Here are my favorite ways to stay warm.
- Humidify! Adding water to the air—humidifying it—adds a little warmth. Even without a humidifier, I can inexpensively add moisture to the air by drying my clothes on a drying rack, leaving the water in the tub after I get out until it reaches room temperature, or
- by leaving a ceramic dish or pan of water near heat sources. I love the look of this nifty modern container, made for just this purpose.
- Weather strip doors and windows! These draft stoppers I found on Etsy are also a great option.
- Socks! I never feel warm as long as my feet are cold. Warm socks are the way to go!
- Electric blanket. If my house feels cold or I’ve turned the thermostat down a bit to save money, electric blankets are a great way to stay toasty warm—whether while watching TV on the couch or tucked away in my bed.
- Warm rice bags! Rice bags like this owl or more simple shapes can be an easy sewing project and used to stay warm. (I sewed a simple rectangle.) I heat it for 60 to 90 minutes, then place on my lap while sitting at my desk; place on my shoulders; or place at my feet when in bed.
- A cup of tea! This is probably my all-time favorite way to stay warm—warming myself up from the inside out with a cup of soothing tea. Try interesting flavors like Earl Grey, Chamomile Mint, and Egyptian Licorice. I sweeten my tea up with a bit of honey, agave, or liquid Stevia drops, plain or flavored.
What is your favorite way to stay warm?
I LOVE all those ideas! and I have to say that I do/usemost of them 🙂
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A great read. I’ll definitely be back.
Thank you for the sweet comment! Were you able to see the pictures that were with this post?
Pretty pictures and good ideas – great accompaniment to my morning coffee (which is warm and cozy too). I really like the weather strip for the door – I have seen some very ugly ones in the past.
Do you really heat the warm rice bags THAT long?
Kate, Though you fill the draft stopper with rice or beans—I don’t think you need to heat it up. Just a rice bag (like the owl shown) that is a good size for your lap or feet. And if you don’t want to sew one yourself, they can be purchased on etsy as well: http://www.etsy.com/search?q=rice+bag&view_type=gallery&ship_to=US
This is what I need!! Ideas and solutions all in one place and easy to understand. Thanks for helping simplify my life.