During the cold winter months, your electric bill can go up an average of $27.

It can be difficult to make ends meet sometimes, so you may be wondering how to stay warm during a cold winter — and frugally.

Follow these suggestions to keep your house cozy in the winter months.

1. Warm Yourself First

The first and easiest thing to do to get through a cold winter is by warming yourself up first.

It’s much easier to change your own temperature rather than the temperature of the room you’re in. Plus, it’s more eco-friendly and may save you more money on your electric bill next month.

Before you turn up the heat, try adding another layer of clothes first.

Layers are incredibly important in the winter months. You can get clothes made out of fleece or wool to keep you the warmest. If you’re indoors, try wearing some wool socks or slippers to keep your feet warm as well.

While leggings may be comfortable, you may not be as warm in them. Loose clothing actually traps in more of your body heat, and you can layer them as well.

You may feel silly wearing a hat indoors, but you actually do lose a lot of your body heat through your head. If you don’t want to ramp up your electric bill but still want to stay warm, get a comfortable, warm hat to wear while you’re at home.

2. Turn Your Fan On

Warm air normally rises to the ceiling while cold air sinks. This can leave your room feeling more cold than normal, so you need a way to get the hot air to the floor.

If you have a ceiling fan in the room, you can run the fan in a clockwise direction on its lowest setting. This will make sure that it pushes the warm air down to where you can actually benefit from it.

3. Invest in Heavier Curtains

When you put your own heavier clothes on, you want to make sure your windows are covered, too.

If you have thin curtains, you should replace them with wool or fleece drapes to keep more warm air inside while keeping cold air out. You should also make sure that you open them on sunny days so that you have as much free heat inside as you can.

4. Make Sure Warm Air Can’t Escape

When you do have some warm air inside, you should make sure that you don’t let it go anywhere else.

Make sure that all the windows and doors are closed and sealed well enough. Make sure that the doors and windows are locked; if they’re not, it’s one more place for the warm air to escape.

You should also make sure that any cupboards, closets, and unused rooms are closed as well. That way you aren’t paying to heat them.

Another thing you should make sure is closed is your garage door. If it’s open, this will allow drafts into the inside walls of your home, making it feel more cold than usual.

5. Remake Your Bed

When you put your sheets on your bed, you should make sure that you have big fluffy blankets.

You should then put thin blankets on top of these to prevent losing some heat. You can then wrap up in these blankets to warm yourself.

6. Start Composting

Another thing you can try is composting.

If you’ve already been interested in it, this is just another reason that you may want to get into it.

When you compost, the breakdown of the organic material starts producing some heat. People use it to warm up greenhouses and even small studio apartments, and it really does make a difference.

7. Watch What You Eat and Drink

During the winter months, you should also be aware of what you’re eating or drinking.

Our bodies use carbohydrates to create energy, which can help warm you up. You should make sure that you choose healthy, complex carbs. If you don’t choose those kinds, you may end up with your blood sugar crashing and feeling cold.

When you choose something to drink, warm liquids can help warm you up. Try drinking some hot tea, cider, or even broth.

However, you should make sure that you don’t drink any alcohol. It may warm you up at first, but then it constricts your blood vessels, which makes you lose body heat.

8. Get a Programmable Thermostat

Another thing to help keep you warm is to get a programmable thermostat.

This will help make sure that your house or room is warm for when you arrive without having to pay to heat it while you’re away. Most of these thermostats can be controlled from your smartphone.

If your thermostat isn’t working for some reason, you should contact someone for home heat repair.

9. Take a Hot Bath

After you take a hot bath to warm yourself up, you should leave some of the warm water in the tub afterward.

This will help add some more heat and humidity to the air and can help your air feel warmer. In addition, it might make your skin less dry, too.

10. Generate Some Heat On Your Own

While you’re doing all of these things to ensure that the heat stays in your home, you can generate some of your own heat as well.

You could try moving around doing some chores. This will generate more heat than you would by just sitting on the couch. Once your blood starts pumping, you’ll notice that your body feels warmer.

Stay Warm During This Cold Winter

Following all of these tips will ensure that your home stays warm during a cold winter.

If you liked these tips, there are even more to make your home more comfortable and enjoyable. Make sure to check out some of our other blog posts for other tips!