Of course, it is, we are in West Virginia.  I crack up every time I speak with my brother, and he complains about how cold a particular day may be in Houston, Texas.    I mean after all, when its 55 degrees there, that is cold!!   I really don’t think he could survive a winter in West Virginia.  Nope.  I also smile a little when I hear local people complaining about the cold too.   It’s Winter folks! It’s supposed to be cold!  

Trying to stay on top of the cold weather months can be difficult for most.  Our furnaces are running every single day nonstop.  Propane, natural gas, electric bills, and other weather-related expenses can add up, making you stretch your money even more than normal.  

But there are some things that we can do to help keep our house warmer and perhaps take some stress off us and our wallets. Pretty easy things too!

The first one is use or get a Programmable thermostat.  This gives you more control over your home’s temperature throughout the day, so you don’t have to keep it at 68 degrees around the clock. It can keep your house warmer during the day while you’re awake, then program the thermostat to automatically lower the temperature at nighttime or during other times when no one is home. Schedule the temperature to return to normal before you wake up or return home, so you’re not stepping into a cold house.  Don’t lower the temperature too much because you don’t want to make the furnace worker harder and use more energy to return it to your normal temperature.

How about wearing warmer clothes in the house?  When I first met my husband, he’d have the temperature turned to 82 and walked around the house with shorts and a T-shirt on.  And sandals.  I immediately put an end to that, by lowering the temperature and insisting he wear sweatpants, long sleeve shirts and a sweatshirt over it.  Warm slippers or socks help too.   And what’s wrong with sitting in your chair with an Afghan or blanket on?  Not a darn thing. 

I also use the sun to help with the warmth of my house.  On sunny days, draw back the blinds and curtains and let that sunshine in!  At the end of the day when the sun has set, I then close my blinds and curtains.  You can buy thermal curtains and blinds too, and they really help keep the cold out!