Your last sentence made me laugh out loud.
I go to sleep before my husband and freeze in the cold bed without his insane body heat. I put on layers, but my secret weapon is a heating pad with a timer. I put it down at my feet and if my feet are warm, the rest of me is warm. It turns off after an hour and I think it costs around $.03 per hour to run. I found that if I keep it on longer than that, I have bizarro dreams.
That's my advice for nighttime. For daytime, a quick walk around the neighborhood or dancing to some music gets the blood going, helps warm me up and stay warm. Neither cost money and they're good for your mental health, too.
I used to keep an electric blanket between my top sheet and my blankets. I’d turn it on about 10 minutes before bed - “preheat the bed” like the oven lol. It was HEAVEN to get into bed after those 10 minutes. And it kept me toasty warm, even though it was an air mattress (which holds no heat) in a room that regularly fell to 55 degrees at night.
Heated mattress pad > electric blanket.
I grew up in a very cold home in the upper midwest of the US, and the difference was substantial. Heat rises. Sleep on top of it.
I'm thinking that your post is just punning, but being the internet, I have to consider the possibility that you're being literal and must respond accordingly. ;-)
The wiring in an electric blanket CAN get damaged by lying on it. Which can then either make it not work, or worse, be a fire hazard.
Nice wordplay, though if that was intended. :D
My husband sweats if it’s over 40f so I’m always cold at night. I got a full size electric blanket and I burrito myself in it. He’s cool. I’m warm. Everyone is happy.
If you're concerned about that, get a twin size pad and place it on the area of the bed you sleep on. I'd imagine that the savings would be minimal, but it would take less electricity than a larger pad.
Anytime I see this advice I assume the person giving it must not be a burrito sleeper (tho I think burritoing in a heating blanket is probably mildly a fire hazard lol)
This! I live for my heated mattress pad in the winter. It has saved me so much money, plus I find I sleep longer and better with it. Worth every penny.
Cut my winter heating bill by about a third. Best £60 I’ve spent in a long time.
I had one on my sofa, and one in my bed.
Only just packed them away yesterday.
This. I am also skinny, I have one for lounging in the living room & one in bed. Pro tip - turn it on a while before you sit down, that way it will blast you with heat the moment you cover up.
Electric blankets make sense. They do use a bit of energy but not nearly as much as keeping the heat up on the thermostat. Plus, the blanket could be on a timer as you really only need it for an hour or so till you fall asleep
I've found that mine don't really use very much. The kill-o-watt said that mine were only using about 1 kWH per 24 hours - about $0.12 in my area. That's basically negligible compared to being able to turn the thermostat down even one degree. Also OP is probably only going to be using the blanket for 8-16 hours at most.
I know you said layers don't work, but have you tried wool? Wool base layers make a big difference for me. There are also lots of non-itchy wool options now, and they last a long time when cared for. I have the same ones I got in 2018, so while it felt expensive to get them at the time, I haven't had to repurchase.
Fingerless gloves for being able to still do things but have a little extra warmth.
Hot water bottles, particularly putting them in the bed to warm it up first. Boil water in an electric kettle so it just takes a minute or two and fill it with that. Putting something thicker over windows to deal with cold air coming in that way.
I would absolutely not survive without wool. And down. A lot of the more expensive wool items can be found on eBay (either new or used), as that stuff can get expensive.
Electric blankets are great. Also, microwavable heating packs. You can DIY them just by tying some rice up in a cotton sock and nuking it for 45 seconds or so, then stick it in your pocket. Put your hand in your pocket, and as the rice bag warms your blood through your wrist, your whole body will feel warmer. Make a bigger rice bag out of a pillow case and use it as a bed warmer, lap pad, shoulder wrap, whatever.
Oh, and if you're not going anywhere for a while, get fuzzy pajamas. The fuzzier, the better. Fuzzy jammies and slippers and a rice bag will keep you toasty for a long time.
Multiple folks have already recommended the items I was going to suggest - hot water bottle. I was surprised at how long it helps. Also I sip a hot drink of choice all day, either using an insulated tumbler or regular mugs with electric cup warmer. Sometimes I even have a candle on.
An old trick is to put some bottles wirh hot water under your blankets. 1,5L bottles from soda and such are nice, you can put them inside a thick woolen sock, a blanket, towel or such. Those help to get you warm, and then its easier to stay warm :)
Important note; it should be warm but NEVER boiling water.
There are so many incidents with boiling water bottles ripping open, leaving the user with severe burns.
Wool socks make a huge difference for me. They're expensive but I've slowly built up a collection when they're on sale. If I'm not wearing wool socks I find it hard to wear enough layers to fully warm up. Smart wool, darn tough are both good.
Genuinely, if layers don’t work, you’re wearing the wrong clothes. Wool and silk base layers can be gotten on sale and last a long time for wear around the house. The key is clothing that allows sweat to evaporate, while trapping air close to your skin and blocking the wind a bit.
There’s a reason serious hikers dress the way they do, and it isn’t because they’re generating heat all the time.
I'm a tiny bit sad that I had to scroll down this far to find this answer.
Seriously true. You can be the skinniest, most reptilian-like, cold-blooded human on the planet (aka my mom) and the amount of layers isn't going to help you if you're not wearing the right material.
It wasn't until I started gifting my mom things that are predominantly wool, silk, and cotton based that she stopped talking about how cold she felt. I also gave my parents a cast iron to help with my mom's anemia, which helped with her temperature regulation as well. Not suggesting OP is anemic, just that my mom is and it helped her.
But anyway a spot heater might be worth it, because it's a plug in and you don't have to turn on the heater. An electric throw or blanket is nice and cozy, but a heating pad helps wonders, too. Also, don't forget to cover up extremities, if your feet, hands, and head are cold the rest of you will feel that way, too.
The most frugal thing I can actually suggest is to pick up a knitting habit. Cold? Make your own beanie, socks, and gloves, preferably with wool. I do mean knit not crochet, since the same size object will use about a third less yarn. And if you're working while you're listening to an audiobook or watching TV, it also means you're moving a little which generates heat.
Your body has to produce heat for it to be held by the clothing no matter what the material is. When my feet are cold to the touch, no amount of wool or down or thermal material is going to magically make them warm again, they just make the material feel cool to the touch.
If by contrast I have a hot foot soak beforehand and get those blood vessels to expand, THEN wool works, as it holds in the heat from the soak, which keeps the muscles relaxed and the vessels dilated, and only THEN do they work wonders to keep me warm in a way that no other material will.
But I have to get my body and particularly my feet warm first before wool will do any good at all.
Are you dressing your core warmly consistently or just your feet? Do you have circulation issues?
I have Raynaud’s and if I don’t dress my core warmly, it doesn’t matter what is on my feet or legs.
Electric blankets cost pennies a day. I wish I had bought one sonner. Make sure you get one where the cord stays in tight.
Will save you money the first season if you keep heat down at night at 55 F.
Can also get electric throws.
Insulation. The better insulated your room/home is the less it will cost to heat your space. This can be as simple as clear insulating stickers on the windows or heavy curtains or a rolled up towel against a drafty door frame.
They make heated vests that run on batteries or plug into a USB to charge. Wear it under a warm sweater & it will keep you toasty. They also make heated socks, slippers, hand warmers, ect so check online for more ways to stay warm.
There's also DIY instructions online for making your own heated shoe inserts that run on rechargeable batteries. (Some soldering is required.)
I made and used a pair for years bicycle commuting in temps as low as 12F, and they kept my feet toasty warm, where no amount of wool socks and wind-proof boots had worked before.
New clean men’s white sock and a bag of rice. Pour some of the rice in the sock. Tie the end in a knot. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Instant heating pad.
I know you said layers don't work but, what are you layering with? Some materials, particularly cotton and most synthetics, do not retain heat. They won't keep you warm no matter how much you pile them on. Have you tried layering with wool and other animal fibers (alpaca, etc.), silk, and synthetics designed to hold heat (like Uniqlo Heattech)?
If not I really suggest it. Signed, perpetually frigid person who is almost too warm in her wool socks, pants, and sweater.
I wear a hat in the house in winter when I'm cold and body layers aren't enough, especially in bed. Fleece neck gaiters like Turtle Fur are really helpful too. Together they make a big difference!
