Preparing for winter – simple actions everyone can do to save money in energy crisis!

Long-term living in cold rooms = many alternative solutions

found to keep the home and yourself warm
even with very small wallet

• • • • • glue thin heat insulation panels under the sofa/chair or place them under the carpet
          – you buy them ONCE and use them again and again!
          (I will write more about this later in the article)
          
        • Insulation glued under the case legs
          .
        • Lay out an armchair/ sofa with a warm WOOL blanket!  if you are sitting in it, and shivering, you can wear a scarf or a blanket in addition to warmer clothes, e.g.  a sweater – the best way to warm up is PURE WOLL.
          .
        • pull several layers of clothing on top of each other – training pants under jeans etc
          Scarf around the neck also at home
          .
        • for night you can make yourself a “sleep bonnet”
          Simply cut off a trousers leg from a no longer worn training pants or pyjamas pants and close it with a cord on one end – it’s also called a “loop”, it’s the same principle – it warms your head at night in the cool/ cold bedroom!  if it’s still too cold, pull a second one over it!
        • Sleeping with a scarf around your neck at night helps to keep the coolness from getting under the blanket!
          .
        • if doors are missing in your apartment, hang blankets in the openings, for this you only need two nails, which you punch above the door frame, attach a broomstick or round wooden stick with string – you can attach the ceiling with curtain rings!
          .
        • You can also fold the fabric in such a way that it is double at the top and fasten it with safety pins, then thread the wooden stick through.
          It is important that the ceiling covers the WHOLE opening to avoid heat loss!  This is a “provisional” solution!
          .
        • of course you can also SEW this in “BEAUTY” yourself!  😊
          there you can adjust it optically to your apartment furnishings!
          .
        • If you have air draft at your windows, you can also put something like this in front of your windows!  For this you can also use summer sleeping blankets, which are usually only used in summer and lie around in the cabinet anyway.
          .
        • Make/ sew draught stoppers for the windows – adjust foam rolls from the DIY store (for the insulation of water pipes) to the width of your windows and, for example, cover them with a nice fabric, sew a long hose and pull in the roll – this when placed in front of the windows keeps draught away!
          If you can’t sew and you don’t mind if it’s “grey”, just put it in front of it or wrap it in fabric without sewing it!
          It is important that the roller is CLOSE to the window!
          .
        • With balcony doors you can put pillows in front of them or foam rollers, but it’s just as good to put a folded blanket in front of them! You can wrap and knot these with ribbons, then they also retain their shape when you take them off.
          If you have upholstery of garden furniture, use it!
          .
        • Such draught-stoppers MUST be removed regularly, however, also from time to time
          and check the wall/ floor/ windows for mould
          .
        • With half-timbered houses be careful with artificial insulation fabrics, as mold easily develops, because these houses are designed so that there should/ must always be air movement.
          .
        • Dress in the „onion peel“ principle, several layers on top of each other.
          In winter I always wear several layers of cotton and wool on top of each other, plus a wooly hat and cotton scarf and 30-year-old leather boots with ‚hook and eye lacing‘ with thick wool soles and pure wool socks. These shoes are about 1 number bigger and keep me wonderfully warm
          .
        • please also pay attention to your animals! ~ If they were lying with their baskets on the tiles, now put a heat insulation plate between them or even a thinner one and also a warm blanket in which they can squeeze into. Dogs are happy when they find their place to sleep under a litle table.
          Cats like to hide – here you can put fabric around a table for both of them, which protects them from draughts!
          You can also save costs, because draughts can make them sick (inflammation of the conjunctiva, rheumatism etc. ) ~ You can also put your pet in a different place than where draughts can be expected – because draughts can cause diseases in animals, humans, even plants!
          .
