2024 Frugal Living Challenge

Esmeralda2662

@willow_loulou perhaps try a scarf round your throat/neck. Even the small thin chiffon type ones trap the heat in well. I found them a godsend when at work and the heating was broken! 

cw18

I normally run my heating at 15, but my living room gets warmer due to the electrical equipment i'm running in here (mainly my laptop).

It officially shouldn't get warmer than 15 unless my other devices are pumping out lots of heat though, as the radiator in here has a smart valve on it (controlled by temperature of room rather than where the dial on the radiator is set).

When it's really cold and I'm not moving around, I start by getting into an extra (thick and warm) layer of clothes, and then under a fleece throw.   If I still feel really cold (nose and fingers) I'll bump the heating to 17 for a short burst (no more than an hour).

Cas

We're in a 3 bed detached and our bills are usually about or slightly below the prices for "typical usage". 
Our heating is on at about 18.5C for us getting up in the morning.  During the day it's set at 16C, evenings it's 18.5C and overnight it's 15C.  Jumpers are the norm in our house at this time of year but if we're feeling it cold even with a jumper we'll bump the heating up by a couple of degrees for half an hour or so before turning it back down. 
I agree with @Frugaldom about lifestyle affecting your tolerance of heat or cold as when I come in after walking the dog if it's freezing outside the first thing I do is turn down the heating and take off my jumper because I think the house is too warm! 

Asparklierblonde

Our house is 1300 feet above sea level on the moors, 200 years old. So hard to keep warm, especially with the original stone floors downstairs. Our central heating system is LPG which is expensive and running it doesn’t really take a chill off. Our kitchen is around 10 degrees on a morning. We have an open fire in the kitchen so I can’t bank it up with coal and leave it to tick over during the night like I do with the sitting room fire. Changing the kitchen fire is on my to do list and one of the reasons I live so frugally! 

I find most peoples houses too warm and stuffy. Even on freezing days I open the windows in a morning for ventilation and to air the beds x

mama67

I wear a pair of thermal socks with a thinner pair over the top that keeps my feet toastie warm. 
if it’s really chilly I wear a vest under my polo tshirt. 

Our oil fired central heating goes on at 4.30am for DH getting up then off at 6am as he leaves the house. The radiators hold the heat for another hour easily. On again at 5.00pm for him coming home from work And off at 7.30pm. 

We do have  an open fire in the living room which if I’m home I’ll light around 2.30pm. 

I don’t like it too warm so if I get chilly during the day I’ll put a cardigan on or have a hot drink. DH has a. Electric Blanket his side of the bed which goes on for a little while before he goes to bed.
our bedroom windows are always open as we don’t like a stuffy warm bedroom.  

I remember the lovely ice patterns on the inside of the bedroom windows growing up and lots of layers of blankets to keep warm at night. 

suzeesu2000

Got 5 Christmas gifts for £7.50 Takes care of five carers Christmas 2024. 

Tomorrow I’m making lemon and lime marmalade and some apple sauce. 

Got a nice sized boiling gammon out for tomorrow. Will do with veg and a sauce for dinner and should be enough for supper time sandwiches with apple sauce too. 

London_1

One of my grandsons works in a boarding school in Kent and lives on site.But he was always saying because its  a smart shirt and tie in class no jackets expected he felt nippy so I got him a couple of thermal tee shirts from primarks last year and he says its brilliant as he still looks smart with his nice white shirt and tie but hidden under it is his thermal tee shirt.

I also sent my eldest grandson in New York some as they are so much cheaper over here than where he lives .He says they are brilliant when he goes to work in the office as New York winters can be very chilly, and their snowy days are very cold, and seem to last longer than Kentish ones do . Seems a little warmer today than yesterday but the wind is a bit keen, no ice on the car at least, hopefully the snow has gone, but we still have February to get through before spring 

  JackieO xx  

Black_Saturn

Woke this morning to a dead fox on the verge outside, presumably hit by a car during the night. It has been reported to the local council for removal. I open the windows each day to allow fresh energy to flow through the house, and usually wait until midday to close them again, but it is cold, so thinking of closing them a little earlier today. The kitchen is warm due to cooking, so whoever is at home, we tend to congregate in there. 

Asparklierblonde

Just a gentle reminder to all to re-assess those direct debits regularly. After thinking I was stuck on a particular tariff for our broadband (very rural area, no fibre broadband, v limited options), I have called them today and saved a whopping £22 per calendar month. As you can imagine, I am highly delighted.

bamboo_socks

Shopping the freezer is paying off, as I did a top up shop today for £40, rather than the £70 I had budgeted. I also bought some sachets of frothy coffee to try and knock that habit on the head!