going colder than 20/21 degrees might not be possible during the day. But I love a wool sweater and socks to keep me warm. Also an electric heating pad is quite a comfort.
No wood stoves for us, only the gas fireplace. We live in the city though so maybe there is a rule about it! (our city does have many rules that seem silly...)
Sitting near a window is no fun during winter as it makes me extra cold! But that is where my favourite chair is unfortunately...
Temps conversion:
-2 = 28
21 = 69
23 = 73

I live in Northeast U.S. and it gets very cold and when it is damp can feel even colder.  I used to go to an office but now work from home and found that I was keeping the heat higher now since I am not only home but stationary and I would get quite cold.  Over the last few years I have made some arrangements that have helped me keep the main thermostat down and for upstairs bedroom I keep it very low as we sleep better when it is cool.   

I have lined my curtains with pieces of dark blue or dark green polar fleece.  Since the fleece doesn't require any hemming and doesn't unravel it was easy to simply hand stitch it on to the existing curtains (which I made some time ago).  The dark color worked well during the hotter summer days to keep out the sun and the lining also keeps out cold drafts now that it is getting colder.  If I forgot to close one the difference is very noticeable.  Bought the fleece on sale but fleece blankets from thrift stores or yard sales would work.   This year I will be adding some bubble wrap cut into pieces that fit the window as I understand that I can use a spray of water to help them stick to each window.  

A programmable thermostat that bumps up the heat in the early morning and then puts it back down is a money saver also. 

Also over time I have gotten a number of small space heaters so that when we are sitting for a period of time we can easily turn on and off the space heater as needed.  This is particularly useful for my work from home space as it is a very small room and I can just warm that one area for most of the day.  

I have also more recently added heated throws to the places where I tend to sit to read or work.  They actually work better than the space heaters and are quiet so if I had to choose, I would recommend them.  I also have a vest that heats with a battery that I mostly use when I need to be outside in the cold for long periods but I do use it for inside the house occasionally as well (and also have seen shawls and jackets that heat up)   And there are heated mattress pads on each bed.  For people that share a bed, I think they make dual control ones so both can be comfortable at the temperature they prefer.  

Because it is generally cheaper to heat the body than the space, I also have a couple of wool sweaters and two knock offs from Walmart of something called an Oodie I think?  It is an oversized fleece hoodie with large pockts and sleeves long enough to keep your hands tucked into.  I don't think I spent more than $20 on either of them but that was a couple of years ago.  (just looked them up and if you look for a wearable blanket there are still some that are $20.  The actual Oodies are very expensive)  One goes to my waist but the other reaches down to my shins for the VERY cold days.  They are quite comfortable as well as warm and get a lot of use but when I am on camera for a meeting I have a somewhat more professional wool sweater.  Warm slippers and wool socks also helpful!

And even if all you have is a un-heated blanket or quilt to keep on your lap it is going to help or you can layer two together and have another for over your shoulders.  Extra blankets seem rather common at yard sales or if you just ask around to see if anyone has extra.  

Mostly don't allow yourself to get TOO cold before you do something to warm up.  Because it is harder to feel comfortable again if you wait too long.  If that occurs (and occasionally throughout the day) exercise can very quickly warm you up.  Squats or push ups (even from a wall or counter) are great for warming up the entire body quickly, and if you have even light weights to do with the squats even better.  

When I feel cold, I first try some exercise and the wearable blanket; if that doesn't do it will add the heated throw over my lap, if that STILL isn't enough I put the space heater on briefly to warm up the space and then move back down the ladder of options.  

It took me a few years to get all of the options in place but it has been worth it as it really does keep the costs for the gas heat down and means I am more comfortable throughout the day.

Grandma Donna wrote, 

Crunchycon, I went online to walmart and these are the pajamas I ordered. Just copy the bold links and paste in the walmart search bar and it should take you to the Pajamas.

Global Women's Flannel Pajamas Set 100% cotton PJs for Women Loungewear Long Sleeve Button Drawstring Waist Warm Sleepwear Blue Flour

I bought a size up so I could wear thermal wear underneath.  

Charles is also made by Global and the same type pajamas but in mens. 

GLOBAL Men's Pajamas Sets 100% Cotton Flannel Sleepwear Long-Sleeve Top & Bottom Loungewear White Stripes

The robe is also from Walmart

Collections Etc women's Plush Fleece Button Front Robe with Pockets, Collar, Pink

For the flannel shirts are MOSHU brand.  They are not cotton but they are thicker than the cotton ones that I do have. 