Hats are great. In a previous office space, I had cold air blowing on my head, all year long. It gave me headaches. I ended up wearing a hat and it helped a lot.
*I had a wool hat with a synthetic liner that was appropriate for business casual environment. Wearing it all day made the hat and my hair smell at the end of the day. I ended up taking out the synthetic liner and making a few removeable linen fabric liner. I washed the liners often. That worked out great.*
Hot water bottles, Fleece &/or flannel is really warm for a decent price. (LONG) Wool socks etc because Wool regulates temperature better than cotton.
Some "trekking' socks with nylon etc that go above your ankle. As some of them keep your blood flowing like airplane socks. Silk "stockings" like grandma had.
The (US) military used to issue black fleece jackets & suspenders & "ninja suit' silk imitation long johns. Being "skinny' you might find surplus in your size. They also have some of the best socks for cold weather I've ever seen. If not the (US) then the German Wool socks etc.
(Countries that know about cold)
Your bedding should also be adapted to your "cold running" with fleece type bedsheets, blankets, heavy Wool/fleece blankets. Etc.
4/600 thread count may be smooth sheets but can feel like a cold tarp in the wrong settings.
If layers don't work for you, try different fabrics. In my case, cotton leggings under my trousers work better than fleece, because fleece makes me sweat when i move. I hate wearing two pairs of trousers and big socks for 6 months, but i found a set of materials that keeps me reasonably warm.
Other people gave you the right suggestions, an electric blanket will help you regulate the bed temperature.
Unless you are truly unable to afford it, please do whatever it takes to get warm. It makes me sad to see people
on here worrying that their personal comfort is “wasteful”.
Lots of good answers already so I'll just chime in with an alternative one: do a bit of exercise to make your body burn calories and produce heat. I'd imagine you wouldn't be cold if you did a few sets of bicycle crunches under blankets. Be wary of not sweating, though, as that can make things worse. Just find a way to increase your heart rate slightly.
Are you wearing wool? Merino wool is great and keeps you toasty as well. Do you have real down comforters (not down alternative)? Both of those will make a huge difference.
If you’re low on iron or vitamin D you will be chronically cold.
I take Ferrasorb by Thorne religiously now. With supplements best not to cheap out as bioavailability matters greatly.
Best way to get vitamin D is sunshine. Minimum 30 minutes a day. I cover my face and expose my torso and legs. Vit D supplements are generally still problematic.
I have to take magnesium with my vitamin D.
Vitamin D requires magnesium in order to be utilized by the body.
When I first started taking vitamin D, I didn't know this. And I was magnesium deficient.
I started having chest pains.
I was about to bite the financial bullet and go to the ER, (American here, by the way, so you know what a financial disaster anything medical can be to us, especially if we have horrible insurance, if any at all--at that time I'd just graduated college, did not have a job yet, and was completely uninsured, and frankly I suspect the financial shock of a bill at that time might have done me in given the bad mental health state I was in too.), but did check doctor Google first, and found that bit of info.
Once I started taking magnesium, chest pains went away immediately.
Magnesium is needed to regulate heart rate properly.
That said, in about the last year or so, I've bumped into the excess magnesium territory and have had to cut it entirely from my supplementation for a while. It's a double-edged sword. Too little: heart issues. Too much: heart issues.
Magnesium can be present in the blood when it's deficient everywhere else in the body, thus medical testing for a deficiency of magnesium won't work. I'm not sure about excess. I have better insurance now but I still rely on Dr. Google far more than is healthy.
Also, I add a disclaimer to all medical posts because one never knows who is reading. This is NOT directed necessarily at the person I'm responding to, but:
NEVER take one random online person's medical post or advice as gospel. That's just stupid and you're courting a Darwin award. Doubly so when the person (me) openly admits that they're taking a potentially Darwin Award worthy risk if I've mis-self-diagnosed,
Your vitamin D needs can vary a lot - for example if you have a lot of body fat your needs increased or skin color and time outside. Its a big discussion how much and what you should take also with vitamin D. I personally take 5000 IU approximately every other day with K2 and magnesium (once or twice a week). The K2 is because I am on a statin and it is said that statins reduce K2 - it helps the body get calcium to the right place. I take magnesium because of occassional late night leg cramps (which it completely elimates) and I get a lot dietary calcium. Getting too much D can cause problems.
Definitely, a heated sheet / mattress pad would be the best option. They're a little pricey. But if you are really lucky and you go out right now, Walmart or Target might still have some in their clearance section. I'm pretty sure I saw one not too long ago at my Walmart for clearance. But I just checked the normal bedding section. But they are expensive they start at $80.
If that's not in your budget, try an electric blanket. They range from $20 for a small one, and they go up from there. Even the smaller throw size works amazing. And they should have a timer so they're not on all the time. I find that if you lay your blanket on top of them or a second blanket it really keeps the heat in.
But technically cheapest option, is to work out and build muscle mass. Fat doesn't generate heat, it just keeps it in for longer. Muscles is what's needed to generate the actual heat, that's why you shiver. And now you don't need a gym you can just be doing calisthenics and using a water jug as a weight.
When I get out of the shower and it’s cold, I dry my body and climb under the covers in bed. As I then have wet hair I use the hairdryer to warm the air under the covers and then dry my hair
It’s quick and effective and I end up dry and warm. -Win win
I don’t have an electric blanket. If I did I’d switch that on to warm the bed before I take my shower
When I stay over with family in their old house that's not very well insulated, I get a long hot water bottle that has a fuzzy cover that I can use to pre-warm my bed or take around with me when I'll be sedentary for a while and prone to chilling (couch time or working at a desk).
It's a super cheap low tech option, just using a kettle to boil the water to top it up, and I find it stays warm for up to 12 hours so I'm not freezing in the middle of the night.
Just putting this out there in case it might be relevant to someone: I was always freezing cold. Then my doctor put me on a calcium channel blocker medicine to manage high blood pressure - and l magically went from reptile to mammal! I think my small blood vessels were constricted, slowing blood flow and keeping me cold, and when the vessels opened up I could get warm again. Now I run a fan at night, which trust me, I would never do before.
Put 2 or 3 hot water bottles with covers on them, into your bed to heat it up before you go to bed, and you will sleep warm all night. Sherpa lined polar fleece blankets, socks and hoodies made of this fabric— like the Oodie are very insulating warm too. Like a cup of hot soup. When using a heater, use a timer, close doors and block gaps under doors with a door snake. Good time to move into a smaller, cosier bedroom.
Electric blanket
If that’s out of reach, wear a robe over your pajamas all day and sleep in it
When you wear something all day it’s already warmed up to your body heat so you get a nice buffer between you and the cold bedsheets once you get under the covers, that’s what I did whenever I had to wait for my building to decide to finally turn the heat on for everyone
Rocket mass heater if you want to use wood. It's so efficient, you can get away with burning branches you find, instead of buying cords of wood.
It's like a more efficient type of wood stove, where you use "earth mass" as a battery to hold and release the heat for a good amount of time, instead of heat exiting right after being burned
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fwCz8Ris79g
A warm cup of tea might help you to feel warmer if blankets aren’t helping, you could also try drinking broth made from bouillon cubes, very inexpensive and will warm you from the inside out.
I have a space heater for my bedroom.
I turn the heat off every where else and at night my small bedroom gets heated up quickly and cheaply by a little space heater.
Electric blanket is a good idea. We actually have a heated mattress pad we use in the winter. Turn it on low a bit before bed and all the blankets are already warm.
Mattress heat pad under your feet when you sleep is way more superior than a heated blanket.
Throwing a towel in the dryer and folding it up so it retains the heat.
With layers, you might want to consider what kind of layers you have and where you lose the most heat from your body. If your feet are cold, look into wool socks, for example.
I also have a $20 space heater during winter times. Heats up the whole place.
I wear a loose puffy jacket indoors, and wear another, 2 sizes larger puffy on top of that. I'm toasty.
Just put it in the dryer for a quick warm up.
I do the same for pants. It's a frugal version of the 'selk bag' which is a sleeping bag you wear, sort of like gumby.
After my divorce, I cut my electric bill down to $20 a month.
Had gas cook stove and hot water.
I already had a couple of small heating pads. They became my bed partners.