        • between the heater and the wall behind it you can insert styrofoam with a silver back wall – thin panels coated with aluminum foil at the back – they help keep the heat of the heater IN your room and NOT pull it out through the cold wall!   best with double-sided adhesive tape or mounting glue! On the package it says that the aluminum side should point into the room – but I noticed that then the counters count “more” because of the reflection into the room. You can try it out for you, I have attached the aluminum side to the walling, because I have an extremely small wallet and really have to pay VERY STRONG attention to the costs! and could not possibly have paid more, if the counters had counted “more”!
          .
        • Through these decades of „living experiences“ in rooms that are too cold,
          I have also found all that I offer you here of my knowledge (as well as all that I describe on my blog!). They are all “alternative” solutions – I ALWAYS had to save a lot and I am super happy that I found all this through my own experience, that it really helped me VERY much and that I can now pass it on to you!
          .
          I lived in half-timbered houses with furnace heating and massively draught windows, as well as in factory halls with heating pipes running on the wall.
          Unfortunately, I also had to live for almost two years with a night storage oven and meter-long water pipes that led through freezing cold wet cellars, which was terrible, because I was self-employed with a word processing office and had to do my work at below 19 degrees Celsius, with a hat, scarf and thick wrapped up and with cut-off gloves. The costs was overwhelmingly immense. Later I even found out that the renter was a wide known scammer.
          Unfortunately, I have had VERY many such adverse life experiences, which was really exhausting, especially due to my situation with severe illness etc. and here in the blog I have described perhaps 1% of these adversities that I have experienced. ~
        • Looking back, I can see HOW MUCH I was able to LEARN from it!
          that was the “positive in/in negative”!  and I was very “creative” in finding the solutions!
          .
        • Sew a foot bag – take the blanket cloth double and place it in a rectangle large enough to put your feet side by side. Make sure your feet also need space to the side and to the “up” in the bag! (Rectangle approx. 38 cm wide and 90 cm long, just lay it on top of each other and sew it together at the edges
          .
          You can sew with the sewing machine, if you have one – but just as well with the hand with needle and thread!
          But for the ceiling fabric you have to use a stronger needle!
          .
        • Wear shoes in which your feet have enough space!  e.g.. do not wear shoes that are too tight! because in them your feet will freeze!
          .
        • Do not buy shoes made of imitation leather or polyester, because the artificiality of the material will freeze your feet!
          (more on this at the end of the article)
          .
        • Please also note that polyester and imitation leather make garbage and basically we are trying to reduce garbage globally!
          .
        • Wear thick socks and wool soles in your shoes!
          Polyester warms LESS as natural fibers such as cotton and wool!.
          You can also wear thick socks in the house, that’s ideal!
          .
        • You can also make cottage shoes from warm wool socks, there are lots of instructions in the net – (you can sew, knit, crochet)
          For this you need a sole, which you can also cut yourself from leftovers of leather or also from rubber or felt – (important underneath stoppers for safety!)
          .
        • a hot water bottle also helps to keep you warm, because usually it’s your feet that get cold, and then you bobble all over your body.
          Simply put the hot water bottle under the blanket ON your feet! (not under the legs, so it doesn’t burst!) ~~ Buy only GS-tested items! – Security!!
          (GS = proofed Security! – german vocabular)
          .
        • In addition, a hot water bottle on your stomach helps you feel comfortable and safe when you sit still or lie in bed, for example at night, but also when you feel tired, cold or sad.
          .
        • A hot water bottle is also very good if you have cold shoulders/upper back, then sit in the armchair and put it in the neck ~ the armchair helps to keep it from slipping down.
          Don’t lean with your back, or it’ll burst!
          (a heating pad is also very comfortable, but of course it uses electricity again and this is about SAVING electricity and energy!)
          .
        • At the desk you can even do something – put a heat insulation under your foot area under the table, put a nice fabric or small carpet or put the  insulation in a pillowcase ~ or you push the insulation board UNDER the carpet – with thick socks you’ll have warmer feet than without –
          Because…