I hope that the links take you to them.  The pajamas are surprising good quality.   Donna

I live in North Dakota..lots of winter here.  I live in a third floor apartment -that helps me save on heating some.  I have electric heat. I keep it on as low as possible.  Lots of layers and socks to keep my feet warm.  

Hi Grandma Donna, thank you for the post and for all you share with us. I hope winter won't be too severe for you.

You mentioned the old wood stoves that were good for heating water, cooking etc as well as heating the house.  I agree, you make the most of whatever fuel you're  using when you have an appliance like that. And you can dry your washing inside for no extra charge! Those stoves are available new but are quite an investment. 

I don't really have any ideas that haven't already been covered by other folk, other than wearing a snug-fitting sleeveless "puffer jacket" over your clothes (indoors or out) allows you to stay toasty without restricting arm movement. Fingerless gloves provide warmth while allowing movement too.

Any jacket or coat that sits hip level or below, I find gives more consistent warmth than something that rides up around waist level when I bend.

I can echo that thermal undergarments and woollen socks are a must for me day and night in the colder months.

Aldi sells 100% wool thermals, and wool-blend hiking socks toward the end of Autumn here in Southeast Australia.  They have an annual "ski gear" sale and you can get really good quality warm clothing at very reasonable prices. I wonder if it's the same in other places that get cold? 

We have a wood fire but it doesn't reach the bedrooms, so like others, we've bought oil filled column heaters with timers and thermostats for bedrooms and keep them on a low setting, just enough to take the chill off so we don't become cold when getting out of bed. As others have said, it's important to keep warm. I find if my feet never get cold, the rest of me is easy to keep warm.

Heads can lose a lot if heat, too. If it's really cold, I will wear a knitted hat to bed! If you don't  have one, you can make one from an old stretchy top: cut the body horizontally just below the underarms (or cut off a sleeve, if it's a better size for a hat), creating a tube of fabric. Sew together along the line you've just cut, creating a squarish bag with an opening at the bottom - which is where you stick your head! It's not something I would wear out and about,  but it's quick to make, and effective.

Hot water bottles are a favourite in our house but you have to factor in the cost (if any) of heating the water. Similar to the wonderful idea of heating a brick and wrapping it. 

Someone else mentioned warm boots that go above the ankle, rather than ordinary slippers. I second this! Australia has its famous brand of sheepskin "Ugg Boots" which traditionally go above ankles and this makes so much difference to warmth.

When my uncle was very ill and struggled with feeling the cold, he sat with a heated blanket around him, or only over his knees. He found this very comfortable.

I read that, in Japan, it's common to have a low heated table called a Kotatsu, over which people place a quilt, and then sit with their feet under to keep warm. Presumably they're specially designed to be safe to do this.

Please remember to "Keep it a metre away from the heater"! That is, there should be 3 feet between your heater and any curtains, loose textiles, or washing you've hung up to dry :)

PS: people I know who work in the construction and agricultural industries wear heated vests and jackets, and swear by them.  They aren't cheap, but here in the Southern hemisphere where we are heading into summer, there are some significant price reductions at the moment. Maybe something to research abd consider for next winter?

Crunchycon -- I have two pair of flannel jogger pants from The Vermont Flannel Company that are very warm and comfy. They are a medium weight flannel. They sell pajamas too. I bought a flannel nightgown from the Vermont Country Store that isn't as nice as the Vermont Flannel Company's flannel. It's not as soft. It is warm however. 

It has been a mild Autumn in Staffordshire, though the forecast is for single figures and colder nights from mid-November. It is a damp area, plenty of rain, heavy clay soil, brooks, old ponds and canals and their feeder reservoirs, and some parts of the roads flood regularly. We get fog, heavy frosts and ice, and some snow. It has been a few years since we had deep snow. 

The house is small, quite well insulated and double glazed. We keep the gas central heating thermostat at 7°C at night and 17°C in the day for my health. The back gets the sun in the morning and the front all afternoon. 

I am in three layers of clothing indoors so far, with an old padded gilet to slip on when I am sitting still. 

