Staying Cozy in the Winter Months

I am easily chilled and quite often in the winter I can be heard complaining about the temperatures outside and in. I don't like to turn the heat up because we all know how that effects our wallets so I have been looking into different ways to stay warm. If you have a fireplace or wood burning stove, you already have a leg up in the winter but there's so much more you can do too. For all those without those free heating sources, lets look at some warming options!

1. Keep all the doors closed to rooms that are not being used. If you only go in there at rare or specific times, close that door and let the warmth breeze right by that area.
2. Coffee, Tea and Hot Chocolate are key to keeping you warm on a cold winter day. The warmth the drink creates allows you to wrap your hands tight around the mug and keep you a little toasty. Avoid alcohol though, it does the opposite by thinning your blood and giving you a bit of a chill.
3. Space heaters and electric blankets use electricity but on a much smaller scale. They are great for a small space and the blanket allows you to keep heat low at night while still staying warm.
4. After you cook dinner or bake shut the oven off, open the oven door and let that heat spill into the room and it will smell nice too!
5. If you have a humidifier, make sure to crank that baby up to high and keep it on as often as you can. Keeping the humidity will help greatly to prevent any dry air that comes along with heating your home. Keeping the shower door open when you shower will have the same effects as the humidifier.
6. You'll be surprised but candles do help. Even if it's not the biggest difference, they can help warm things up and when in a power outage, they light up entire rooms.
7. Unless you're living the good life with heated floors, keep your slippers on!
8. When its really cold and you're going outside or have no power, cover your head. You can loose the most amount of body heat through your head so make sure you have that cozy wool hat wrapped tightly around your noggin!
9. Winter is the only time of year you don't have to worry about your beach bod. Eat all the fatty foods your diet allows and your body will love you for it! Burning those calories off after by exercising also can keep you warm! Win, win!
10. My personal favorite way to stay warm is cuddles. I love when my son, husband and I are all cuddled up in bed watching movies on freezing winter nights!
11. This one should be obvious, but switch out those booty shorts and sports bras for long johns, sweats and pajamas. Maybe add a bath robe or a blanket and any other layer you want to rock  while relaxing around your home.
12. Curtains can play a large roll in blocking out the cold air. Not only can you cover your windows with a layer of plastic or even bubble wrap but close your curtains every night. Open them during the day to let the sun and natural warmth in but if its dark, windy or generally too "wintery", keep those shades drawn.
13. Reverse your ceiling fan so you are not blowing air but circulating it.
14.  My last suggestion is Exercise, Cleaning and Dance Parties!!