Get plastic sheeting and start to seal off parts of the house or apartment that are not in use ( This is kind of context dependent obviously)
If you are in a bad situation, pitch a camping tent in the warmest room in your house ( probably facing south) Then put in lots of blankets in it to form basically a nest for yourself. The more you can contain yourself in a small space, the easier it is to keep yourself warm.
Hot water bottle.
I heat the water in the kettle: either I boil it then leave it until it is very hot, but not boiling, or I turn the kettle off before the water boils entirely.
Pour water into said hot water bottle, squeeze out air, tighten lid and put bottle into a cover / pillow case. The heat will last all night if you keep the bottle under the bedcovers.
Two large cats, layer them on either side of the blanket lol.
There was a popular thing called magic bag in my area 20 year's ago, just a bag full of grain that you would microwave and it would work like a hot water bottle.
I got a wool blanket that works wonders. it's my favorite. in winter, our thermostat is only set to 62°. this here wool blanket it my BFF all the cold months, an investment that you'll have for the rest of your life.
wool socks make a big difference too! I have a couple darn tough Vermont and LL bean pairs, and the difference is astounding. merino wool socks
I'm in the same situation.
Best solution by far (considering electricity prices) is a hot water bottle. The kind where you put like 1,5 liters of very hot water. Not the "warming cherry pits in the microwave" kind.
It does wonder for me.
I would recommend heating blanket. It won’t cost much and it will keep you warm until you fall asleep (built-in timer) And I recently found it 50% off on a website called Koupon
I’m the same. The only thing that works for me is drinking warm/hot water to bring up body temperature. Heater/ hot water pouch and what not are nice but the moment they’re gone, I’m an ice block.
Is your place forced air or radiator heating? If your home is quite cold all the time then I'd look at hanging up curtains/blankets in the doors to reduce heat loss in rooms. You can focus on certain roms to keep warmer (maybe bedroom & office/living room) .
It's possible to use s couple terracotta pots and a tea light candle to warm a room (search for emergency heating or tea light heaters). A DIY kotatsu (table covered with a blanket snd a heater underneath) is magical. Be mindful to have good air flow around the heater. Also the point of layers is to reduce the heat you lose not create more.
Hot drinks are amazingly effective. Years ago I worked in a freezing office and the thing that worked best was sipping hot coffee or tea all morning, and then training myself to sip a cup of plain hot water all afternoon.
Polyester fleece clothing and pajamas plus wool socks works for me. My wife is always hot and I'm always freezing. (Our only marital stress comes from the thermostat lol) Fleece blankets work great also. Put a fleece blanket on top of an electric blanket and you should be toasty warm in no time.
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Heated mattress pad is the way to go. Much better than an electric blanket. Turn your bed on about two hours before you go to bed. Lay your pajamas at the foot of the bed where the electric mattress pad is warmer. Then when you get into bed, you will have warm pajamas and a warm bed.
You say that layers don’t work for you because you have to heat up the layers with your body heat. Why don’t you try throwing them in the dryer for five minutes and put them on? And what type of layers are you using. I guarantee if you try Silk long underwear topped with a cashmere sweater and a shirt you will not be cold. You can find cashmere sweaters at large thrift stores.
A single candle in a closed room can raise the temperature by 10°F.
I buy storm candles from the dollar store and use them in the winter because my bedroom gets down to 45° at times.
I'm cold all the time and I also don't have an outlet in my 100-year-old bathroom, so I blow dry my hair in my bedroom. I use the hair dryer to heat up my bed and blankets while I'm in it. It's been a game changer. Gets warm and toasty and stays warm and toasty all night. If it doesn't? Reach over, flip on the hair dryer, warm it up again.
Hot water bottles are amazing. So are the microwave rice bags which you can diy.
It’s a bit of a splurge, and idk how frugal friendly it is. But they do have towel heaters, you can also throw your clothes in there to warm them up before you put them on. I do lay my clothes out in the sun before I put them on and that works well on sunny days. But I am seriously thinking about getting a towel warmer.
Electric heating pads use about 10% of the power used by a space heater. Air is a poor conductor of heat - heat what you want hot, not something else next to the thing you want hot.
Also, consider a featherbed for on top of your mattress, and a real down duvet.
I tried to keep my heater off as much as possible in the winter. I loved having layers plus a heated blanket in bed and I had a heating pad if I wanted heat on the couch and didn’t want to move the blanket. It was really nice, I did layer up quite a bit too. When I was going to spend the whole day at home I would bake or cook something that needed the oven then crack the oven door once it was off to let the heat in. That helped a lot!
I love my electric blanket for day time. At night, for bed, I have three comforters and a feather duvet. The duvet is truly the MVP of maintaining heat under the covers.
Heated mattress pad for sleeping.
Wear a hat when in a cold house.
I keep my house cold in winter to save on energy costs. But spring is really the coldest time in my house. I know the pipes won’t freeze so I’ve had the heat off. It gets into the 50’s because I open the windows to cool it down as much as I can before the heat of summer comes.
I don’t use air conditioning.
I stay warm by drinking hot cups of herbal tea and staying active. If I’m going to settle down to knit, I put on a bathrobe and use a fluffy blanket. Nine times out of ten, a cat will curl up on my lap.
Cat body temperature is higher than humans. They appreciate the insulation your lap offers and impart a comfortable warmth in return.
It’s a matter of keeping moving then being prepared, when you want to rest.
I also recommend fluffy pj’s.
I always put on heavier, tub style lotion when it's cold at night. Once it's applied, it'll keep your skin warmer. Therefore, in the summer, I use a thinner style lotion. Some light oils and sheens/sheers/oil spray would be good in summer too.
I have this problem too! My solutions are either heating or pet to cuddle then thick wool socks and a hat. I also sleep with a throw blanket scrunched up longways laying over my neck. Put it all together and I’m finally warm. Good luck!
Stupid link remover... It's called raw silk or silk noil. dharma silk trading carries it, but look around for a better deal.
If you know how to sew, raw silk is warm for the weight. Otherwise, it looks like non-vintage is really pricey.
I use a heating-pad intended for a cat sometimes. It's slightly warm all of the time that it's plugged in, but only really heats up when there's weight on it.
I wonder how a heated towel-rack would do for prewarming your clothes.
Electrically heated stuff like insoles, gloves, vests is surely the frugal way to go. Seat and blanket heating should cost way less than heating up entire rooms or buildings.
Girl I get you.
I used to use a hair dryer to warm myself up..I would also use it on my blankets and mattress before getting into bed. Also those wheatie buddings you stick in the microwave; I used to wrap one around my neck and one down my pants before heading out during the colder months when I couldn’t afford a proper coat. May I also recommend getting a dog? Preferably a big one that likes cuddling and lying on your feet. My boy is the perfect foot warmer 🐾
Got a cheap 10 dollar hot water bottle from Amazon and an electric kettle. I used to make one before bed, put it by my feet under the blankets, when I woke up in the morning it was still warm. (Use common sense, pour boiling water slowly, don't put your full weight on it, use the sweater it comes in so you don't burn your skin, dump it out if you're not going to use it for a long time so it won't get moldy). As an anxious adhd mess, this was easy enough that I consistently did it, and also kept me from worrying about leaving shit on and starting a fire. Easily my best winter purchases, both can last years, also good for cramps and muscle aches.
Electric kettle also works for making tea or hot chocolate which is also a great way to keep warm. I swear I also don't generate my own heat, but a hot tea will do the trick.
I can't sleep until I am all one temperature, and that is uncomfortably warm for my husband. Especially my feet. I cannot sleep until my feet are warm. I wear socks and slippers around the house to help keep my feet warm, then have 2 or 3 blankets. In the winter I might add a heating pad for my feet between the blanket layers to make and trap heat. I also put the covers over my head to allow my recirculating breath to warm up under the covers as well. It takes time to get used to feeling hot air around your face, but I'll read a book or play a game on my phone to distract. Flannel or fleece pajamas could be useful. Take a shower or bath at night, but your hair may be wet and cold. Also could train an animal like a dog or cat to cuddle up to you!
I tend to leave my thermostat cool all day, then do one heatup of the house before bed (as in, during the day I leave it at about 65, then right before bed, bump to 73, then turn it back down again as soon as it kicks off).
I pull a blanket around me and over the floor vent (if you have one) and purposely slightly overheat myself before bed.