We are well stocked with wool blankets, sheepskin rugs on the chairs and the bed headboard, and sheepskin slippers, boots and mittens, and plenty of clothes suitable for layering, woolly hats, scarves, thick socks, thin and thick wool jumpers, and padded gilets, waterproofs and wellies for going outside. The last two winters were not cold enough to require the merino wool thermal underwear or the down filled jacket, or the big, fleece lined Oodie type things we bought in the sales, when the Utility Companies put up the prices a lot and with little warning and threatened a winter of long powercuts. We have new, rubber hot water bottles and vintage stonewear ones. 

The pillows are feather, the duvet is feather and down, 13.5 tog, and gets aired daily and shaken again at bedtime to plump it up. Warm pyjamas certainly, worn over my winter vest, a sweatshirt over the top if necessary, and bedsocks, and a woolly hat, and a long wool blanket for a shawl for reading in bed, fingerless gloves too. Two hot water bottles in their covers in freezing weather. I take a flask of tea to bed. We have the bedroom window open a bit at night. 

We have had our flu jabs, and we are waiting for the next Covid jab. 

I live in northern Iowa, so winters are quite cold.  We've had -35º F although the usual lows are around -20º F.  We have a lot of wind which makes wind chills extremely low and moves snow into huge drifts.  It is currently 31º (feels like 21º) and snowing.  We've had around 4" of snow although the ground is still warm enough it hasn't accumulated much on pavement.  

I keep my thermostat at 69º and wear layers.  I hate being cold!  I keep afghans or throws where I sit to cover up so I stay comfortable.  I have a budget plan for my electric/natural gas which is currently $100 per month up from $86 last year.  My house is three-bedroom ranch on full basement and has Thermopane windows with storm windows on the outside so no drafts and is well insulated built in 1979.  I have natural gas furnace, water heater, kitchen stove and the generator is also natural gas.  Ironically, my water/sewer, garbage bill is around $97 per month.

I wear sweatpants, sometimes with long underwear, sweatshirt with T-neck under and sometimes an undershirt.  My p.j.'s are homemade fleece and I use a T-neck as a top.  My housecoats are also homemade one is fleece and the other a fluffy fleece type of fabric.  I put them over clothing of an evening.  I have sweaters, fleece jackets, etc. from thrift shops so plenty available for layering.  Keeping my shoes on also helps keep me warm.  I cannot wear wool touching my skin but do have a wool blanket on my bed along with a fleece blanket and an older comforter.  I wear socks to bed.

Also, something I learned in years past is if you have the head of your bed facing an inside wall you stay warmer.  The cold outside walls seem to suck the heat from your body which is especially uncomfortable when it's from your head.  In my bedroom the outside walls have large windows, and I was miserable when the head of the bed was on one of those walls.

My dd lives in Arizona and when she visited last summer, she was thrilled to find warm clothing at thrift shops and stocked up. She is very thin and the cold bites deep for her.  Murphy's Law, we had been having 80+ temps for weeks before she arrived and it immediately turned cool and wet once she was here and it warmed up the week she left.  Fortunately, she could wear my sweaters and sweatshirts.  

North Dakota here! I second everyone’s ideas for staying warm! Lots of blankets, lots of layers. Quilts are the best, we have one that is made out old jeans on one side and it is the best thing ever.  
Plastic on the windows can help if they are drafty but can be a bit of a cost if you have a lot of windows or big ones. I have used bubble wrap from packages in the past, it works as well. The silver bubble wrap at hardware stores works well too but doesn’t let light in. I have two large south facing windows so those are nice for warming it up on sunny winter days and then insulated curtains at night. Come Jan/Feb I will hang heavy blankets on the exterior doors to help with drafts. 
Our furnace runs off propane and electricity, it does get expensive in the coldest months but right now it’s our only heat option. Our stove/oven and water heater also use the propane. We have a 1000 gallon tank and probably use 1 1/2 fills a year, summer is better for that since it’s just the water heater and stove really. Some day I would love to add a wood stove in the house. We do have a nice one in the garage so if it ever came to it we could be out there to stay warm, we are out in the country so also have a lot of wood to help with that. 
I got some self warming beds for the pets and they seem to love them in the colder months. I have shelters set up outside since we get cats that will show up, I have a couple of the beds out there as well and this year I ordered a large box of the body warmers for when the temps get really low. I don’t plan on using them every night but we will have a few weeks to a month or so when it will get to -50 at night so I wanted a way to help them stay warm without electricity. 

Stay warm everyone! It’s only 24 degrees here tonight! 

