To recommend this to keep warm inside..and ask for others

[daretodenim]

This has been on my mind for a few days with the rising heating costs and so I'm posting here for traffic, as maybe it can be useful for others.

I have my heating very low during the day and I'm often at home sitting - and get cold easily. Decathlon have cheap ski base layers. I use them to keep warm and they're great. I only use the tops but I have the leggings too and rarely have used them when there's not snow outside. So I'm not recommending those as a first step, unless your legs are always cold. They are really warm though! I often wear the base layer top under a jumper or sweatshirt, jeans and warm socks and it makes a really big difference.

The adults costs £6 and kids ones are £4. They're also quite thin so dry quickly.

There are also merino ones and other brands that make higher quality ones, but for the purpose of staying warm at home, rather than concerns about staying warm and dry on a cold piste, these do fine.

www.decathlon.co.uk/p/women-s-base-layer-ski-top-100/_/R-p-302806?mc=8510031&c=GREY

Anybody else have good tips?

Ok this one is a bit of a stretch but it costs nothing.

If you have a condensing tumble dryer like mine and you can't avoid using it at this time of year then the water that condenses is toasty hot as long as you take the container out as soon as the cycle finishes. Put it in the bath if you're running one or the sink if you're due to do some washing up. My water collecter is flat and has the opening at the top so if I'm doing a load in the evening and have no other use for the hot water then as long as I carry it carefully I can put it in bed as an impromptu hot water bottle. I learned this when my boiler broke one January.

I have an exercise step. This week I found that using it for 5 minutes every 40 minutes or so stops me getting cold at my desk at home. I set a timer and then just step up and down for 5 minutes. Before this I was using a hot water bottle and microwave wheat pack but the 5 minutes on the step is much more effective and I don't need the heat packs.

@daretodenim i was going to suggest cold showers too but I thought everyone would think I was insane and kick me off the thread!

I've got one of these Teddy hoodies from Dunelm, which is incredibly warm: www.dunelm.com/product/teddy-bear-so-soft-charcoal-hoodie-1000188162?defaultSkuId=30736488&branchCode=0175&ds_c=Bath_Dressing+Gowns+and+Slippers_%5BGOO-LIA+PSB-BATHACCESS-ROBE%5D&gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_8zu0KFBzJeZWPEGsj4GIf8-HC2PKN9f-YVwaK-mhIDkNFaZIbvxoCTWEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

When DS went on Cub camp the leaders made them all ponchos by cutting a slit in the middle of a fleece blanket for your head. I've been borrowing that for wfh and have been toasty warm, though I don't wear it for Zoom calls!

Work sitting in an armchair with your laptop on your lap and your feet on a pouffe. I’ve been doing this since the start of January and haven’t turned on the heating during the day when I’m alone in the house. It’s like a hot water bottle you don’t need to refill. Discovered this by accident. Magic. Ridiculously pleased with it actually 😁

Decathlon also sell bullets specifically designed for killing song birds (French co) so I wouldn’t ever shop there personally!

Thermal vests are great as t shirts in cold weather.
I love the primark fleece lined leggings super warm and thick
Also ski base layers or football skins for layering Blankets on sofas

I live in a large Victorian house and only heat for 90
Mins morning and 3.5 hours evening and we cope just fine.

Some people really do expect to walk around in vest tops in winter and have the heating up full blast.

I invested in an OODIE and i find that with a pair of normal leggings,long sleeved t shirt, socks and either sheepskin slipper booties or my actual real Ugg’s (can get Costco version that are good and cheaper, or tk maxx do good versions), I am super warm. Not ideal for video meetings but mine is plain grey and it looks like just a big hoodie to be honest. If you got any crazy print one it might not work for video calls haha

We put the heat on for a few hours in the morning then a few in the evening.
Draught excluders help, blanket on my knee and I'm making an old fashioned house coat out of some more modern fabric. If it kept my Nana warm in a house with no heating and single glazing it must be good!
Also we have a tea urn so we don't boil the kettle too much to keep the costs down and we put our drinks in a thermos.
Can't believe we're a middle income family and I'm counting cups of tea and prioritising which clothes get washed. We've worked so hard to get where we are :(

I root out second hand proper wool (or cashmere or merino if I'm lucky) jumpers from charity shops. Never paid more than £15. Doesn't matter what it looks like. It's just for warmth at home. Layered with a thermal, it's incredibly warm.

I bought a hooded wearable blanket from Amazon for working from home. Come right down to my ankles and has a large pocket for your hands when not typing. I also sit with my feet in a sleeping bag under my desk if I'm really cold.