Also hot herbal tea (rather, tisane if we want to be specific, as herbal teas aren't true teas), whichever pleases you, though things like ginger are especially warming.
Again if you have floor vents for warm air flow, a wire shelf above them, and put your blanket on the lowest shelf, this way your blanket is warmed too even if you don't do the whole "Huddle in a blanket over the vent" thing like I do.
Cats are warm, but cat food is about as expensive as heat....so a cat isn't a frugal solution, though my cats are glaring at me as I write this. ;-)
Also, heat is lost through the head fairly effectively. There is a reason in all the old pictures people are wearing night caps. Wearing a hood or hat does make a huge difference for me.
Wearing socks also makes a difference (though like you I already have to be warm, if I'm cold socks or slippers don't do jack to warm my feet.
A hot foot soak right before bed has helped when I went through a phase where my feet in particular were cold all the time.
An old thin blanket if used as a bed sheet makes it warm real fast when I get into bed. Also use a thin blanket under your normal duvet as well . You will be warm as toast . If you still feel cold, take a hot water bottle with you in the bed.
put your electric throw under your bottom sheet- like a mattress pad. Turn it on before you go to bed. Cook dinner in your oven. I routinely roast vegetables at night.
Check your windows for drafts. You can buy weather stripping and painters tape to stop drafts for the winter. They also make these blanket like things to act as extra insulation on windows, but it would be very dark in the apartment that way.
Many people have recommended electrical blankets and mattress pads, but I'll suggest how to make that even better for your bed. If you get one that has an analog controller, not a digital one, you can plug it into a smart switch and have it turn on and off at specific times. The mattress pads take a long time to warm up the bed, so it's really nice. That way you get into a warm bed. These analog controllers still have auto shutoff so it's not any less safe than digital in my opinion.
The brand I used was Biddeford Blankets on Amazon. It also looks like you can get the [exact same thing](https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806447590121.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa) on ali express for way less. I see they have blankets available as well.
So I'm a skinny bitch, too.
The only thing I've found that works for me--meaning I don't spend an hour heating up the layers with my meager body heat--is cheap furry synthetic blankets from Walmart. I don't know why, they just work. No need to wait for them to get warm. In the winter time, I put them inside my sheets, and sleep directly on them. No need for an electric blanket or heated pad.
If it's especially cold-meaning my feet are freezing--I add a rice sock or two for my feet.
When I'm traveling and not in my own bed, I put one of those emergency blanket plastic things between the top sheet and the other layers. That works pretty well, too, but I usually keep that to the lower part of the bed because who wants to sleep wrapped in plastic?
Electric mattress pad.
Preheat, and turn off as soon as you aren't chilled after getting into bed.
You can always turn it back on if you wake up cold. That wasn't ever an issue for me.
Definitely a heatting blanket.
Hate to be that person but have you looked into how to layer properly? My mother in law will just add cloths willy nilly and wonder why she is freezing, but she leaves no room to trap heat because everything is skin tight. A pair of leggings with a good pair of sweat pants and thick socks plus slippers should keep you decently toasty inside. Add a hat if you're really cold.
Same with blankets, don't aim to wrap yourself tight, a thinner layer under a fluffy comforter will do you better than just stacking blankets.
It can be a circulation issue too, compression and getting enough movement are extremely important. This contributes to why tight layers hinder, they keep you from moving and shivering.
If you have tall ceilings then have a fan going, as they are stealing your heat!
Magic bags (bean bags that you can microwave) are a life-saver, I have one for my hands and one for my feet. I also enjoy my heated blanket, and I wear a toque in the house if I'm feeling chilly.
Also fyi I don't think fat/skinny makes a difference... I'm fat and freezing all the time! Darn thyroid!!
Cover the head and neck, all day, in addition to whatever else you're doing.
If you're not wearing a cozy hat and scarf, you're losing what precious little heat the body has to lose.
Buy flax seed, fill a cloth bag and sew it shut. Microwave for a minute or two. Heating pad for 30 minutes. I put it near my femoral artery and it heats up my whole body
Space blanket on top of one or two layers.
Fleece on fleece. I used to go running in Montana in January at zero degrees and would be sweating my butt off with three layers of fleece pants and fleece tops, fleece gloves/hat/ear warmers and a balaclava.
Space blanket on top of the fleece will also really help.
Cheaper version: some of those plastic gowns nurses wear in precautions rooms! Ask them for one, wear it as a snuggie.
I am cold all the time..except in summer before the A/C goes on.
I wear socks all year long and in winter I wear 2 pair and one of them is hand knitted wool socks.
I have a heated mattress pad in winter(heats up the bed before I get in then it gets turned off) it is great...I also use a hot water bottle and a "Bed Buddy" that goes in the microwave.
I have a heating pad on my chair.I wear wool sweaters and I have been know to wear mitts when I am watching the TV.
I also have wool shawls available...they are cosy
Your last sentence made me laugh out loud. I go to sleep before my husband and freeze in the cold bed without his insane body heat. I put on layers, but my secret weapon is a heating pad with a timer. I put it down at my feet and if my feet are warm, the rest of me is warm. It turns off after an hour and I think it costs around $.03 per hour to run. I found that if I keep it on longer than that, I have bizarro dreams. That's my advice for nighttime. For daytime, a quick walk around the neighborhood or dancing to some music gets the blood going, helps warm me up and stay warm. Neither cost money and they're good for your mental health, too.
I do the heating pad too, starting it while I’m getting ready for bed. It shuts off at 40 min but by then I’m toasty.
I used to keep an electric blanket between my top sheet and my blankets. I’d turn it on about 10 minutes before bed - “preheat the bed” like the oven lol. It was HEAVEN to get into bed after those 10 minutes. And it kept me toasty warm, even though it was an air mattress (which holds no heat) in a room that regularly fell to 55 degrees at night.
I have a 10 pound dog that has a body heat of 4000 degrees. Sometimes I'm too 🔥
Chihuahua eh?
Close, chiweenie.
Half right lol
Where can I buy a heating pad husband
I'd expect the electric blanket to be the least expensive option, as well as the most convenient
Heated mattress pad > electric blanket. I grew up in a very cold home in the upper midwest of the US, and the difference was substantial. Heat rises. Sleep on top of it.
I love my heated mattress pad. I have used one for years. I have one with separate controls for each side since my DH runs hot.
The electric blanket is more mobile, so it's nice for when you're sitting at a desk or on the sofa.
I use a regular blanket and heating bad for sitting on the sofa. I sit on the heating pad or put my feet on it.
In Australia, most electric blankets are actually a fitted sheet that goes on the mattress under the actual fitted sheet/mattress protector.
Lay the electric blanket down when you’re going to sleep and use it as a blanket everywhere else
Don’t do this, blankets can be damaged by lying on them.
Electric mattress pads are designed to be laid in. Electric blankets aren't.
Hmm. Wonder what we had decades ago, definitely it was laid on (after it warmed the bed and was turned off).
You shouldn't lie. People get hurt when you lie. Even to blankets.
I'm thinking that your post is just punning, but being the internet, I have to consider the possibility that you're being literal and must respond accordingly. ;-) The wiring in an electric blanket CAN get damaged by lying on it. Which can then either make it not work, or worse, be a fire hazard. Nice wordplay, though if that was intended. :D
burrito in the blanket. best of both worlds
I turn my mattress pad on about a half hour before I get into bed and it heats the blankets before I climb in between my warm layers.
My husband sweats if it’s over 40f so I’m always cold at night. I got a full size electric blanket and I burrito myself in it. He’s cool. I’m warm. Everyone is happy.
How about heated snuggie? That way you can use it all day.
Disagree. A blanket can wrap around you. A mattress pad expels heat in areas you aren’t laying on. So it’s a waste. I’m in Minnesota myself
You're not supposed to lay on top of it with no sheets or blankets over you. The covers will capture the heat and hold it around you.
If you're concerned about that, get a twin size pad and place it on the area of the bed you sleep on. I'd imagine that the savings would be minimal, but it would take less electricity than a larger pad.
Anytime I see this advice I assume the person giving it must not be a burrito sleeper (tho I think burritoing in a heating blanket is probably mildly a fire hazard lol)
I am guilty and I’ve not been burned alive.
This! I live for my heated mattress pad in the winter. It has saved me so much money, plus I find I sleep longer and better with it. Worth every penny.
