keeping warm without putting the heating on

I'm sat with my heating on... I know, it's still summer. I didn't want to but had washing to dry too so it's on but will be turned off in 10 mins.

Anyway (sorry, went on a bit there ) do you have any tips for keeping warm without putting the heating on.

I know my hot water bottle has been sitting on my lap of an evening.

In this house we have been using thermals, hotwater bottles, lots of layers and blankets and still had to put the heating on its flipping freezing

I generally just have the slowcooker on and move about as much as possible. I think there's a psychological effect of having the yummy smell coming from the s/c as much as any actual warmth. Love the autumn!

have a duvet and some things i keep downstairs, i and we get under those sometimes.

We have a big orange blanket (aka scratchy blanket) on the back of the main sofa. We like to sit under that when we watch tv.

That reminds me, we have 4 of those pale blue Ikea fleeces in the cupboard downstairs. They were 99p but I think they are £1.09 now.

Well worth having for an extra layer when reading or watching tv, especially the girls on a morning and evening from school

Come to mine for a cudle of my DS - he's a complete hotwater bottle!

Seriously, line your curtains to keeps out any drafts and draw them before dusk to keep as much heat in as you can. If your extremities are warm you will be too so extra socks, and fingerless gloves or wrist warmers - this works in reverse to so if you are ever too hot (chance would be a fine thing in this country!) then splash cold water on your wrists and it will cool you. (It apparently also helps with those tropical moments but haven't got there yet so no personal experience to report)

Or come to mine for a cuddle with ME - I'm menopausal

We pile on extra layers of knitwear and socks. Also, we have a collection of the fleece blankets sold in Dunelm and they're great for wrapping around your legs when sitting in the lounge. Currently looking for some good-sized rugs to go in the lounge as the floor in there becomes so cold during the winter even though it's carpeted. (Concrete floor!) We're also thinking about lifting the lounge carpet, laying some thick cushionfloor and then re-laying the carpet on top of that. Putting a second layer of cushionfloor down in the kitchen has really helped the floor in there seem warmer. We put rugs down in the kitchen and hall during the cold(er) weather and this helps as well. House is well insulated and the curtains are lined. Lots of home-made soups, stews, curries, meat and potato pie, etc., have 'feel warm' qualities. Also, don't forget to cuddle up - at least they don't tax cuddles so make the most of them!

Ive got no intention of turning the heating on till the end of October so I need to buy some cheapy fleeces and line the kitchen patio door curtains as its very very cold down there. (3 storey house kitchen is in what would be the cellar but has 2 lots of patio doors out into the garden and tiled floors. Its a huge open space and never gets warm down there. It also has stairs leading up into the lounge so I need to figure out how to hang a curtain at the bottom of the stairs to stop the draught. I also need to hang a door curtain at the front door. Think when they built this house 3 years ago they forgot to order a double glazed door for the front and put a crappy wooden door in instead!

Never have any heating on upstairs in the bedrooms as the kids rooms are warm because of the computers etc. My bedroom never has heating on as the window has to be open whatever the weather otherwise I feel like im suffocating.

I have put my winter curtains up in the living room and am closing them before it gets dark outside and doing the same in the bedrooms and it seems to be keeping the heat in better. Even tho it has been nice for a few days here you still feel the temp drop when it starts to get dark. I have put curtains up at the front door as well as we need a new one and a howling gale blows through it when the wind hits the front of the house.
I have someone coming round tomorrow about cavity wall insulation and i am going to ask him about doing the loft as well hopefully doing all that will make a huge difference.

I really need to buy some lining for our living area curtains but I just keep putting it off even though I know they'll be value for money...

lollyfin wrote:I have put my winter curtains up in the living room and am closing them before it gets dark outside and doing the same in the bedrooms and it seems to be keeping the heat in better. Even tho it has been nice for a few days here you still feel the temp drop when it starts to get dark. I have put curtains up at the front door as well as we need a new one and a howling gale blows through it when the wind hits the front of the house.
I have someone coming round tomorrow about cavity wall insulation and i am going to ask him about doing the loft as well hopefully doing all that will make a huge difference.