I forgot to add we keep the thermostat at around 67-69, if it gets to cold I try to bake something :

We're in Queensland, outer suburbs of Brisbane which is the capital city of this state.  I come from up north on the barrier reef though, in the tropics.  Even down here, winter is rarely very cold - all year round we sleep in summer pyjamas, husband in shorts and a singlet top and me in a tee-shirt nightie - never needed anything else.  We put a cotton blanket on under the polyester doona (duvet to all other countries) and sometimes that's too much.  Summer is the worst as the humidity is high but we don't use the air-con much, not good for our well-being to be in air-conditioning constantly - we managed before without fans or air-conditioning and prefer to let our bodies adjust.  We'll have it on the tear-drop setting during the night in the bedroom and that's about it most of the time but winter we have mostly sunny warm days with perhaps a cold wind coming from the west here and there.

Washing is always on the line, winter or summer, and meals are much the same all year round.  We live a simple life and are content with what we have.

Probably everyone has thought of this already, but sealing around the door jambs of outside doors, and any gaps between windows and frames. Also "sausages" of fabric filled with sawdust or sand against the bottom of door to stop draughts.

Here in Texas our winters are usually mild, but we can get ice storms or snow as well as bitter cold. I have never had a woodstove or used wood for heat. I have moved into a new build that has a lot of insulation. I use an electric blanket for heat when it is cold. I keep the thermostat at 60 degrees as I sleep better in the cold. My electric bill has been very reasonable in the short time I have been in the new house. I have a tankless water heater, so I suspect this saves on the bill too. The water bill in the small town I moved to has been what is costly. I have a few wool garments but don't need them most of the time. Cuddleduds brand of underwear (long johns) have served me well. They are warm but not bulky like thermals. I have a glass storm door on the front door, so I think that helps keep the drafts out. I have central heat & air. The house has a backup battery in case of a power outage. I suppose I could cook on the grill using the propane tank if the outage was prolonged. The AC in the summer is usually the higher cost, but you need it in the Texas heat. I layer my clothing like many of the readers. I plan to get a clothesline for the back yard to dry clothes rather than using the dryer all the time. I rather look forward to the break from the Texas heat when fall arrives.

Something I remembered last night. A bonnet or night cap can do wonders for keeping you warm at night.
We're about to be hit by 10-20 cm of snow! Unfortunately not everyone has their snow tires on yet. I really hope it is just snow and not ice and freezing rain as well...

I live in a converted portacabin in West Sussex, just down from the sea.  Thankfully the temperatures haven't dropped below freezing yet, in fact, the weather has been mild and sunny for this time of the year.

I'm prepared though.  I have put bubble wrap over the (single glazed), windows and have thermally lined curtains on all the windows and doors.  I too use wool blankets (thank you Charity shops), rather than a duvet and wouldn't be without my hot water bottle! I know the weather is getting slightly colder as my cat has started either sleeping on top of me at night or by the oil filled radiator during the evening.

I have flannelette sheets and pjs but thankfully things don't get cold enough to need any more than a pair of  (cotton), socks and my slippers when I'm here in the evening.  I've noted, with much interest, all the tips you lovely forum readers have provided though!

I would love to have a wood burning stove but am renting so it's unlikely to be possible- Years ago I lived in a cottage which was heated by radiators that were served by the back boiler of the one coal fire in the house.  Once the fire got going the cottage was nice and toasty but it was b*&$%y cold in the winter until then! And it always seemed to be me who got in first... I very quickly learned how to rapidly light a fire whilst still dressed in my outdoor coat, hat and gloves....

I'm another huge fan of wool and other natural fibres.  I'm currently knitting a shetland wool sleeveless jumper/vest/tank top. Knitting keeps me warm and the finished garment will add another layer- double win!

Hot foods (stews and casseroles), and hot drinks are another necessity during the colder months. No salads here, thank you very much!

I hate being cold, it seems to take forever to warm up again.

Another timely post GDonna, it's good to have you back!

Bright Blessings

Thank you Grandma Donna for your post, as always, and everyone else for your thoughtful replies.

Janet, I have quoted your post because we are in Staffordshire too, how funny! So close and yet posting on the blog of someone on the other side of the world. 

Obviously we share the same weather (currently rather rainy and foggy) and also share many tactics.