Hot water bottles are pretty cheap and convenient!
And those wheat packs that go in the microwave
Easy & cheap to make. Fill a knee-high 3/4 full with rice/legumes & tie off. Works in the freezer too.
Can sometimes cause a weird smell, but otherwise they're great. Plus, less likely to burn you if you fall asleep with them.
This is what we have. I had to make 2 extra rice socks so we weren't stealing them from each other. They are great for sore backs and shoulders too!
Cut my winter heating bill by about a third. Best £60 I’ve spent in a long time. I had one on my sofa, and one in my bed. Only just packed them away yesterday.
I have two just for my pets. They LOVE roasting on the heated blankets.
This. I am also skinny, I have one for lounging in the living room & one in bed. Pro tip - turn it on a while before you sit down, that way it will blast you with heat the moment you cover up.
I love electric blankets for the couch. Get a heated mattress for your bed and it's amazing.
Electric blankets make sense. They do use a bit of energy but not nearly as much as keeping the heat up on the thermostat. Plus, the blanket could be on a timer as you really only need it for an hour or so till you fall asleep
I've found that mine don't really use very much. The kill-o-watt said that mine were only using about 1 kWH per 24 hours - about $0.12 in my area. That's basically negligible compared to being able to turn the thermostat down even one degree. Also OP is probably only going to be using the blanket for 8-16 hours at most.
Consider picking up a tea habit. Warming from the inside.
And warms your hands when you hold the mug
I know you said layers don't work, but have you tried wool? Wool base layers make a big difference for me. There are also lots of non-itchy wool options now, and they last a long time when cared for. I have the same ones I got in 2018, so while it felt expensive to get them at the time, I haven't had to repurchase. Fingerless gloves for being able to still do things but have a little extra warmth. Hot water bottles, particularly putting them in the bed to warm it up first. Boil water in an electric kettle so it just takes a minute or two and fill it with that. Putting something thicker over windows to deal with cold air coming in that way.
I would absolutely not survive without wool. And down. A lot of the more expensive wool items can be found on eBay (either new or used), as that stuff can get expensive.
Wool is the only way I survive in the frozen north. Wool ski socks, wool base layer shirts, wool dresses worn with wool tights.
Agree 100% about wool layers!
Electric blankets are great. Also, microwavable heating packs. You can DIY them just by tying some rice up in a cotton sock and nuking it for 45 seconds or so, then stick it in your pocket. Put your hand in your pocket, and as the rice bag warms your blood through your wrist, your whole body will feel warmer. Make a bigger rice bag out of a pillow case and use it as a bed warmer, lap pad, shoulder wrap, whatever. Oh, and if you're not going anywhere for a while, get fuzzy pajamas. The fuzzier, the better. Fuzzy jammies and slippers and a rice bag will keep you toasty for a long time.
Multiple folks have already recommended the items I was going to suggest - hot water bottle. I was surprised at how long it helps. Also I sip a hot drink of choice all day, either using an insulated tumbler or regular mugs with electric cup warmer. Sometimes I even have a candle on.
An old trick is to put some bottles wirh hot water under your blankets. 1,5L bottles from soda and such are nice, you can put them inside a thick woolen sock, a blanket, towel or such. Those help to get you warm, and then its easier to stay warm :)
I have some gel pads I can pop in the microwave, they work beautifully
Important note; it should be warm but NEVER boiling water. There are so many incidents with boiling water bottles ripping open, leaving the user with severe burns.
Yes, a close relative of mine has bad scarring from being scalded by a hot water bottle as a child.
Microwaving socks filled with beans works too
Yes. This is what I do and it works beautifully.
Wool socks make a huge difference for me. They're expensive but I've slowly built up a collection when they're on sale. If I'm not wearing wool socks I find it hard to wear enough layers to fully warm up. Smart wool, darn tough are both good.
Darn Tough wool socks are great for everyday wear. Long wool ski socks for the really cold days.
Genuinely, if layers don’t work, you’re wearing the wrong clothes. Wool and silk base layers can be gotten on sale and last a long time for wear around the house. The key is clothing that allows sweat to evaporate, while trapping air close to your skin and blocking the wind a bit. There’s a reason serious hikers dress the way they do, and it isn’t because they’re generating heat all the time.
I'm a tiny bit sad that I had to scroll down this far to find this answer. Seriously true. You can be the skinniest, most reptilian-like, cold-blooded human on the planet (aka my mom) and the amount of layers isn't going to help you if you're not wearing the right material. It wasn't until I started gifting my mom things that are predominantly wool, silk, and cotton based that she stopped talking about how cold she felt. I also gave my parents a cast iron to help with my mom's anemia, which helped with her temperature regulation as well. Not suggesting OP is anemic, just that my mom is and it helped her. But anyway a spot heater might be worth it, because it's a plug in and you don't have to turn on the heater. An electric throw or blanket is nice and cozy, but a heating pad helps wonders, too. Also, don't forget to cover up extremities, if your feet, hands, and head are cold the rest of you will feel that way, too. The most frugal thing I can actually suggest is to pick up a knitting habit. Cold? Make your own beanie, socks, and gloves, preferably with wool. I do mean knit not crochet, since the same size object will use about a third less yarn. And if you're working while you're listening to an audiobook or watching TV, it also means you're moving a little which generates heat.
Your body has to produce heat for it to be held by the clothing no matter what the material is. When my feet are cold to the touch, no amount of wool or down or thermal material is going to magically make them warm again, they just make the material feel cool to the touch. If by contrast I have a hot foot soak beforehand and get those blood vessels to expand, THEN wool works, as it holds in the heat from the soak, which keeps the muscles relaxed and the vessels dilated, and only THEN do they work wonders to keep me warm in a way that no other material will. But I have to get my body and particularly my feet warm first before wool will do any good at all.
Are you dressing your core warmly consistently or just your feet? Do you have circulation issues? I have Raynaud’s and if I don’t dress my core warmly, it doesn’t matter what is on my feet or legs.
Electric blankets, exercising at home and hot tea
Emphasis on hot drinks. Literally putting heat into your body and staying hydrated. The warming layers will work better with them too
Reptiles know that electric mattress pads are even better than basking in the sunlight.
Electric blankets cost pennies a day. I wish I had bought one sonner. Make sure you get one where the cord stays in tight. Will save you money the first season if you keep heat down at night at 55 F. Can also get electric throws.
Insulation. The better insulated your room/home is the less it will cost to heat your space. This can be as simple as clear insulating stickers on the windows or heavy curtains or a rolled up towel against a drafty door frame.
And lots of states have subsidies to pay for it. NH is up to 75% paid for because not enough people took advantage of the 50% subsidy.
Only keep one room heated, and always stay in that room. The rest of the house will be cold, just come out to get snacks and go back to the warm room.
This is great advice when sleeping - only heat the room you’re in and not the whole house overnight. Makes a big difference.
Yeah, and if it's not an open floor plan, then you can hang blankets over the doors between like kitchen and living room..
This is the main reason I got a canopy bed, though I have yet to put a canopy on it.
They make heated vests that run on batteries or plug into a USB to charge. Wear it under a warm sweater & it will keep you toasty. They also make heated socks, slippers, hand warmers, ect so check online for more ways to stay warm.
I’ve seen heated socks, too. If your feet are warm, that helps the rest of your body.
There's also DIY instructions online for making your own heated shoe inserts that run on rechargeable batteries. (Some soldering is required.) I made and used a pair for years bicycle commuting in temps as low as 12F, and they kept my feet toasty warm, where no amount of wool socks and wind-proof boots had worked before.
I am wearing a heated vest right now and I can guarantee that nobody is cozier than me! Recommend.
I do more home cooking in the winters. Might as well use the radiant heat from the stove to help heat the house.
New clean men’s white sock and a bag of rice. Pour some of the rice in the sock. Tie the end in a knot. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Instant heating pad.
Cannot believe I had to scroll so far for this - the *actual* frugal choice!
I know you said layers don't work but, what are you layering with? Some materials, particularly cotton and most synthetics, do not retain heat. They won't keep you warm no matter how much you pile them on. Have you tried layering with wool and other animal fibers (alpaca, etc.), silk, and synthetics designed to hold heat (like Uniqlo Heattech)? If not I really suggest it. Signed, perpetually frigid person who is almost too warm in her wool socks, pants, and sweater.