Hope it all goes to plan lollyfin..... I also close curtains before the darkness drops, as the temperature drops low here all of a sudden in the evening. I have put the new winter quilt on the bed and the old one will go under the mattress protector when it gets really cold, hot water bottle ready (OH doesnt like them so he can go without!) mink blanket downstairs ready for the cooler times, got some fleeces to sew together and pin inbetween linings and curtains, first time of doing this so a trial for this winter, already had thermal underwear and this is ready and I also bought some lined trousers last year. Bought a few new fleeces this year so nearly ready.

also, have been known to wear a hat and fingerless gloves indoors and OH said I looked like wilfred bramble.........

im a real hot bod. still sitting here in a t shirt and with the patio doors open at 7.30 at night.

we have a woodburner so that chucks out loads of heat.

we have blankets for the sofa and tons of socks and dressing gowns here.

i love the winter x

mesh wrote:
also, have been known to wear a hat and fingerless gloves indoors and OH said I looked like wilfred bramble.........

i'll be doing this when DD's are at school and nursery, especially on a morning. I'll microwave a heat pad or warm up a hot bottle when it's just me in the house.

We're going to invest in a low wattage panel radiator for our bedroom. We'll close the thick curtains over the bay window (the small gas fuelled radiator is in the bay window ) turn off that rad, close the door and have a low back ground heat just to take the chill off. DH's dad has one in the caravan and is worth it's weight in gold.

It's super windy here today so the temperature has dropped a lot. Just stuck the flannelette sheet on the bed for this evening. Still only on the summer weight duvet though.

Girls have gone to school and nursery with hats and gloves on today. Super windy here too. Bought that little radiator from Morrisons yesterday £15. It's 0.75KW so roughly cost us the same as having 7 100W light bulbs going. Not good but a lot cheaper than trying to heat it (with very little effect) using the gas fuelled radiator. Plus the new one is on a thermostat.

I'm sitting in fleece and walking boots (my staple when it's weather like this) and warm enough in the house.

Tonight though I'm digging out the girls' hot water bottles.

think I must be in the warmest part of the UK at the mo., back door and windows open, sun shining, a gust every now and then and me in linen trousers, short sleeved top and a knitted waistcoat and sock free....... hmm shall I put my cozzie on and sunbathe?????!!!

It's really sunny here now, I have shorts, vest top and sandals on and have just been stood in the garden with nothing on my feet (rock n' roll). I have the windows open but it's still windy. Best thing is though everything smells seasidey. I'm enjoying it now, not so much the sand covered windows tomorrow!

the sun has gone and its chillier here. i cant wait till we go away. i think we have deffo seen the last of the sunshine in this country now for this year.

Kids always keep hat, scarf, & gloves in their school bags. Lately they have been coming out of school with even no coat on it has been that warm. Picked kiddies up today they came out with coats, hat, scarves AND gloves on, said it was "fweeeezin'"! walking home the heavens opened, is raining now and gone very dark. Going to close curtains upstairs in a bit keep some heat in, haven't had heating on yet but will soon.

Finally got round to buying some thermal linings for the living area curtains yesterday - the header tape is different to the curtains so the bits where the hooks go don't line up. so much for easy to fit. Where are the safety pins..?

Really annoying alec eiffel. I took took delivery on some curtains. Just small lined short one for the top of the stairs (really draughty as on gable end) they don't hang properly at all. I need more hooks, a lot more. DD's bedroom is the same. The curtains hang lovely without the linings but with the linings.. well, hangs like a bag of poop

I've put one curtain up as well as I can and it is broadly feasible. The main problem is the end, I could see where the lining wasn't hooked on (just not possible to do it because of how the tape is). My temporary fix is to push another curtain next to it to cover it over. We have 2 pairs of curtains at the window because it's 5m long. The middle pair I'm not lining for the time being so it's just the end windows where there's a window that opens and the double doors. Sounds weird it makes sense in the flesh!