I ALWAYS have a hot water bottle. I work from home a lot and it sits on my knee even in online meetings. Our house is an odd shape, long and thin, and one end is a lot warmer than the other (it's newer, with better insulation, and closer to the boiler). We are detached, rural, and on top of a hill so no shelter from other houses. We try to make some improvements every year so it's useful to read people's suggestions.

I made thermal blinds in the kitchen (coldest room) and found that even thin cotton hangings over door spaces made a difference (although I plan to upgrade some to proper curtains this year).

We keep the thermostat at 16 degrees Celsius in the day, about 8 at night. I like it warmer than my husband, so I always also have a hot water bottle and several layers, including a nice shawl for working (I'm often on camera) and an extremely functional sleeveless bodywarmer thing for when I'm not at work. 

We don't have a wood burner, although we keep considering it. We do have a very small open fire in one room but it throws out so little heat that we rarely bother lighting it.

At night, we have a 13.5 tog duvet, and usually at least one blanket, plus my hot water bottle of course (sometimes two!) Window is usually open a little at night.

Oh, and we get quite damp here, so I often run the dehumidifier, which I find does keep things slightly warmer. I also have a small oil filled radiator under my desk in the room I work in - I just can't work if I'm too cold, and it saves heating the whole house if there's only me in. I also have some cashmere fingerless gloves for the same reason! 

Keeping the thermostat at 8 degrees (even at night) sounds insane to me. I applaud you!
I would be freezing even with my 3 blankets and cat!

This blog and forum never cease to be helpful! I've been very successful with my layering this fall, but I've been thinking about winter. I decided when we were on the electronics break that TV watching holds a lot of value for me. In 1930 terms, I guess I go to the movies a lot :), and it's free for me to watch when I plug the TV into my solar generator. Usually in winter when it's too cold just to wrap myself in a blanket when I watch TV, I'd get out the electric oil burner heater to warm the room. But Jennie C said how she sometimes uses a hot water bottle when sitting. That gave me an idea. I can use hot water bottles under my blanket and the foot warmer soapstone I bought when Grandma Donna did a post about them, instead of getting out a heater! I can use the soapstone to keep my feet warm when watching TV. :) I know there is some cost in heating the water for the hot water bottles and heating the soapstone, but I can heat water once and keep it in my Thermoses to rewarm the hot water bottles as needed. :)

I’m right in the middle of the United States so I get everyone’s weather from all four directions. The wind blows constantly and it’s the wind chills that are bad here. 

My hands get very cold as I’m trying to keep heating bill down. I keep my thermostat at 62 or so, as you can layer clothes to keep warm, but not on your hands while you’re doing things. I know it’s not 1930’s compliant, but I heat a small rice bag in microwave and use it to warm my hands.  It’s the only thing I’ve found that warms them fast and keeps them warm.  The bag stays warm for an hour or so. I can also put it in my pocket and use it for quick little warm ups. 

I like on the East coast of the USA, north of Washington DC. We get all the seasons here!  I get cold very easily, so our thermostat ranges from 66-69 depending on whether we are home or not. Thanks goodness for programable thermostats!  We used to have exclusively oil heat, but 5 years ago invested in a split systems, so a heat pump runs until the temperature outside hit below 40F.  It has saved us a LOT of money as oil is so expensive. We used to get 2 fills a year of the oil tank. Now we use between 1/2 and 1 full tank a winter. I use hot water bottles, wool socks, a cap and a heated pad on my couch to keep warm.

I live in North Florida, so we get mostly heat, but we get cold, too.  Last year we got snow and some nights in the upper teens.  The temperature tonight and tomorrow night are predicted to be 29 deg. F; yesterday the low was 67 and the daytime temperature was 84, which brings my next remark - we can't get accustomed to cold here, so it always feels hard when it hits.

The temperatures in winter follow this path.  It gets cold.   After a day or few days of cold weather, the weather starts to warm, getting warmer each day for several days.  It rains.  The next day it is cold again.  So we go from coats to short sleeves sometimes in as little as a week.

Our cold is also a damp cold, which is so uncomfortable.  I do what most do here - use thermal-lined curtains, wear layers (I really like my thrifted LL Bean down vest), open the oven after baking, and keep my thermostat as low as I can and still remain reasonably comfortable when warmly dressed.  I have a programmable thermostat that lowers the temperature at night and warms it back up temporarily in the morning for when I get up, so the house is not so cold.  I don't handle getting up in a cold house well at all, especially since I have to get up very early to commute to work.  We have a heat pump for downstairs and a second one for upstairs.  They aren't great for consistently cold or extremely cold weather, but do well enough for Florida, and they do very well at cooling in the hot weather.