I wear a woollen shawl over my shoulders and a fleece blanket over my legs in very cold weather. I warm up by doing the washing up in very hot water (with marigolds on of course). Turn the heating off way before bed time and have a hot water bottle which I wrap my night clothes around while brushing my teeth at night. I'm a bit mean with heating because over-heated houses cause my rosacea to flare and am mindful of the environment. And from April onwards will be worried about bills too.

@wheresmymojo

I recommend getting fat.

I WFH all day without the heating on and don't feel too cold. I'm size 22 and the fat is very insulating which is very handy this year

I love this post. Unfortunately some of us fatties really feel the cold too . It's one of the great injustices of this world!

How about we change our corrupt govt?
Fuel should be affordable for all in a developed country.
Thinking up work-around is a form of acceptance in my book, and whilst well meaning might normalise the ugliness of the reality of this privatised elephant in the room.

Im dreading the prices as my SEN daughter hates wearing clothes so the house needs to be quite warm. I'm planning on turning the heating off during the day when kids are at school. I've bought lined fluffy socks, blankets and a long hot water bottle to keep myself warm during the day so I can keep the heating off in the day at turn it on when kids are home.

Im also disabled and heavily rely on my washer/drier and dishwasher. Dreading it all.

Close doors, shut off rooms that aren't in use. Open blinds when the sun shines in, close curtains to keep heat in. Share body heat!

Menopausal hot flushes?

More seriously, buffs. I have a merino one that I wear as a headband and a variety of other weight fabric ones that I put round my kick. Warm ears and nondrafts round your neck are really good for morale.

Also, keep the inside of your wrists warm - long sleeves with close cuffs, or wear sweat bands to fill gaps of you're wearing something looser. It's the inverse of running cold water on them when you're hot to cools down quickly

Damart pterodactyl thermolactyl vests are really very good

@Butterismylife

How about we change our corrupt govt? Fuel should be affordable for all in a developed country. Thinking up work-around is a form of acceptance in my book, and whilst well meaning might normalise the ugliness of the reality of this privatised elephant in the room.

Absolutely agree with you, Butterismylife.

All of this is helpful in the short term to get people through the coldest months, but what we need for the future is a government that actually helps people on low incomes and takes action to rein in these ridiculous excessive charges. I’m not in the UK and am watching with horror.

Heat holders socks and fingerless gloves, hot water bottle and a thermal fleece blanket. Loads of layers, vest, tshirt, thin sweater, hoodie, leggings/tights and trousers.

I'm always cold due to a couple of medical issues and even with the heating on, I do spend most of the day wrapped up in layers like an onion. I've just added an extra hoodie and a hat to the mix now we've turned the heating down to save costs

We live a big, cold house. Over the years, I have invested in a couple of thick guernseys. One from Woolover www.woolovers.com/womens/jumpers/womens-pure-wool-guernsey-jersey-grey-4827?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=1347227736&utm_content=55183777838&utm_term=&gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_8vAmseKdanoh0hAOwHA0AzJW9mONxYZLw2wpYOJPPhtkCeSTa1bfRoCoHUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds and one from Le Tricotuer letricoteur.co/
If you layer that with a merino baselayer from Aldi then you can face anything! (Our thermostat is set at 12!)

Hot water bottle. The number of times last year I'd have put the heating on if I was on my own- this year I do a hot water bottle and tuck myself under a thick blanket while working and I'm toasty.

You get used to not having heat all the time. We only have a gas fire in our living room. No other heating in the house. We both wear fleeces on top of a thermal vest, as well as longjohns under our trousers. Cosy. The only time we find it a bit chilly us coming out of the shower. We both hate going to houses with central heating abd tend to turn down heating and open windows as well as taking coffee outside to drink no matter how cold it is. Abd both of us have disabilities!!

@daretodenim
I checked these out and noticed they have quite a high neckline. How do you avoid them showing under jumpers, sweatshirts etc? Obviously, in the house or under a coat/scarf it’s not an issue. TIA

@ThinWomansBrain

I used to have beautiful walking socks that had a thin silk lining - lots better than wearing two pairs of socks. Wonder what happened to them?

I'd check the back of your DH's drawers.

That's where all my mountaineering and expensive socks normally end up. As have my black compression leggings, as they fit perfectly under work trousers.

I didn't plan to get leggings in ridiculous colours and designed to make my arse look even bigger. But his lack of toxic masculinity and desire to stay warm without spending out extra money on his own thermals gave me no choice.