        • if everyone is heating less, the floor in apartment houses is cooler than before, there is also an unheated ceiling – you can do a lot yourself for warm feet, and then you freeze less!
        • you can also put on a blanket or put it on your legs!
          .
        • Under the bathroom carpets you can put thin insulation plates, preferably with ‚hook and loop fastener‘, so it is easy to take off for washing! (but also put stoppers underneath it!)
          .
        • attach draught air stopper to the apartment door! – you can use foam rolls from the DIY store, simply cut them to the right length and glue them to the door with transparent tape!
          .
        • In winter the apartment door is often cold, here you can fix it by hanging your wardrobe on it – for this to attach one or more hanging hooks next to each other at the apartment door (do not drill! = cold bridge!… and damage to property!)
          and hang the jackets of the whole family or all YOUR own on it!
          this insulates!
          .
        • for a comfortable night’s sleep you can pull a wool underbed over your mattress – modern mattresses already have this integrated (1 side summer, other side winter)
          .
        • if you still have something like this, even though you have a modern mattress, you can still use it, so UPCYCLING!. . . . by sewing something else out of it or hanging it over your sofa and over it a nice cover, it’s more comfortable and WARMER! ~ this is also possible with blankets of all kinds!
          .
        • Wool soles and thick WARM socks in the shoes / slippers!
          Wearing a vest / cardigan also brings a lot!
          .
        • Wear wool socks and long pajamas, long sleeves, beaver bed linen
          When you get up at night, pull a bathrobe over it.
          .
        • OVER-CURTAINS – here NATURAL fabrics such as dense woven / thick cotton fabric are better than polyester, because polyester is artificial and causes garbage.
        • Prepare LEMON GINGER ~ cut ginger and organic lemons in layers with honey into a clean/ sterile glass, press firmly into it with a spoon, top with lemon juice so that the fruits are under the surface of the juice – turn the glass and turn every few days – with clean & loving working method this mixture lasts for about 3 weeks – but it is also VERY TASTY and that’s why it usually keeps shorter for me! 😊
          – it gives a warming drink if you take something out of it with a clean spoon and pour it with just boiled water – it also helps to strengthen the immune system in case of a cold! ♥
          .
        • COOKING with AFTERHEAT ~ e.g. on iron hotplates or even in bed – for example, heat a pot of milk on the stove (remain there! + stir), turn off, add milk rice ( round corn), stir, stay there for a time until the heat subsides, then either let the pot simmer on the heat of the cast-iron cooker
          – or –
        • Carry the pot into the feather bed and wrap with it, also goes sheep wool blanket etc. Wrap well warm and let stand for about 45 min, until the rice is soft.
          Of course, this is also possible with other dishes.
        • With a vegetable pan, for example, you can turn off the plate earlier, the frying then continues, because the stove is still hot for a long time. (*Thumbs up)
          .
        • Here you can see how the “old-fashioned” that has been so scorned in recent years, here even the BEST VARIATION is – because the cast-iron hot plate keep the heat really long and with the right cooking utensils made of high-quality steel with a thicker bottom or pans with a “red dot” you can already turn off the power long before the completion of the dish!
          (the “red dot” indicates the heat and is dark when the pan is cold – when the pan is hot = red = heat;
          – – I don’t know the name for it, so I describe it)
          .
        • Cotton or wool cuffs – these can be knitted or sewn yourself, because they are only “tubes. ” But you can also cut off the cuffs from wool socks and use them for it – if there are small holes in the socks it would be better to plug them. If there are larger holes in it, you can still use the “rest” of the sock as arm or leg cuffs or sew a bonnet from it.
          .
        • Save water by just wetting your hands for a short time, then exposing, soaping, then washing off, this also works with cold water, which saves energy. – This is exactly how it works when showering – first wet, then TURN OFF! – soap, then wash off.
          .
        • There are supposed to be people who keep the water running all the time – that wastes a lot of water and electricity and becomes massively expensive in the context of the increase in energy costs in 2022. So you better think along!
          you can also rinse cold!
          .
