I spent Thanksgiving with my family in sunny, warm Southern California. The weather was beautiful, although not what most people would expect in November (e.g., we contemplated sun bathing in the backyard).
However, when I returned to Northern California on Sunday, the seasons had changed. It was cold. Maybe it wasn't Michigan cold, or New England cold ... but for me, a California-native, it was downright chilly. And my apartment? It's drafty.
We have an old forced-air heating system that feels great when it's on. But, once it gets up to wherever I've set the thermostat and shuts off, the whole apartment is immediately cold again. So, especially because I work from home, I've been getting creative.
Although a drafty, cold apartment is a bummer and awfully energy inefficient, it is an excuse to indulge in a few things I really love: big, soft blankets, thick, fuzzy socks, old sweatshirts, giant mugs of steaming tea, and hot (quick) showers. Obviously, better insulation, better windows, and a better heating system are the real answers here -- but I'm working with what I've got.
Although I'm tempted to leave it on, I only run the heat for about 30 minutes in the morning -- just enough time to get the coffee going and get settled for a day of work. I bundle up, hunker down and, if it's really cold, sometimes I'll pull out the parabolic space heater and put it at my feet, under the desk, for a little while. This, I have decided, is far more efficient than heating the whole apartment.
Now, I've lived in the real cold (hello New Hampshire), so I know that fuzzy socks won't do you much good when it's 14 below. But, in California, my strategy works.
What do you do to stay warm at home?
image via cmbellman; Flickr.com
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Well, I start off by actually sitting my laptop on my lap. There is no reason why I shouldn't be using that heat. I also have wrist warmers that let me type efficiently. Lastly, I have a cat that likes to sleep around my neck. This probably isn't the most comfortable position (he's 25lbs), it is certainly warm.
view Geeka's profile
when done cooking leave the oven open to allow all that head to escape and warm up it up a bit. no point in letting it all sit in there
view pax's profile
An electric blanket on our bed. Turn it on a few minutes before getting in to warm up the mattress, then slip into a nice cozy bed.
Fleece pj bottoms, and thick warm socks.
view als1's profile
Heated floor mat.
view Fontessa's profile
my parents and my grandparents actually would leave the stove tops on for awhile to warm up the kitchen.
Strangely, my room is the coldest in the house so I usually will have a space heater I leave on for awhile but have to turn it off because the pets all sleep in my room with me. :\
view witchbaby's profile
i second the electric blanket and laptop comments
roman shades kept down during the colder and/or windy hours
insulating curtains behind the pretty curtains in our bedroom
weatherstrip and repair original windows
tea, cider, cats, fuzzy throw blankets
view abigailb's profile
My furnace went on the fritz, so: 1 tiny space heater 1 3-gallon pot of pot-au-feu (renewed daily with whatever meat and veggies I have at hand) on the lowest setting of the back burner. The house is actually warmer than usual, and the broth from the soup is fantastic for taste and warmth.
view Alienor's profile
Bake something! I, too, live in a warm climate, so I bake like a maniac when it's cold enough to turn the oven on.
I do something similar with the heater (turning it on just when I get out of bed to ease getting up.)
This entry reminds me of a house I used to live in in Iowa... they had these old radiators which warmed up in the order they were connected. My room was at the end of the line, so when my mom decided downstairs was warm enough and turned the heat off, my radiator would just be getting lukewarm. It really sucked!
view whytephoenix's profile
For Northern California weather, where it's generally just a bit under temperatures at which you would be comfortable all bundled up, but that little bit does make you horribly uncomfortable I've found a small amount of physical activity every hour works well. For me at work it's one trip up and down 5 flights of stairs and around the building--it only takes a minute or two, but I'm much warmer for quite some time after this. I even shed layers of clothing just after coming back in and up the stairs.
view prettyPeaqs's profile