Keeping warm

My thoughts were the same as yours.
If you are sitting down a blanket makes a big difference.

If I feel a bit chilly the first thing I do is put on a cardigan, not tweak up the thermostat.
I used to think everyone did that but apparently not - people have been on TV news for several years complaining about heating bills but wearing t-shirts in winter.

It would also go towards saving the planet.
Yes, I agree.

Now, where's the Damart catalogue?

I got my thermals thick tights woollen dresses and jumpers out last week all the summer dresses went away. I hate the cold but I don't like the heating on too much so I layer up.

Maybe there could be a publicity campaign to "layer up" - it seems to have become more common not to do so.

I remember a tv commercial from the 70s for central heating: “it’ll be like Bali in the bathroom; Bermuda in the bedroom” ….they have a lot to answer for

I am happy to wear two layers indoors but more than that and I feel trussed up and restricted! But I’m a very hot person, plenty of layers of fat to keep me warm so a long sleeved t shirt and a sweatshirt is usually enough. Possibly a blanket over my legs at night to watch tv.

My nose is my temperature gauge - if it’s cold then the heating goes on!

I agree, long sleeved vests and leggings are the answer. Can't imagine wearing a tee shirt indoors during the winter! l love a lightweight / warm fleece during the cold weather.

I remember my Sis-IL and I complaining about feeling cold very many years ago at my parents' house (no central heating then) and my mother saying "You youngsters! I bet neither of you is wearing a vest".
The sitting room was always toasty but everywhere else was chilly

And no, of course we weren't wearing vests.

My DD has been complaining about the cold this week. And was most put out that she'd had to put some big socks on! While I was wearing a fluffy dressing gown (over clothes) and grandson was flitting about in just his pants and socks insisting 'I'm not cold.'

I think I've readjusted to it being cold indoors most of the time. Doesn't bother me. But then, it isn't proper cold yet, is it?

I hate to be the dissenting voice here but couldn't stand to be bundled up in layers of clothes indoors, so a long-sleeved t-shirt does me!

I'm not extravagant but the heating is on/off as needed - I'd rather cut back on something else.

I do like a cardie and socks!
And probably a camisole top under a top. Just that bit of comfort.
I'm not feeling the cold yet, still wearing linen trousers and a thin long-sleeved top

I grew up in a house without central heating and still don't see it as essential, but perhaps I'm just quite tolerant of cold.

Layers of clothes are my first go-to, indoors or outside. Blankets and throws when sitting still - even heated throws only cost pence to use. Hot water bottles in bed or on the sofa - heat the bed, not the room. Hot drinks, hot food. And movement - get outside for a brisk walk if possible, but blitzing around with the vacuum cleaner is warming, so is ironing. They both use electricity though, so what about sweeping and dusting with some vigour! Indoor exercise if you can't get out - from stretches and lunges, lifting weights (a can of tomatoes in each hand will do), to skipping, push-ups, crunches, star jumps, or just dancing.

Close the curtains before it's dark. Lined curtains are best and it's easy to attach a fleece blanket behind them with safety pins - who's going to care, when it's dark? Cling film smoothed over the window pane really helps keep heat in, as does bubble wrap (the sheets in the supermarket vegetable crates are the right size for my windows and I've always been allowed to take some).

I boil a full kettle in the morning, make a hot drink and put the rest of the hot water into a big flask, which I wrap in a folded towel. I tend to leave my drinks until lukewarm anyway but even by bedtime, the flask is still warm enough to make an instant hot chocolate, and if I tuck my hands under the towel it warms them too.

To save electricity, switch of at the wall wherever possible. I have a battery clock in the kitchen so there's no need to have the oven display beaming the time at me, nor the fan going after I've emptied the oven, it gets switched off immediately at the wall, as do the hob, kettle, toaster and microwave, dishwasher and washing machine, TV and Sky box (unless Sky is set to record something after I've gone to bed). Phone chargers should always be switched off at the wall for safety, if a plug is warm it's using electricity.

The appliances that do need to stay on are still quite a few: fridge and freezer, the router, Echo (Alexa), the boiler programmer, my sunrise alarm clock.

I have some solar lamps which charge very well during the day in a south-facing window, and are bright enough to mean I don't need to switch a light on to watch TV, or use my laptop or phone.

I have an open fireplace - will get a more efficient stove with a door if I ever come into some money - and I gather fallen wood all year round when I'm out with the dog, stack outside for however many months or years needed to dry out, then cut and stored in the shed until there's room by the hearth. Keep the warmth in the room by closing doors and using stuffed 'snake' draught excluders, lined curtains across all external doors, and a circle of card attached with blu-tak or tape to cover keyholes. Insulate pipes and drape spare duvets and sleeping bags over the hot water cylinder as extra insulation, but don't seal the house completely or condensation becomes a real problem.

