How to Stay Warm While Lowering the Household Thermostat

After you’ve sealed all of the cold air leaks and weather proofed your home and/or apartment, reduced the household thermostat, there are a few other things you could do to help combat the rising heating costs. With a little ingenuity, you could weather the lower household temperatures and still feel comfortable. Here are a few tricks to help you stay warm.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Dress in layers. You may not have to wear an outer coat to stay warm inside, but wearing an extra layer will do much to help you feel warm.

2. Wear a hat. A large portion of heat escapes through your head. If you’re covering up the rest of your body, don’t forget your head. A cap or a hat will do wonders in helping you to deal with the lower thermostat temperature.

3. Cook comfort foods. Nothing smells better than an oven full of comfort foods. From baking pies to cooking roast beef, turning on the oven to cook heartwarming foods warms not only the heart, but the rest of the house too.

4. Give up the cold carbonated drinks in favor of teas, soups and warm drinks.

5. Vigorously do household chores. Vacuum with a little extra gusto, sweep with a little extra swirl in your step, polish furniture with a bit more bounce. The higher your intensity level, the warmer your body gets. You get to kill two birds with one stone; you clean your house will feeling warm in spite of the lowered thermostat.

6. Eat spicy foods. It is known that foods seasoned with cayenne and chili peppers help to raise the body temperature and warm you up. Now is the perfect time to start eating all the lovely Mexican food that you’ve been having a craving for. Lowering the thermostat isn’t really all that bad.

7. Use Fido as a foot stool. Dog’s have higher body temperatures than humans. When Fido is sitting at your feet licking his, er, you know, use him as a foot stool.

8. Snuggle. If all else fails get in the bed with your significant on other. I’m sure you can figure a way to keep warm.

[LettyMaldonado]

on 10/22/2008 Aw, poor Fido (LOL). I like step 8, snuggling up to my honey. That always works!