I try to keep the furnace off until about the 10th of October. Last week I could hear it coming on, so I had to reset the thermostat even lower. I have a set amount of money to pay for heat for the entire winter. If this ends up being a colder winter than usual, I'll use all of that allotment, and have to divert funds from other areas of the budget. The last two years have not held any surprise extended cold spells, which meant that we did not have to go beyond what was set aside for heat. This doesn't mean that we are completely freezing these weeks. We are staying warm enough, with the help of basic frugal-living tactics. We are:
- putting extra layers on the beds
- wearing fleece sweatshirts and jackets around the house (and shoes indoors for me, too -- keeps my feet warmer)
- cooking soups more often -- adds a little heat to the kitchen while simmering, and heats our tummies when we eat
- drinking copious amounts of tea during the day
- using a portable electric heater for one room, when I am the only one home (electricity is expensive to heat with, but heating just one room with electricity is cheaper than running the furnace for an entire family-size home)
- I'll be using the self-cleaning feature on the oven next week. I'll time it so that it is in operation for the hours just before dinner. The oven is right next to the kitchen table, so it will heat the breakfast nook up well.
So far, we're doing well, but we haven't gotten to the colder days and nights, yet. Do you turn your furnace on later, to postpone shelling out a lot of money for heat, for as long as possible? Or is heat one of those priorities for your household. There are definitely circumstances where heat would be a priority. What tricks do you employ to save on your heating bill?