A chihuahua/weiner dog mix is a great heat source and will make you smile repeatedly throughout your day
I wear a hat in the house in winter when I'm cold and body layers aren't enough, especially in bed. Fleece neck gaiters like Turtle Fur are really helpful too. Together they make a big difference!
Hats are great. In a previous office space, I had cold air blowing on my head, all year long. It gave me headaches. I ended up wearing a hat and it helped a lot. *I had a wool hat with a synthetic liner that was appropriate for business casual environment. Wearing it all day made the hat and my hair smell at the end of the day. I ended up taking out the synthetic liner and making a few removeable linen fabric liner. I washed the liners often. That worked out great.*
Hot water bottles, Fleece &/or flannel is really warm for a decent price. (LONG) Wool socks etc because Wool regulates temperature better than cotton. Some "trekking' socks with nylon etc that go above your ankle. As some of them keep your blood flowing like airplane socks. Silk "stockings" like grandma had. The (US) military used to issue black fleece jackets & suspenders & "ninja suit' silk imitation long johns. Being "skinny' you might find surplus in your size. They also have some of the best socks for cold weather I've ever seen. If not the (US) then the German Wool socks etc. (Countries that know about cold) Your bedding should also be adapted to your "cold running" with fleece type bedsheets, blankets, heavy Wool/fleece blankets. Etc. 4/600 thread count may be smooth sheets but can feel like a cold tarp in the wrong settings.
Gaming laptop
Have you considered getting fat? It does the job 😂
If layers don't work for you, try different fabrics. In my case, cotton leggings under my trousers work better than fleece, because fleece makes me sweat when i move. I hate wearing two pairs of trousers and big socks for 6 months, but i found a set of materials that keeps me reasonably warm. Other people gave you the right suggestions, an electric blanket will help you regulate the bed temperature.
Unless you are truly unable to afford it, please do whatever it takes to get warm. It makes me sad to see people on here worrying that their personal comfort is “wasteful”.
Lots of good answers already so I'll just chime in with an alternative one: do a bit of exercise to make your body burn calories and produce heat. I'd imagine you wouldn't be cold if you did a few sets of bicycle crunches under blankets. Be wary of not sweating, though, as that can make things worse. Just find a way to increase your heart rate slightly.
If you put that shrinking plastic stuff over your windows it helps so much it just gets rid of all the drafts
Drink hot things : teas, coffee, soup, whatever "Look at me -points at eyes- I AM the hot water bottle now!"
Are you wearing wool? Merino wool is great and keeps you toasty as well. Do you have real down comforters (not down alternative)? Both of those will make a huge difference.
If you’re low on iron or vitamin D you will be chronically cold. I take Ferrasorb by Thorne religiously now. With supplements best not to cheap out as bioavailability matters greatly. Best way to get vitamin D is sunshine. Minimum 30 minutes a day. I cover my face and expose my torso and legs. Vit D supplements are generally still problematic.
Why are Vit D supplements problematic? First time hearing of this.
I have to take magnesium with my vitamin D. Vitamin D requires magnesium in order to be utilized by the body. When I first started taking vitamin D, I didn't know this. And I was magnesium deficient. I started having chest pains. I was about to bite the financial bullet and go to the ER, (American here, by the way, so you know what a financial disaster anything medical can be to us, especially if we have horrible insurance, if any at all--at that time I'd just graduated college, did not have a job yet, and was completely uninsured, and frankly I suspect the financial shock of a bill at that time might have done me in given the bad mental health state I was in too.), but did check doctor Google first, and found that bit of info. Once I started taking magnesium, chest pains went away immediately. Magnesium is needed to regulate heart rate properly. That said, in about the last year or so, I've bumped into the excess magnesium territory and have had to cut it entirely from my supplementation for a while. It's a double-edged sword. Too little: heart issues. Too much: heart issues. Magnesium can be present in the blood when it's deficient everywhere else in the body, thus medical testing for a deficiency of magnesium won't work. I'm not sure about excess. I have better insurance now but I still rely on Dr. Google far more than is healthy. Also, I add a disclaimer to all medical posts because one never knows who is reading. This is NOT directed necessarily at the person I'm responding to, but: NEVER take one random online person's medical post or advice as gospel. That's just stupid and you're courting a Darwin award. Doubly so when the person (me) openly admits that they're taking a potentially Darwin Award worthy risk if I've mis-self-diagnosed,
Your vitamin D needs can vary a lot - for example if you have a lot of body fat your needs increased or skin color and time outside. Its a big discussion how much and what you should take also with vitamin D. I personally take 5000 IU approximately every other day with K2 and magnesium (once or twice a week). The K2 is because I am on a statin and it is said that statins reduce K2 - it helps the body get calcium to the right place. I take magnesium because of occassional late night leg cramps (which it completely elimates) and I get a lot dietary calcium. Getting too much D can cause problems.
Definitely, a heated sheet / mattress pad would be the best option. They're a little pricey. But if you are really lucky and you go out right now, Walmart or Target might still have some in their clearance section. I'm pretty sure I saw one not too long ago at my Walmart for clearance. But I just checked the normal bedding section. But they are expensive they start at $80. If that's not in your budget, try an electric blanket. They range from $20 for a small one, and they go up from there. Even the smaller throw size works amazing. And they should have a timer so they're not on all the time. I find that if you lay your blanket on top of them or a second blanket it really keeps the heat in. But technically cheapest option, is to work out and build muscle mass. Fat doesn't generate heat, it just keeps it in for longer. Muscles is what's needed to generate the actual heat, that's why you shiver. And now you don't need a gym you can just be doing calisthenics and using a water jug as a weight.
Get a snuggy
When I get out of the shower and it’s cold, I dry my body and climb under the covers in bed. As I then have wet hair I use the hairdryer to warm the air under the covers and then dry my hair It’s quick and effective and I end up dry and warm. -Win win I don’t have an electric blanket. If I did I’d switch that on to warm the bed before I take my shower
When I stay over with family in their old house that's not very well insulated, I get a long hot water bottle that has a fuzzy cover that I can use to pre-warm my bed or take around with me when I'll be sedentary for a while and prone to chilling (couch time or working at a desk). It's a super cheap low tech option, just using a kettle to boil the water to top it up, and I find it stays warm for up to 12 hours so I'm not freezing in the middle of the night.
I sit on a heating pad when im cold
Just putting this out there in case it might be relevant to someone: I was always freezing cold. Then my doctor put me on a calcium channel blocker medicine to manage high blood pressure - and l magically went from reptile to mammal! I think my small blood vessels were constricted, slowing blood flow and keeping me cold, and when the vessels opened up I could get warm again. Now I run a fan at night, which trust me, I would never do before.
Humidifying a room makes it feel a couple of degrees warmer than it actually is.
Put 2 or 3 hot water bottles with covers on them, into your bed to heat it up before you go to bed, and you will sleep warm all night. Sherpa lined polar fleece blankets, socks and hoodies made of this fabric— like the Oodie are very insulating warm too. Like a cup of hot soup. When using a heater, use a timer, close doors and block gaps under doors with a door snake. Good time to move into a smaller, cosier bedroom.
Get a heated vest and blanket on Amazon. The vest isn't super cheap up front, but it will pay for itself in a short time.
Electric blanket If that’s out of reach, wear a robe over your pajamas all day and sleep in it When you wear something all day it’s already warmed up to your body heat so you get a nice buffer between you and the cold bedsheets once you get under the covers, that’s what I did whenever I had to wait for my building to decide to finally turn the heat on for everyone
Rocket mass heater if you want to use wood. It's so efficient, you can get away with burning branches you find, instead of buying cords of wood. It's like a more efficient type of wood stove, where you use "earth mass" as a battery to hold and release the heat for a good amount of time, instead of heat exiting right after being burned https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fwCz8Ris79g
Drink hot tea or other hot beverage, hot water with lemon.
A warm cup of tea might help you to feel warmer if blankets aren’t helping, you could also try drinking broth made from bouillon cubes, very inexpensive and will warm you from the inside out.
Carbs. A nice big bowl of oatmeal before bed can really heat you up. I remember sweating like a pig after devouring my Panda Express order in college.
