Cold weather can affect your health, mood and finances. When the weather gets cold, stay healthy, happy and save money by following these tips.
Steady temperatures
Keep a house at the optimal temperature. The area where most time is spent during the day should be around 21°C (70°F). The rest of a home should be kept at least at 18°C.
Layer up
Dress in layers. Several thin layers work better than one thick layer of clothing. Layers work best because air gets trapped in between each item of clothing, which insulates you. Clothes made from wool or fleecy materials are best. Think about thermal underwear, tights, hats, gloves and scarfs. Opt for trousers and keep your legs covered, online retailer Chums have a great selection of women and mens trousers and clothing that can be layered to keep warm both outside and at home.
Food and drink
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate or a mug of soup are all good choices to get warm using food and drink. Avoid drinking alcohol, it makes you feel warm because blood vessels in the skin expand, but this draws heat away from your vital organs lowering core body temperature.
Home decor
Invest in making your home as deliciously cosy and inviting as possible. Winter home updates will turn up the temperature of your home without raising the heating bills. Close curtains and window dressings around 5pm to make sure any heat from the day (if the sun has been shining in) stays inside. If you have hardwood floors, heat can disappear through the minuscule cracks between the boards, so put a rug in the room to add an extra insulating layer to the floor.
My favourite tip is to blankets and throws to curl up in under front of the tv and upstairs as an extra layer over the duvet on extra cold nights.
How do you stay warm when it’s cold outside? Share your tips in a comment below or tweet me @Cheshire_Claire
Image credit: Pavan Trikutam
