You don’t need to check your calendar app to confirm fall has arrived. The cooling temperatures, falling leaves, and pumpkin spice flavouring at every turn are proof that summer is long gone and winter is on its way. You may as well uninstall that calendar altogether. After all, once Old Man Winter arrives, you won’t want to brave the frigid temperatures for anything other than work. There’s the temptation to jack your heating up to combat the cold, but that technique burns through your cash quickly. With hibernation season just around the corner, now’s the time to brush up on the best ways to stay warm without touching your thermostat. Here are a few simple tricks to keeping warm and toasty without spending a fortune on your heating bill.
Embrace the Scandi Concept of Hygge
Hygge, while nearly unpronounceable to a native English speaker at first look, is a simple word in Danish. Pronounced hue-guh, hygge’s meaning is a little harder to share. It describes the feeling of happiness when you’re cozy and warm. To the Danes, it’s a way of life that informs everything they do. To aspiring Americans, hygge is an excuse to embrace your inner homebody. It’s both a lifestyle trend and interior design technique that lets you live your snuggiest, coziest, and most relaxed life possible.
Examples of living the hygge life include curling up with a good book while a storm rages outside, cozying up with a loved one under a blanket before a roaring fire, or sipping on hot cocoa while you watch a movie in your favorite spot on the couch. Don’t worry if these don’t appeal to you; hygge is a broad category of at-home activities and even some outdoor ones too. It represents an atmosphere or vibe more than any one activity. What’s important is that you stay warm, comfortable, and content at home using basic accessories like blankets, oversized sweaters, fireplaces, and candles to heighten its effects.
Redesign your living room layout
Embrace your inner decorator and look to your living room layout for warmth. A poorly arranged room is more than just an eyesore — it can affect how warm this space gets in the winter. If you have furniture sitting close to your radiators or heat vents, take the time this winter to move it away. Though it may feel hot from where you’re sitting, large pieces of furniture in front of radiators prevent the heat from circulating through the room properly. By moving your couch away from these heaters, the overall comfort of your living room will go up.
You can also increase the warmth of your room by using your windows strategically. During the day, the winter sun can be strong, and the heat it emits is free. You should open your curtains and blinds to let the sunshine into your spaces, but don’t forget to close them once the sun starts to set. Your curtains act as a layer of insulation that keeps your rooms warm during the freezing nights.
Maintain your heating system
Treating your heating system well will encourage it to perform at peak conditions during the winter. It doesn’t matter if you use an electric furnace, an oil-fired boiler, or radiators to heat your house. Each of these systems has maintenance tips and cleaning techniques to ensure they’re working well all year round. While you may have to invest a tiny bit of cash when replacing filters, it’s a pittance compared to repairing or replacing your furnace outright.
For some people, there’s nothing stopping them from making these repairs immediately. They have enough money in their emergency fund to call their local repair technician. For others who don’t have these savings, you’ll need help covering these expenses. If you can’t wait to repair or replace your heating system, online lenders offer a quick and pain-free way to get the cash you need. You can get a personal loan online in just one business day after you’re approved. Unlike traditional lenders that may be located far away from your house, online lenders like MoneyKey operate solely online. As long as you have access to the Internet, you can submit your application without worrying about timing or distance.
While simple to secure and use for emergencies, it’s better for your mental health not to have to rely on these short term loans. Something as easy as keeping your furnace clean could help you avoid these costs.
Sometimes, it can feel like you spend a dollar for every degree that drops on the thermometer. While the winter can be expensive, there are ways to keep the season affordable by how you spend your time at home. Get comfy and embrace your inner homebody to make sure you’re warm and toasty without touching the thermostat.