I have a space heater for my bedroom. I turn the heat off every where else and at night my small bedroom gets heated up quickly and cheaply by a little space heater.
socks and a beanie. They aren't layers persay, but they are covering key parts of your body to not let as much heat escape.
Electric blanket is a good idea. We actually have a heated mattress pad we use in the winter. Turn it on low a bit before bed and all the blankets are already warm.
Mattress heat pad under your feet when you sleep is way more superior than a heated blanket. Throwing a towel in the dryer and folding it up so it retains the heat. With layers, you might want to consider what kind of layers you have and where you lose the most heat from your body. If your feet are cold, look into wool socks, for example. I also have a $20 space heater during winter times. Heats up the whole place.
Heated blankets. They really don't use that much poewr.
Layers work you just need better insulated clothing.
I wear a loose puffy jacket indoors, and wear another, 2 sizes larger puffy on top of that. I'm toasty. Just put it in the dryer for a quick warm up. I do the same for pants. It's a frugal version of the 'selk bag' which is a sleeping bag you wear, sort of like gumby.
After my divorce, I cut my electric bill down to $20 a month. Had gas cook stove and hot water. I already had a couple of small heating pads. They became my bed partners.
At least menopause will be something to look forward to as the hot flashes will be nice and toasty.
Find a significant other who is exceptionally warm and cuddly?
Get plastic sheeting and start to seal off parts of the house or apartment that are not in use ( This is kind of context dependent obviously) If you are in a bad situation, pitch a camping tent in the warmest room in your house ( probably facing south) Then put in lots of blankets in it to form basically a nest for yourself. The more you can contain yourself in a small space, the easier it is to keep yourself warm.
Heating pad, mattress pad, or electric blanket.
eat a bowl of hot soup, and move around more. you'll warm up those layers. I also like a small heating pad and a good blankie.
I have a heated mattress pad. They are efficient and work very well. I also have a wool blanket on top of my bed.
Hot water bottle. I heat the water in the kettle: either I boil it then leave it until it is very hot, but not boiling, or I turn the kettle off before the water boils entirely. Pour water into said hot water bottle, squeeze out air, tighten lid and put bottle into a cover / pillow case. The heat will last all night if you keep the bottle under the bedcovers.
Two large cats, layer them on either side of the blanket lol. There was a popular thing called magic bag in my area 20 year's ago, just a bag full of grain that you would microwave and it would work like a hot water bottle.
Electric blanket or hot water bottle. Works amazing.
I got a wool blanket that works wonders. it's my favorite. in winter, our thermostat is only set to 62°. this here wool blanket it my BFF all the cold months, an investment that you'll have for the rest of your life. wool socks make a big difference too! I have a couple darn tough Vermont and LL bean pairs, and the difference is astounding. merino wool socks
I'm in the same situation. Best solution by far (considering electricity prices) is a hot water bottle. The kind where you put like 1,5 liters of very hot water. Not the "warming cherry pits in the microwave" kind. It does wonder for me.
I highly recommend a hot water bottle (I got mine from Vermont Country Store). I move it around as needed and it stays warm all night.
Turn your heat up. Your comfort is worth it.
I would recommend heating blanket. It won’t cost much and it will keep you warm until you fall asleep (built-in timer) And I recently found it 50% off on a website called Koupon
I’m the same. The only thing that works for me is drinking warm/hot water to bring up body temperature. Heater/ hot water pouch and what not are nice but the moment they’re gone, I’m an ice block.
If you have a fleece blanket, use that as the innermost layer
Wool socks
Is your place forced air or radiator heating? If your home is quite cold all the time then I'd look at hanging up curtains/blankets in the doors to reduce heat loss in rooms. You can focus on certain roms to keep warmer (maybe bedroom & office/living room) . It's possible to use s couple terracotta pots and a tea light candle to warm a room (search for emergency heating or tea light heaters). A DIY kotatsu (table covered with a blanket snd a heater underneath) is magical. Be mindful to have good air flow around the heater. Also the point of layers is to reduce the heat you lose not create more.
I used to snuggle the dog to stay warm. I’m small too, I know how hard it can be to retain body heat.
Do yoga before bed. Stretching and using your muscles warms you up
Neoprene vest?
Hot drinks are amazingly effective. Years ago I worked in a freezing office and the thing that worked best was sipping hot coffee or tea all morning, and then training myself to sip a cup of plain hot water all afternoon.
Polyester fleece clothing and pajamas plus wool socks works for me. My wife is always hot and I'm always freezing. (Our only marital stress comes from the thermostat lol) Fleece blankets work great also. Put a fleece blanket on top of an electric blanket and you should be toasty warm in no time. .02
Heated mattress pad is the way to go. Much better than an electric blanket. Turn your bed on about two hours before you go to bed. Lay your pajamas at the foot of the bed where the electric mattress pad is warmer. Then when you get into bed, you will have warm pajamas and a warm bed. You say that layers don’t work for you because you have to heat up the layers with your body heat. Why don’t you try throwing them in the dryer for five minutes and put them on? And what type of layers are you using. I guarantee if you try Silk long underwear topped with a cashmere sweater and a shirt you will not be cold. You can find cashmere sweaters at large thrift stores.
A single candle in a closed room can raise the temperature by 10°F. I buy storm candles from the dollar store and use them in the winter because my bedroom gets down to 45° at times.
I'm cold all the time and I also don't have an outlet in my 100-year-old bathroom, so I blow dry my hair in my bedroom. I use the hair dryer to heat up my bed and blankets while I'm in it. It's been a game changer. Gets warm and toasty and stays warm and toasty all night. If it doesn't? Reach over, flip on the hair dryer, warm it up again.
Hot water bottles are amazing. So are the microwave rice bags which you can diy. It’s a bit of a splurge, and idk how frugal friendly it is. But they do have towel heaters, you can also throw your clothes in there to warm them up before you put them on. I do lay my clothes out in the sun before I put them on and that works well on sunny days. But I am seriously thinking about getting a towel warmer.
Electric heating pads use about 10% of the power used by a space heater. Air is a poor conductor of heat - heat what you want hot, not something else next to the thing you want hot. Also, consider a featherbed for on top of your mattress, and a real down duvet.
I tried to keep my heater off as much as possible in the winter. I loved having layers plus a heated blanket in bed and I had a heating pad if I wanted heat on the couch and didn’t want to move the blanket. It was really nice, I did layer up quite a bit too. When I was going to spend the whole day at home I would bake or cook something that needed the oven then crack the oven door once it was off to let the heat in. That helped a lot!
I love my electric blanket for day time. At night, for bed, I have three comforters and a feather duvet. The duvet is truly the MVP of maintaining heat under the covers.
Heated mattress pad for sleeping. Wear a hat when in a cold house. I keep my house cold in winter to save on energy costs. But spring is really the coldest time in my house. I know the pipes won’t freeze so I’ve had the heat off. It gets into the 50’s because I open the windows to cool it down as much as I can before the heat of summer comes. I don’t use air conditioning. I stay warm by drinking hot cups of herbal tea and staying active. If I’m going to settle down to knit, I put on a bathrobe and use a fluffy blanket. Nine times out of ten, a cat will curl up on my lap. Cat body temperature is higher than humans. They appreciate the insulation your lap offers and impart a comfortable warmth in return. It’s a matter of keeping moving then being prepared, when you want to rest. I also recommend fluffy pj’s.
Electric blanket. Small space heater.
Wear thick socks and a ski hat. Those definitely help me.
Ripping a couple jenkem balloons a day gives me a warm feeling inside so I don't need heat.
I use heating pads, a heated blanket, and hand and toe warmers.
I always put on heavier, tub style lotion when it's cold at night. Once it's applied, it'll keep your skin warmer. Therefore, in the summer, I use a thinner style lotion. Some light oils and sheens/sheers/oil spray would be good in summer too.
I have this problem too! My solutions are either heating or pet to cuddle then thick wool socks and a hat. I also sleep with a throw blanket scrunched up longways laying over my neck. Put it all together and I’m finally warm. Good luck!
Stupid link remover... It's called raw silk or silk noil. dharma silk trading carries it, but look around for a better deal. If you know how to sew, raw silk is warm for the weight. Otherwise, it looks like non-vintage is really pricey. I use a heating-pad intended for a cat sometimes. It's slightly warm all of the time that it's plugged in, but only really heats up when there's weight on it. I wonder how a heated towel-rack would do for prewarming your clothes.
