10 Cheap, Easy Ways To Stay Warm This Winter

It's -14 degrees outside which is funny, because I don't remember moving to Antarctica! While most of my house is comfortably warm, my den has 9 windows with a back door. The room leads to the kitchen, so both rooms get cold. Sure, I could probably add more insulation into the walls, but that's expensive. 

Staying warm can be a fun challenge!

So here are 10 cheap ways I keep myself and the family toasty:

1. Blankets – There's nothing like curling up with the family under a nice warm quilt on a winter's night to watch a movie. I have several blankets available for snuggling under – either alone, with a friend, or family member.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Sweatshirts, Sweaters, Etc. – For some reason, a few years back, sweatshirts were the "in” item to give out at bar mitvahs. We got several in large sizes with the bar mitvah boys' names on them. I don't feel like wearing a “Chester Rosenbaum Original” outside of the house, but inside, it's perfectly fine. Many of these shirts are thermal and suitable for wearing around the house.
   
   
   
   
   
   
    
3. Open Up The Blinds – Opening the blinds/curtains on south-facing windows during the day lets the warmth of the sun in. Close them in the evening for a bit of insulation. 
   
   
   
   
    

   

   Blankets & opening blinds can help warm a room. Oh, and if you can, grab a furry pet!

    
4. Put Rugs On The Floors – I'm not a big fan of rugs, but in that room, the wall-to-wall carpeting helps with the thermal factor in there. You can try area rugs if you don't have full carpets.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Space Heaters – The space heater in my den is adjustable for the area of the room. It sits on a hard, flat surface and turns off if tipped over.  We have one rule: when you leave the room, you MUST turn it off. Obviously, if a kid is going to the bathroom, that's one thing. But if someone is going to another section of the house, that unit must be shut. It's also a part of the house check we do before going to bed.
   
   
   
   
   
   

   

   A good space heater will turn off when tipped over. 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Grab Or Make A Draft Stopper – Draft stoppers like the one I have (pictured to the right) are designed to fill in gaps on moveable items like doors or windows. This one is great because it slips under the door and opens and closes with the door.   Or you can make your own; here's a link showing how you can make a simple one.
    
   
   
   
   
    
7. Close Unused Rooms Or Floors – Close the vents in rooms you don't use and shut the door. We keep the basement door shut. It stays cold, but since we don't go down there that often, it's impractical to keep heating the space.
   
   
    
    
   
   
8. Change Your Furnace Filter Periodically -  A dirty filter forces the furnace to work harder and decreases the unit's efficiency. Mine gets changed at the beginning of the season and I check it mid-season to see if it needs replacing. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Cook – You don't want to run an oven empty because of carbon monoxide poisoning, but I cook a lot in the winter (not well, but I do cook). After my chicken or lasagna is done, I turn the oven off and let that excess heat warm up the kitchen. Similarly, I'm not a fan of the drying unit on my dishwasher; I'd rather let my dishes air dry. Opening the dishwasher up at the end, releases steam into the air and warms up the kitchen as well.
   
   
   
   
   
   
10. Wear Appropriate Footwear – I am not a fan of socks or slippers, but in the Winter, I bite the bullet and put them on. Cold toes are not fun. 
    
    
    
    
    
    

    

    My daughter says mismatched socks are in.  Good, because I can never match them anyway!

    
    
    
    
    
    

Staying warm takes a little ingenuity, but it can be fun and is a great way to bond.  

There's nothing better than body heat, is there? Now, where's my favorite blanket and my little one? It's time to cuddle!

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Thanks for reading!!!

10 Stocking Stuffers For Your Teenage Boy That He'll LOVE

Every year I rack my brain trying to figure out what to put in the Teen's stocking!  Now that the simple days of Hot Wheels are over, it's much harder anticipating what might please him.  Sure, I could give Junior candy, but he gets enough sweets in the course of a day.  So after much thought, here's my list 10 things my teenage boy will probably find in his stocking come Christmas morning:

What can you put in a teenage boy's stocking that won't make him roll his eyes?

• A $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card. The DD is walkable from school and home. As my son becomes more independent, he likes to go with his friends for a hot chocolate and/or a doughnut every once in a while. And I like the fact that the cards are refillable, so HE can add money when it runs out.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Deodorant and body wash. This is a hint as well as a gift. Teen boys smell...funky. Axe seems to be the brand that all the kids in the locker room are wearing and I have actually smelled it on the boy, so I feel confident he'll actually use it. 
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Smelling like Axe is better than smelling like sweat.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
•  A phone charger. For some reason, these disappear around my house, especially now that Little Sister has an iPod Touch. Junior could use another charger that he can hide in his room away from Lily.    
  
  
  
  
• Socks. Sounds lame, right? Except that in my house, NO ONE wants to match socks, so these are somewhat of a commodity around here. White socks are apparently too confusing to match (the tops are different, the lengths are different, etc.). Some novelty socks will be appreciated and are EASY to match. Maybe then he'll stop stealing his little sister's “Hello Kitty” socks (I kid you not)!
  
  
  
  
• Dove Dark Chocolate. If I'm going to give him a little candy, it's going to be the antioxidant-rich dark chocolate he loves. 
  
  

  

  Research says dark chocolate is healthy.  Who am I to argue?

   
• Post-It Notes. Now that he's in high school, the teen goes through these sticky notes like they're water. Giving him his own stash will eliminate a lot of “MOM! WHERE ARE MY POST-IT NOTES?” yelling.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Texting Gloves. He knows he's going to lose at least 5 pair of gloves; I know it's more likely going to be 10. A few of these from our local Dollar Store will go a long way. The trick is to buy them in in the same color so when he loses one, it's no big deal. Again, it should save us some pain this winter.
  
  
  
  

  

  Texting gloves are great for a teenage boy!

  
  
• A Game Stop gift card. Since the kid is living online these days, I know he's going to use this. They're available starting at $10 and I know he's got others left over from birthdays, so alone or put together, he should be able to buy something he wants.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A “League Of Legends” poster. He plays this with his friends, so I think it's time to take down some of the sports posters the kid hasn't looked at in a year (despite them adorning the walls of his room) and replace at least one with something relevant to him.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  Sometimes, I think he lives in a virtual world...

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Hand Sanitizer. Another essential that gets lost  or (thankfully) used up, keychains of this stuff may allow us to dodge a sick day or two.

All of these items are fairly inexpensive, useful and won't clutter his room with stuff I have to dust or things he'll look at once and never pick up again. And if I buy enough of them, it may make my weekly shopping a little easier as well. 

Teens are notoriously capricious, but I think I may earn a smile from my Boy with these items. Santa is being practical this year, Kid! 

 

What's going in YOUR teen boy's stocking?