Here are 25 ways to stay warm this winter — with or without indoor heating — that won't break the bank.
Warming your body
Portable electric warmers are one way to temporarily keep parts of the body warm.
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1. Warm up with store-bought hand warmers, microwavable heating pads, hot water bottles or heated blankets. Following the manufacturer's instructions and concentrating on your torso are key, said JohnEric Smith, an associate professor in the department of kinesiology at Mississippi State University. "If you warm the core you can warm the hands and feet. It is harder to warm the core by warming the hands and feet."
Be careful that you don't burn yourself, Benjamin said. "They're very effective on a knee or shoulder or the back of the neck. ... You rarely put it directly on your skin. You usually wrap it in something, maybe a thin towel."
Enjoying warm foods and beverages is a two-in-one solution: You get heat from the appliances when you cook the food, then warmth when you eat it.
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6. Enjoy warm beverages and foods, and use the oven and stove to cook them. Since foods higher in fat and protein are metabolized slowly by the body, those could make you feel warmer, Smith said. "Consider hearty soups with beans and meat." Slow cooking meals can help generate heat throughout the day.
Drinking warm beverages "certainly helps take the chill off," Benjamin said. Leaving the oven or stove on is "a bad idea because it burns fuel," Benjamin said, "but more importantly, people fall asleep, they forget and leave the stove on. Sometimes things on the stove can catch on fire. So like any tool, you should use it for the purpose in which it was designed."
Cozying up underneath layers of clothing or blankets (or both) can help insulate you from the cold.
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7. Layer on the clothes. "Layering is critical," Smith said. "Even thin layers added together to increase one's ability to retain heat ... focus on keeping the torso warm. Often an extra shirt or vest can warm your hands and feet more than an extra pair of socks or gloves." Inexpensive pairs of tights or long johns can be worn underneath clothes. However, be sure that layering doesn't make your clothing tight, he added, since that could reduce blood flow and thus your body's ability to get warm blood to those areas. Wearing a hat, too, can also keep the heat in.
8. Wear thick socks and slippers. Fuzzy socks, slippers or a pair of shoes you reserve for wearing around the house can add extra comfort.
There are multiple ways to make your heating system work better, or to create your own warmth.
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11. Work with the weather. Open your curtains or blinds to let the sun in during the day, or when outside is warmer than the inside of your home.
12. Seal your windows and doors. Even if your windows and doors are totally shut and locked, drafts can seep in through small crevices. You can use caulk or shrink film to seal those cracks. Placing inexpensive, transparent shower curtains over windows can keep the sun in but the cold draft out. For the bottoms of doors, cloth draft stoppers are "very effective," Benjamin said.
Sitting near a fire is a method that's always reliable.
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23. Light a fire. If your fireplace runs on wood instead of gas, a fire is another way to keep a room warm and enjoy a cozy night. "Make sure that your flue is properly opened and clean to make sure that smoke doesn't come back in the home but goes properly up the flue," Benjamin said. "When the fire is out, you should of course close the flue because it's like having an open window."
24. Keep warm and enjoy s'mores. If your state, city, county or neighborhood allows, have a (moderate size) backyard bonfire to keep warm for a while.