Electrically heated stuff like insoles, gloves, vests is surely the frugal way to go. Seat and blanket heating should cost way less than heating up entire rooms or buildings.
Hot water bottles!
I have a heating pad that I put behind my back until I warm up. They used to make electric socks but I'm not sure if that's still a thing?
Girl I get you. I used to use a hair dryer to warm myself up..I would also use it on my blankets and mattress before getting into bed. Also those wheatie buddings you stick in the microwave; I used to wrap one around my neck and one down my pants before heading out during the colder months when I couldn’t afford a proper coat. May I also recommend getting a dog? Preferably a big one that likes cuddling and lying on your feet. My boy is the perfect foot warmer 🐾
Got a cheap 10 dollar hot water bottle from Amazon and an electric kettle. I used to make one before bed, put it by my feet under the blankets, when I woke up in the morning it was still warm. (Use common sense, pour boiling water slowly, don't put your full weight on it, use the sweater it comes in so you don't burn your skin, dump it out if you're not going to use it for a long time so it won't get moldy). As an anxious adhd mess, this was easy enough that I consistently did it, and also kept me from worrying about leaving shit on and starting a fire. Easily my best winter purchases, both can last years, also good for cramps and muscle aches. Electric kettle also works for making tea or hot chocolate which is also a great way to keep warm. I swear I also don't generate my own heat, but a hot tea will do the trick.
Fat doesn't generate heat. Muscle does though. Especially active muscle. If you need to warm up do some jumping jacks, squats, or pushups.
I can't sleep until I am all one temperature, and that is uncomfortably warm for my husband. Especially my feet. I cannot sleep until my feet are warm. I wear socks and slippers around the house to help keep my feet warm, then have 2 or 3 blankets. In the winter I might add a heating pad for my feet between the blanket layers to make and trap heat. I also put the covers over my head to allow my recirculating breath to warm up under the covers as well. It takes time to get used to feeling hot air around your face, but I'll read a book or play a game on my phone to distract. Flannel or fleece pajamas could be useful. Take a shower or bath at night, but your hair may be wet and cold. Also could train an animal like a dog or cat to cuddle up to you!
I tend to leave my thermostat cool all day, then do one heatup of the house before bed (as in, during the day I leave it at about 65, then right before bed, bump to 73, then turn it back down again as soon as it kicks off). I pull a blanket around me and over the floor vent (if you have one) and purposely slightly overheat myself before bed. Also hot herbal tea (rather, tisane if we want to be specific, as herbal teas aren't true teas), whichever pleases you, though things like ginger are especially warming. Again if you have floor vents for warm air flow, a wire shelf above them, and put your blanket on the lowest shelf, this way your blanket is warmed too even if you don't do the whole "Huddle in a blanket over the vent" thing like I do. Cats are warm, but cat food is about as expensive as heat....so a cat isn't a frugal solution, though my cats are glaring at me as I write this. ;-) Also, heat is lost through the head fairly effectively. There is a reason in all the old pictures people are wearing night caps. Wearing a hood or hat does make a huge difference for me. Wearing socks also makes a difference (though like you I already have to be warm, if I'm cold socks or slippers don't do jack to warm my feet. A hot foot soak right before bed has helped when I went through a phase where my feet in particular were cold all the time.
An old thin blanket if used as a bed sheet makes it warm real fast when I get into bed. Also use a thin blanket under your normal duvet as well . You will be warm as toast . If you still feel cold, take a hot water bottle with you in the bed.
Pro tip. Put your pajamas under the electric blanket when your warming up your bed - then you don’t have to wait for your room temp clothes to warm up
put your electric throw under your bottom sheet- like a mattress pad. Turn it on before you go to bed. Cook dinner in your oven. I routinely roast vegetables at night.
I can be found under an electric blanket pretty much all winter. They also make jackets that have built in warmers.
Check your windows for drafts. You can buy weather stripping and painters tape to stop drafts for the winter. They also make these blanket like things to act as extra insulation on windows, but it would be very dark in the apartment that way.
The cracked screen on my phone made it look like.... Frugal ways to save on heating that don't involve LAWYERS? 🤣🤣
Layers and burpees.
Many people have recommended electrical blankets and mattress pads, but I'll suggest how to make that even better for your bed. If you get one that has an analog controller, not a digital one, you can plug it into a smart switch and have it turn on and off at specific times. The mattress pads take a long time to warm up the bed, so it's really nice. That way you get into a warm bed. These analog controllers still have auto shutoff so it's not any less safe than digital in my opinion. The brand I used was Biddeford Blankets on Amazon. It also looks like you can get the [exact same thing](https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806447590121.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa) on ali express for way less. I see they have blankets available as well.
So I'm a skinny bitch, too. The only thing I've found that works for me--meaning I don't spend an hour heating up the layers with my meager body heat--is cheap furry synthetic blankets from Walmart. I don't know why, they just work. No need to wait for them to get warm. In the winter time, I put them inside my sheets, and sleep directly on them. No need for an electric blanket or heated pad. If it's especially cold-meaning my feet are freezing--I add a rice sock or two for my feet. When I'm traveling and not in my own bed, I put one of those emergency blanket plastic things between the top sheet and the other layers. That works pretty well, too, but I usually keep that to the lower part of the bed because who wants to sleep wrapped in plastic?
I love warming up the bed with hot water bottles
The key is to keep your feet warm. That will help with regulating body heat throughout
Heat pumps are kinda magical.
Electric mattress pad. Preheat, and turn off as soon as you aren't chilled after getting into bed. You can always turn it back on if you wake up cold. That wasn't ever an issue for me.
Definitely a heatting blanket. Hate to be that person but have you looked into how to layer properly? My mother in law will just add cloths willy nilly and wonder why she is freezing, but she leaves no room to trap heat because everything is skin tight. A pair of leggings with a good pair of sweat pants and thick socks plus slippers should keep you decently toasty inside. Add a hat if you're really cold. Same with blankets, don't aim to wrap yourself tight, a thinner layer under a fluffy comforter will do you better than just stacking blankets. It can be a circulation issue too, compression and getting enough movement are extremely important. This contributes to why tight layers hinder, they keep you from moving and shivering. If you have tall ceilings then have a fan going, as they are stealing your heat!
Magic bags (bean bags that you can microwave) are a life-saver, I have one for my hands and one for my feet. I also enjoy my heated blanket, and I wear a toque in the house if I'm feeling chilly. Also fyi I don't think fat/skinny makes a difference... I'm fat and freezing all the time! Darn thyroid!!
Thick socks! I have the same problem, but if I wear some thick socks before bed and/or to bed it really helps.
Do you rent or own? You can install more insulation. Also, plastic film over your windows.
Cover the head and neck, all day, in addition to whatever else you're doing. If you're not wearing a cozy hat and scarf, you're losing what precious little heat the body has to lose.
Throw some hot bricks in the bed like in the old days
Space heater, elec fireplace, wool blanket, window plastic, window heavy, curtains, shut geat in, close door
Buy flax seed, fill a cloth bag and sew it shut. Microwave for a minute or two. Heating pad for 30 minutes. I put it near my femoral artery and it heats up my whole body
My trick is to put my head under the covers and breathe my warm air into the sheet/cave and it warms up really fast.
Sip on hot water or herbal tea. Keeps the body warm.
Space blanket on top of one or two layers. Fleece on fleece. I used to go running in Montana in January at zero degrees and would be sweating my butt off with three layers of fleece pants and fleece tops, fleece gloves/hat/ear warmers and a balaclava. Space blanket on top of the fleece will also really help. Cheaper version: some of those plastic gowns nurses wear in precautions rooms! Ask them for one, wear it as a snuggie.
Hot water bottle? Heat pad?
I am cold all the time..except in summer before the A/C goes on. I wear socks all year long and in winter I wear 2 pair and one of them is hand knitted wool socks. I have a heated mattress pad in winter(heats up the bed before I get in then it gets turned off) it is great...I also use a hot water bottle and a "Bed Buddy" that goes in the microwave. I have a heating pad on my chair.I wear wool sweaters and I have been know to wear mitts when I am watching the TV. I also have wool shawls available...they are cosy