Warm up with these cold weather solutions

According to The Spruce, the average American spends seven percent of their annual income on energy services! Everyone knows that the winters here in North Dakota can be brutal, but electric and gas bills don’t have to be! Here are nine tricks from The Spruce to stay warm and save money:

Layer up

This is an easy one, but find some clothes that you can layer to insulate your body. Everyone knows that your feet and head are where body heat escape and once it’s gone, it may be hard to warm yourself back up. So get yourself a pair of fuzzy socks to wear around your home, this will do more than you think. 

Use your oven

This is a simple trick that is often overlooked. If you are cooking a meal that uses the oven, once your food has been pulled out, go ahead and turn the oven off but leave it open. The heat will naturally roll out of it and into your home. Doing this will make your home warmer and you won’t have to use your thermostat. This is also a great excuse to cook and bake more, an added plus is that your home will smell amazing.

Enjoy a hot beverage

The winter months are a great excuse to drink multiple cups of hot cocoa. Wrap up on your couch with a warm blanket and enjoy a hot beverage or some soup. Consuming something warm will be sure to regulate your entire body temperature and mood. They do say chicken soup is for the soul.

Get out the humidifier

Humid air naturally feels warmer than dry air, so getting out your humidifier will help to take away the chill. The Spruce recommends setting it at 40 percent humidity to avoid mold. Another plus to this trick is that it will hydrate your skin since the winter is known to be extremely dry.

Reverse the fans

If you have ceiling fans in your home or apartment a quick trick is to actually make the fan go in a clockwise direction at a low speed, causing the warm air to go down instead of up. 

Heating Pads

Heating pads aren’t just for injuries, they’re also for the winter! The Spruce recommends heating your heating pads in the microwave for thirty seconds, then you can put them on your feet or hands while watching tv or lying in bed.

Turn off the bathroom fan

When taking a shower in the colder months, go ahead and turn the bathroom fan off. Doing this will create humidity from the steam and it will spread around the house making it feel warmer. 

Go upstairs 

Hot air will always rise, so if you have a second floor or access to a higher level of some kind, go on up there with the warmer air. 

Get active

Everyone knows raising your heart rate gets your body warmed up, so if you’re walking to class and you’re freezing, try jogging. If your home is cold, do some jumping jacks, get that heart rate going and feel the heat.