My adult offspring have all left home but in their teens they would walk around barefoot in t-shirts, cranking the heating up to 25° before I got home from work and had a rant about it, day after day. Now they're paying for their own heating I think at least one of them is taking some tips on board!

Oh, my last tip - cuddly cats and dogs are very warm...

Each year I have to have a conversation with my energy suppliers who want to increase my monthly charges automatically in September because, they say, everyone puts their heating on in that month and they don’t want me to get into arrears.

Well, no. I don’t put my heating on in September. I rarely put it on until December and then only for an hour or two either end of the day to take any chill off the house.

I like the outdoors so maybe I’m a hardy type. I don’t feel the cold that much but when I do, my first call is for a sweater, socks, a extra pair of leggings maybe and even a thin beanie as I have very short hair and like wearing hats anyway.

Like you, Luckygirl, money isn’t the issue. I try to keep my carbon footprint as small as possible. I also like to craft and autumn/winter is when the big projects come out. I can knit or hook a blanket and it’s keeping my lap, legs and feet warm while I watch TV.

Brought up in Scotland I can add little to what others have said.
Actually as I am a total sucker for a long cardi I will be glad of the opportunity to wear them at every opportunity.
And if all else fails, I’ll just throw another dog on the bed!

I also like to craft and autumn/winter is when the big projects come out. I can knit or hook a blanket and it’s keeping my lap, legs and feet warm while I watch TV.
You beat me to it, Early
As long as it's not a new one just started. Or squares.

As a 60's child my Dad constantly worried about the possibility of pipes 'bursting' in the winter - I should add he is an eccentric. We had a gas fire in the 'back' room, and an open fire in the front room. My Dad would rush around with bottles of paraffin for the fire in the bathroom plus one on the landing, and he would wedge open the loft hatch.

As a 64 year old adult I still have the fear of it happening, I know it's ridiculous. How cold does it have to be for pipes to freeze?

I'm with Riverwalk as I dislike wearing a lot of clothes indoors in winter although I do wear more and often have a knee rug in the evening. We chose to buy a new build house for the efficient heating and insulation. We chose not to purchase the fire place option with additional gas fire as we thought that was wasteful. The thing I hate is having to wear socks but it will be necessary in the next few weeks I'm sure.

It seems obvious to me. If you feel a bit chilly, put on more clothes. I was amazed by that woman complaining that she had to wear a qcardigan.

I moved three years ago to a retirement flat, and one of my constant complaints (ask my offspring!) is that it’s too warm. I find it stuffy and unpleasant, and long for my former house where you could tell what season it was. Here, it is possible to wear summer clothes in winter. I am not grateful.

Quite apart from anything else, winter clothes are much more interesting than summer ones. I like the varied textures. I do not possess a t-shirt, as I think they look better on the young. I wear blouses, but I’d much rather wear a jumper or cardigan.

I saw the woman on TV too. And was horrified that she thought it was wrong to have to wear a cardigan indoors.

I do like the house warm but that is ridiculous.

I dont have a cardigan. Theres no way I would be wearing extra layers inside it would feel horrible to me. But I appreciate I am very lucky. I grew up in a very cold house so I think it's a reaction to that.

The problem with allowing the house to drop below a certain temperature is that as we age we are less able to cope with extremes. Heart attack, kidney problems, liver problems etc are all exacerbated by cold.

The recommended temperature for older folk is 21c in the living room and 18c in the bedroom. The government has recently downgraded the living room to 18c, but I find that DH who has heart problems is always cold at that temperature., so it remains at 21c in the sitting rooms.

Health is important in giving consideration to heating as you age.

My heating is on 18 during the day and 16 at night but I quite often leave it on 16 if I am the only one home. Blankets, dressing gown or a fleece around the house.

As long as I don't have to wear a bra at home I don't mind layers lol

Think I am lucky in the winter as the cold does not bother me. I wear sandals and short sleeved shirt throughout. No central heating. My husband wears a fleece indoors and complains about not being allowed to put the pellet burner on.
Conversely I really suffer when it's hot and have fans on for most of the time.

An extra layer would be my norm as temperatures drop. If it’s cold I go for a hot water bottle at my back when sitting and a quilt if needs be. My big get warm luxury is a hot bath every evening, I maintain a hot bath is medicinal ?
I do think the T shirt wearing generation have taken luxury for basic but compared to the years when the loo would freeze over and the drainpipe freeze solid every winter feels warmer. No more marvelling at Jack Frost patterns on the inside of the windows on a morning.
Health conditions do affect how we react to cold, so I’m probably reaching for the hot water bottle long before the rest of my household.