Keep warm and cosy

This post was inspired by frugal queen, who is in Cornwall and they are having some dreadful weather at the moment. I agree with many of her tips for keeping warm and I do hate to be cold, I am not an early to bed person however and we do like to watch the T.V after nine or I read in the living room.  I have found that having fleecy throws on the sofa makes a world of difference as once your room is warmed through  you can just drape the throw over your legs when you are curled up, and switch off the heating. My boys are usually in their rooms after this time and the upstairs gets very warm, I think this is mainly due the fact that we have cavity wall insulation,  done on the government scheme for free at this house but I paid to have it done at my previous home.  I told my parents to get it done but they haven't I don't understand why, we both work and it was available to us.  We also have extra thick insulation in the loft and my husband went under the floor downstairs (he had to crawl) to staple heat retaining insulation under the floor boards, which we found at a good price. I have wood floors which I prefer because I have dogs and I didn't want carpet so I wanted to make the rooms as draught free as possible.
We also found that our double glazing is a bit draughty in places so my husband has attached these draft excluding sponge pieces down the problem areas, also down the back door. This was inexpensive to do.

Here is the one they sell on Amazon here

  I would like some new windows at some point but this is a project for the future.   I feel that making sure your home is as efficient as possible is the key to not wasting too much on heating. You can then add other elements like blankets, sweaters and hot water bottles where necessary.   I agree with frugal queen on keeping up with the hot drinks, have you never noticed how sometimes if you drink a cup of tea quickly you go really hot? Instant central heating.
I think hot water bottles are great and its amazing how much warmth can be obtained from something so simple. You can get loads of cute ones with covers on now, which also keeps them warm for longer.
I saw this one ..

Which would make a great gift for this week if you are into the whole gift giving on valentines day ( I'm not really) but if you are you may as well give something useful. This would be so easy to do with an old sweater or fleece so I'm going to make a new one this weekend for my hot water bottle and I will post on it tomorrow.  

I always wear layers when it's cold as I don't think just wearing a thick jumper is enough, you can get long sleeved T shirts from Primark and shops like that or charity shops, no need for thermal. Just wear them under dresses or tops, add a cardigan or sweater over the top.

Fleece is really inexpensive, you can get throws for as little as £5 new, the fabric is also cheap if you want to make your own items or recycle used fleece jackets (everyone has one).

I agree that if you are sat too long you will feel cold and this why the elderly or people with mobility problems get cold more quickly. If I do something I always feel warmer and going for a walk with the dogs makes it feel like the house is roasting when we get back. 

We all have fleecy robes which are really cosy (I say all but not my husband, not really his thing) my sons both had a new one for Christmas off grandma along with some other clothing, at my request and they are very glad of them these cold weeks.

Close doors between rooms, this is something my boys have not grasped yet and they seem to think I am just a constant nag about coming in and out of the living room leaving the door open. They don't pay bills though, so I know one day they will get it, until then I will nag.  A room which is well insulated will keep warm all evening if doors are not constantly kept open.

You can get more information about draught proofing your home at the energy saving trust