        • Thermos is better than a standby coffee machine and also better than a tea light heater – although of course the open candle flame is nice – but please also remember that the cups are made of aluminum and cause garbage and that you look after it (safety! – fire hazard!)
          .
        • There are such small glass containers, in which you can put oil and burn it with a small wick – but oil has also become expensive, so the thermos can certainly be better! – For different drinks you can have several pots ~ to label them is great, so that the tea stays with the tea and does not taste like coffee
          .
        • Brewing coffee by hand tastes great and saves electricity, because you only need the electricity that heats the water and pours it gradually.
          (better than coffee maker in standby mode!)
          .
        • in the rooms where you are NOT at the moment, turn off the light!
          .
        • at the heating element you can cover the free-standing pipes with foam insulation and recently I found the valuable hint that you can insulate the roller shutter boxes from the inside.
          .
        • Stone window sills built in as ‚cold bridges‘ can also be covered with insulation material from the bottom and top, which is also good for the plants and thus less of the precious heat is lost from the heating!
          .
        • Heater elements should not be covered by curtains or objects!
          Here you can help yourself by cutting and sewing curtains in such a way that the windows are well covered up to a little over the edge of the window sill and the heat is not lost on the window!
          .
        • on the PC there is “saving energy”, but my PC always “sleeps” very deep and can hardly be reactivated  ;)  so I „drive down“ if necessary and after a few hours, if I want to work again with it, up again – that saves electricity!
          .
        • Switch off standby mode of other electronic/ electric devices!
          and then only switch ON if needed!
          .
        • It is also important to save energy, electricity and avoid waste  to choose shoes and clothes that are more SUSTAINABLE
          .
        • Socks made of polyester and shoes made of imitation leather hardly warm at all, just as little children’s clothing especially for infants, so it is better to grab Wool.
          .
        • A wool blanket / fur at the bottom of the stroller is wiser than a stroller bag made of polyester! Wool warms a thousand times better than polyester! On top of that plus warm blankets made of natural materials (cotton/wool)
          .
        • We are often not aware of the fact that a child’s organism is different from that of an adult! ~ In addition, the child sits still while the adult is on the move.
          .
        • Keep in mind that polyester and imitation leather are ARTIFICIAL  materials and multiplicate garbage!  : (
          .
        • If one uses insulation materials as described above, then it is best to use them again and again, because the function remains.
          That means, you buy them ONE TIME and can insert them under the carpet before autumn/winter and in spring you put them back in the cellar/storage room until the next use, taking hardly any space away until you need it again!
          .
        • !!! This disposable mentality MUST stop !!!
          because this has a MASSIVE effect on garbage multiplication and since each of us can do LOT and take responsibility for our own consumption behavior!
          .
        • I also find it hard to understand that many people resort to more “smart technology”, because it depends on ELECTRICITY!   and this costs much MORE! They also seem to think little when they choose to do so. If the power goes out and you’re inside the “smart-technology-controlled” house, then you’ll hardly get out. If you’re outside, you won’t come in if the electricity is off.
          .
        • I think this creates dependencies on electricity that are really superfluous and where you should think better!
          .
        • I hope my “alternative ideas”, which were recently considered “old-fashioned”, help you save energy and keep warm!
          .
          but also here everyone is responsible for YOURSELF!
          .
          Please write YOUR OWN IDEAS in the comments! 😊
          I’m looking forward to it!

          find more posts in ENGLISH language

        • this post in GERMAN language
          

          .

          it greets you heartLIGHT ~ Tree Shaman ForestSoul HeartPower
          🌈    Rainbow 🌳🌿🌱🍀– tree shamanic „inner child“ work since 1994

          © for ideas, text & photo: ForestSoul.WaldSeele.net – all rights reserved!
          

        • © all images in this post are originally ~ before my modification with text, edges and other modifications ~ license free images by pixabay!