Readers Respond: How do you stay warm without turning up the heat?
Responses: 19

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I shared my list of ways to stay warm without turning up the heat now I want to hear your best stay-warm tips. Share a Tip

I pay to heat the water to hand wash dishes, to bathe and shower. Why would I let that heat go down the sewer pipe? I let the water stand in the sink or tub and give off its heat to the house. It also adds needed humidity to the air. NOTE: DO NOT do this if there are small children in the house.
—Guest Denise

Buy a quality feather bed topper for your mattress! That with some nice German flannel sheets is the best way to keep that thermostat down at night.
—Guest JDOG

A pellet-stove fireplace is our main source of heat, though our furnace does come on at times. The pellet stove regulates its own temperature that we pre-set with a remote control, so there's no fire-damage concern as there is with a wood stove. Of course, there was the initial investment of about 3,000.00, and there needs to be room to store the bags of pellets (2 tons for our 2300 sq ft home, and a ton of pellets costs about the same as a cord of wood). the added benefit is a very cozy atmosphere and the extra lighting provided by the fire. we can make-do almost the entire evening with just the pellet stove and one lamp.
—muddle.thru

Heat is expensive! So I bought a little ECO-heater at www.4centheat.com. It mounts on the wall and only uses 400-watts, which costs me only 3-1/2 cents per hour to run. It keeps a whole room warm without the cost of heating the whole house! I love it!!
—Guest NC Mountains

When I was in the hospital last year I was given a sock filled with rice that was to be micowaved and used as a heating pad. You can fall asleep with it and not having to worry about cords or burning. I have made several more (use cheap rice) and they are a lifesaver for hands and feet. Enjoy!
—Guest minnesotagal

When DH and I selected our apartment, we chose the top floor so that all of the heat from the apartments beneath us rises and keeps us toasty warm. We've even had to open windows to let some heat out in December!
—RecoveringDreamer

I take a hot shower whenever I get cold it raises the tempture of my body.Throughout the day I drink hot chocolate or hot tea. When I'm still to watch tv or on the computer I always put a blanket on me.Pamela
—daycare126

We don't use our electric furnace at all if we can help it. Instead we have a wood-burning stove. We cut the wood in the summer/late fall and stack against back fence. We also burn coal (bought a special grate), one large lump of coal keeps us warm all night long, and we save on our wood as we only need a little bit to get the fire burning well so we can put the coal on it. I do realize that a woodstove isn't practical or a reality for many people, but those people who live in rural area with woods might want to look in to getting one.
—gaylejackson

Fill a hot water bottle or 1 litre empty pop bottle with hot water and tuck it under your blanket before going to bed. Your bed is warm and then tuck the bottle down by your feet when going to bed to keep your feet warm all night. Sleeping in a cool room with a warm bed is refreshing.
—Guest Anna

We pre-warm our bed with an electric mattress cover. It's nice and toasty when we're ready for bed and we can turn off the mattress cover for a comfortable night's sleep.
—Guest Carol

I know that wearing a hat helps, but I my hair is thick and curly, so that doesn't work so well for me. A great alternative that I have found very effective is to wear a warm scarf, acrylic is excellent and inexpensive, and of course, wool is great also. I wear one at work and it helps a lot when everyone else is comfortable or even warm and I'm still cold, which is common. Putting a scarf around my neck makes a considerable difference, in addition to wearing things like a sweater and warm socks. Another tip, from a friend of mine, is to wear an insulated vest. I'm skeptical because I think sleeves are so important, but she insists that all the heat is in the center anyway, so a vest does keep you warm, and I've seen that my friends who don't like coats prefer to keep cozy that way. So, I'm probably going to try a vest this year. Now, if you get a vest with a think fuzzy collar, you get both these solutions in one garment!
—Guest April

I have found one of the most effective way to ignore the cold is a shot of vodka.
—Guest boris

One good way to knock off the chill is to soak in a hot bath until your body temp. rises. You should stay warm for a long time afterwords. Also, close off any rooms not in use.
—Guest Tammy

This, of course, isn't for everybody. But sleep with your doggies. A very cold night was considered, A Three Dog Night, in that it would take 3 doggies in bed to keep you warm. I have 3 Maltese and 1 West Highland Terrier, so I'm plenty warm.
—Maltmom