The long period of summery heat is our main issue.  The thermal curtains are usually closed during the day, except for weekends, and then only the curtains on the windows that are shaded by the porches are opened.  The humidity is ferocious, so I have to be very careful about letting clothing and linens dry thoroughly to prevent mildew, even with the air conditioning on.  I won't use the oven in the six months we have hot weather except when I have no choice (a layer cake, for example).  I use a crock pot or toaster oven, both of which are set out on the porch while cooking, my stovetop pressure cooker, which I love, or my fireless thermal cooker.  I try to not open my refrigerator and freezer unless I really have to, and I never just stand with the door open.  I have double paned windows and they are closed unless we have a comfortable day (s), which only happens in the spring or fall, and sometimes, winter.  I dress in very lightweight clothing and nightclothes, sleep under just a sheet, and run my ceiling fans with the A/C when I am home.  I have several shade trees but can't plant too near the house, because of hurricanes.  However, they cast some shade in the slanting light of late afternoons, which is welcome. We planted mostly deciduous trees near the house, so that we would get the sun in the winter.

GDonna, speaking of trains, my aunt and her husband lived for many years in a house that was a former grain-loading train depot.  The track beside them was still active, so that train was CLOSE.  They learned to sleep through the train noise at night, but when we visited, it always woke us up.  As little kids, my siblings and I always loved to wave at the train employees as they went rumbling by.

Grandma Donna Wrote,

As I sit here with three layers of clothes, a knitted button on hoodie and wool socks, some may think it is a bit much for barely getting below freezing tonight. This two day wind has started chilling down the house quite a bit today.  Our climate is similar to  Joan S and she wrote about the difficulty of adjusting to the cold when living in a warmer climate that will suddenly dip to a freezing or below freezing after basking in almost 80 degrees a few days prior.  I agree Joan that we cannot adjust to this cold.  I also have fingerless gloves on as I am typing this somment.  We are just a bit north of Joan but we also have the humidity issues that makes the hot days sticky and sweaty and the cold days it feels like our bones are deeply cold.  

I have been happy and thankful to see all of the wonderful comments with great information so we can learn how each other handles these weather changes.  Maddie, you do get your share of extreme weather where you live, and it seems the past three or four years it is such strong storms!  

 Jennie B and Janet, I found that amazing to see that you have found that you live in the same community and realized that all the way over here to southeast Alabama. :)  That made me so very happy.  

Well, I just wanted to pop in to say that I am taking in every comment and applying those things that are going to be very helpful.  Donna :) 

"The temperatures in winter follow this path.  It gets cold.   After a day or few days of cold weather, the weather starts to warm, getting warmer each day for several days.  It rains.  The next day it is cold again.  So we go from coats to short sleeves sometimes in as little as a week."

In Iowa we often go from short sleeves to coats within the day.  Also, true when we lived in Wyoming.  I once went to town (30 miles) to shop in a spring coat and dd in a light jacket and while we were gone the temp took a drastic dive and it started snowing.  Lesson learned, I never in Spring or Fall go to town without throwing a warm jacket in the car and I keep an extra pair of winter gloves in the car year-round.  (Gloves are very handy when the steering wheel is too hot to touch.)

Wouldn't it boring if every location was the same!!  I love hearing about the differences.

I was just reminded of something, when reading the postings.  Several years ago, I worked in an office in northern Iowa that was brand new and energy efficient - they called it a "green building".  We were not able to turn up the heat more than to a certain temperature and it seemed to heat only certain offices/group rooms and mine was not one of those!  We were told that we could not have heaters in our offices and my hands were getting oh so cold some of those below zero days or when the winds were out of a certain direction.  I struggled to type and not make errors.  I purchased a pair of fingerless gloves and that helped, but not enough.  I constantly had a cup of hot water, coffee, tea on an electric warmer and still, that helped, but not enough.  That's when I had a brainstorm.  I had an adjustable lamp that I could move to hover over my keyboard and I put in one of the old 100 watt incandescent bulbs in it.  It was fantastic!  My fingers heated up and I was able to get my job done, error-free.  I shared with the building manager what I had done and why and after checking out the lack of heat getting to my office, they had no problem with it, even if it was not a "green" solution. 

Hi forum, this is my first time posting.  I've been diligently reading through Donna's back catalogue of posts and missed that a new one was posted some days ago.

