Many people find cold winters almost unbearable, and if you have a cold house it can be awful and uncomfortable. Many people hate turning up the heat due to increasing energy costs, but it seems the only alternative is to suffer. Not so. Your home may be either producing heat inefficiently or it may be allowing heat to escape. Keeping your house toasty and warm may be easier than you think.
There are ways to keep the house toasty and warm. If despite having the heat cranked up the house seems chilly, it could possibly be owing to air leaks that are letting the heat out and the cold in. The basic check to carry out is a visit to each room to see if any of them is colder than the other. If some room is colder than other, then you need to check around any doors that lead to the outside as well as the windows in the room.
If you do have a draft there are several things you can do to fix it and luckily none of them cost very much money. Rope caulk is a great way to seal up windows. It's very inexpensive and anyone can apply it. If the draft is coming from underneath a door try getting door sweeps which are also very economical.
If the doors and windows don't seem to be the culprit, check out your chimney. If your chimney is open all winter long, you are allowing heat escape and cold air to seep in. When your fireplace isn't in use be sure to close the chimney flue up - you'll notice a big difference right away.
Sunshine is a great source of natural warmth, so if the sun is shining open up curtains to let it in. You might be surprised at how much heat is generated by doing such a simple thing, and the best part is its free! You can see how solar paneling would easily be able to generate enough energy to heat a house.
If rising energy costs are a concern but you still want a toasty warm house, consider purchasing a programmable thermostat. These inventions are brilliant. With a simple setting you can automatically program the thermostat to lower the temperature at night when you're in bed with blankets. Then, program it to rise right before you wake up. This way your house is nice and cozy, but you save a lot on your heating bill. The cost of the new thermostat will pay for itself in heat savings.
An unfinished basement also creates a potential heat loss. Perhaps you think that as long as it's closed off from the rest of the house, there's no problem. But if your water heater is located in the basement, it may be losing heat before the water even gets into the rest of your house. You can buy inexpensive outer casings to provide a protective layer around the heater and prevent heat loss.
If you have tried all these tricks and your house still feels as cold as a museum, you may need to have your insulation checked. While no one wants to hear this, get a few people in to check out if it's doing its job. If you need to replace it, shop around for different contractors, it may cost less than you think. And in the long run it may save you a good deal of money in reduced heating costs.
No one likes to be cold in the winter, but keeping your home nice and heated doesn't have to cost you enormous amounts of money. Try these tips and you might be surprised at the difference it makes.
Just about anything you can think of can be bought at a discount at a thrift store. Perhaps you have never visited one. If you are interested in reducing your household expenses, enjoy hunting for bargains or perhaps you are an ebay seller, you'll find great value in your local thrift.
Here are a few good buys I have found at thrift stores in my area:
Save time and money by trying these simple household cleaners!
Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 quart warm water.
Mix 1 cup vinegar with 2 gallons water.
Place crushed ice, salt and sliced lemons in pot and swirl till clean.
Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 3/4 cup oil (olive, vegetable, lemon).
Mix equal parts salt and vinegar, then thicken with flour.
Mix 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water, or use plain baking soda with a wet sponge.
Mix 1/2 cup Borax in 1 gallon hot water.
Mix 3/4 cup chlorine bleach
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Food and romance go hand in hand. But, if you’re on a budget, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to show your sweetie that you love him. You can have a romantic meal at home – for the cost of a regular meal. The food you choose is not nearly as important as the atmosphere you create. You could easily make a very romantic meal from pizza or sandwiches if you take the time to create the perfect ambience in the room.
Choose your main dish according to your partner's favorite dishes. There's no point in feeding
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There is an old and wise saying in marketing: "Everyone loves a bargain, but nobody wants to buy junk". So, for a woman who loves to sew, is a discount sewing machine a bargain or is it junk?
Sewing machines can range from a low end of $100 or even less, up to multiple thousands - and even more if the buyer is interested in such specialty features as quilting, embroidery or computer programs. Since a machine is definitely an investment, care must be taken to answer this important question because nobody wants to make a mistake with a sizable outlay
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The following are my favorite frugal tips that I use on a regular basis. I hope that they will help you as much as they have helped me and my family.
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