I live in Queensland, in Australia and it's only spring here but it's so hot already.  Thankfully the breezes are nice, so I've been able to open all the doors and windows and turn on the ceiling fans and be fine without the air con.  We've had many 30+ degrees celsius days already.  Yuck.  In winter, where I am, it can get down to about three to five degrees celsius, but probably averages around ten.  The cold is ok, the chill is dreadful. I have cats and I don't want them to suffer chill either, so I put my split system air conditioner on 21 degrees when the temp gets below 18, which is the lowest end of comfort for cats.  It adds almost nothing at all to my bill, because I set it to take the chill out of the air, not heat the place up like a furnace.  If it weren't for the cats I'd just suffer under layers of clothing and my electric throw in winter.  I always found that electric oil heaters are the best for heating at the best price, but I don't have one anymore.  As I said, the split system doesn't seem to add anything noticeable to my elec bill. The air con will absolutely smash my budget though.  It's not possible to get by without it here and still be sane after a little while.

I actually just cleaned mould off all the windows on one side of my flat this morning.  The winter air causes a lot of condensation I guess.  I've never lived anywhere that gets mouldy windows! Every morning in winter I'll wake up with condensation halfway up the windows from the bottom.  Perhaps if I did heat those rooms I wouldn't get that.  I have to look into it.  I won't heat them though!

Hello, Grandma Donna

I did not comment on your first post of November, but will just mention that during the previous month I had been continuing to focus on my daily affirmation to “Slow my pace, slow my thoughts, slow my breathing”. And , also slowly, I am making progress, becoming more relaxed, and finding myself able to make the changes needed towards happier homemaking days. For instance, folding my clothes carefully, intentionally, in the style of the Japanese.

My husband and I live in a flat in a little village in Surrey, UK. This is quite well insulated so we are very fortunate. But my ways of keeping warm are

1 Just before bedtime I fill a hot water bottle 2/3 full from the kettle, and place it in the bed and leave it in the bed all night. It stays nice and warm until the morning and I move it around as desired.

2 I try to knit jumpers (sweaters), blankets and accessories in pure wool yarns, or partly pure wool. Even though the wool is more expensive than synthetic yarns, it is much much warmer, and where synthetic garments retain odours like perspiration, needing frequent washing, Woolens can be simply hung and aired and hardly ever require laundering. 

3. In the cold weather I always fill a Thermos flask from the kettle, and use this to make small hot tea or coffee drinks in the little cup that fits on the top. That helps warm me up

Gayle H, I used to work in the military in the USA and it seemed that the government buildings never seemed to turn their heat on until halfway through winter! I had an office job for that time and my frozen fingers didn't want to do anything. I wonder how much money they lose in man power time because everyone's fingers are frozen and can't do their jobs properly. That is a very inventive solution. I didn't get past just keeping hot drinks in my hards almost continually. 

At home we heat with wood mostly but we also have space heaters to heat the rooms that are very cold and away from the wood stove. We use portieres for one room that is space heater heated to help control how much of the house the space heater heats. 

Usually in late spring and early fall (right as we just need the chill managed in the house) my son and I would go around the property and pick up twigs, sticks, and even paper that might have blow into the yard. It's a bit of work but it gets us outside and cleans up our yard. There are times we are not able to get up into the woods and fall trees and/or split wood so that helps not burn the good overnight quality wood just to knock down the chill in the morning air on those not too chilly days. 

We certainly wear layers. I wear dresses all the time but I didn't used to. People would ask me if I'm cold wearing a dress. I have actually found it's not worse than wearing pants in the winter and sometimes it's better at keeping me warm. I wear biker shorts under my dress in the cool weather and socks that pull almost all the way up to my knees. The added air trapped under the dress ends up warming up and it's almost like having a blanket with you. If I curle up on the couch I will pull the end of my dress over my feet to help keep my toes warm.

We use electric space heaters more than we used to because we now have babies in the house. My step son and his wife just found out they are expecting a baby and they live with us so there will be another baby here soon. But we also have more income coming into the house now too so that will help with extra heat cost. But then again there are more of us in the house also so the more body heat we produce, the less heat we need to supplement. So we will see what this next couple of winters will look like in that aspect. 

We also will use the heat left over from baking and hot drinks. We have a heated blanket but I don't use it very often. I find I over heat with them pretty quickly and get very uncomfortable. One thing we try to remember to do if we can is to cook on the wood stove in the winter..sometimes we forget though. But that helps reduce how often we need to fire up the electric stove and hopefully that counteracts the cost of heating with the space heaters even a little bit. Every so often our electric company will send us a report telling us how our house stands against energy efficient houses in the area. It is not uncommon for us to be on the same level of energy efficient houses or even doing way better than energy efficient houses! 

Another couple things we try to do is to put plastic over our windows and energy efficient curtains over them too. We also replaced a few old drafty windows over the last couple of years. This year we entirely gutted and remodeled one of the coldest rooms in the house. The window was cracked and the plaster was crumbling. After removing all of the horse hair plaster from the walls and ceiling we left the logs exposed on three walls, INSULATED the ceiling (when it had never been before) that lead to the attic, and drywalled over that. With new energy efficient windows and the insulation my step son says that room is nice and toasty now. We also put a door on our pantry. It was an added room a long time ago and it's drafty. Eventually we hope to stop that room from being drafty but for now we have stopped the draft from entering the rest of the house. 

Plugging all the cracks in a house that was built on or before 1890 is a continuous process but it gets better every year. 

As for cooling, we have a window unit or two that we turn on only when needed. We have replaced single bulb ceiling lights with light that have fans attached. We are putting in storm doors on all outside doors so that we can open the main doors and allow and nice cross breeze to come through the house. The new windows have good screens with them so windows can be opened too. Closing the curtains on the sunny side of the house can help keep the suns heat out of the house. And cooking outside helps also. Of course and I am not wearing long socks and biker shorts with my dresses in the heat of the year. Nylon under shorts and shorter socks or no socks at all helps in those months. Cool showers and hot baths help as needed also. 

Okay, I think I've run on long enough. I hope everyone has a wonderful day. 

Just reading through this interesting discussion.  Thanks for starting it Donna.   When we had a new AC unit installed I was discussing with the installer about my friends trying to nurse their 25 year old unit along so they wouldn’t have to replace it.  They would cool it down in the morning then turn it off for most of the day.  He explained to me that that is counter productive to their goal.  That it is more wear and tear on the unit because of the several hours it takes to initially cool down the space e@ch time.  That it was better for the unit, and more energy efficient, to set it to a bit warmer temperature and keep it there.  (I’m assuming if you are away most of the day you would modify that a bit.). I can see his point as we let our temperature get down to 65 in the house last night.  Have it set to warm to 72.  It has been working to warm the house to that temperature for two hours and hasn’t achieved it yet.  So it obviously must be the same with heating.  Anyway….it’s something for folks to experiment with in their own homes.  I’m guessing the tradeoff for both heating and cooling is going to be different for each home depending on several circumstances including which side of the house has more windows, compass orientation of the house, shade, and wind.  Most of our windows are on the west side of our house, which is a sunroom, kitchen, and the sunroom opening into the living room.  Yesterday afternoon when the sun reached that side of the house all the house stayed nice and toasty.  Have the two windows shades facing east open wide this morning and that room and the hallway next to it are warm.

Oh, he also told me the way our unit works closing off doors actually makes the unit work much harder.  He demonstrated this air flow by showing me that a couple of the doors, if just slightly ajar, could be sucked shut.  This of course is central AC/heat and is obviously a whole different situation with space AC/heating.

 My Mom lived in a house that had heating wires running through the ceiling in one room.  That room would take quite awhile to heat, then was toasty, then would cook you.  I bet if she had put a fan in the room to stir the air it would have worked more consistently.  AND if it had been properly insulated between that room and the basement.

Grandma Donna wrote,

Welcome to the forum Mel B, I am happy that you have joined our conversation as the more we have commenting the more knowledge we gain. :)  The condensation that you mention in your comments has happened in our small lake cottage.  We used to set the heating and cooling to come on when the temperatures reached very hot or very cold but the cost has gone up so we will use a fan to circulate the air and open the windows off and on.  I recently read about using pine sol to kill and or prevent mildew / mold. Last month when we went up there I cleaned around the windows and some woodwork and I have been checking to see if the mildew comes back and so far it has not.  I am now wondering since it is cold and then warm and back to cold if it will come back.  The next time we go up there I will do another wipe down around the windows with the pine sol and see if this will prevent the mildew during the winter.  I do not know if this works but there are several articles that say that it will.  We will see......   :) Donna