Hello everyone. Quite frankly, this is not my favorite time of year. It’s downright cold in January. And it’s so dreary when all the Christmas decorations come down. Next thing you know, the post holiday bills start arriving in the mailbox. Even the grocery store becomes a downer- the same isles that featured yummy gingerbread making kits and pumpkin pie ingredients are seemingly transformed overnight- they now feature those huge plastic storage boxes and diet food. The party is now officially over…
Well okay, so life goes on. We have a few ideas to share about staying warm and saving money during the long days and nights of winter 2012- not fun or festive but certainly practical and timely.
1. Insulated Curtains- Here’s a really neat invention. These are regular curtains with a thick layer of thermal foam backing that does not show from the front. Adding an extra layer of heavy fabric to the back of a standard curtain will help to block out drafts and heat transfer from windows. At Retro Barn we carry insulated tab top curtains in lots of solid colors and two especially cute patterns. One is a plaid and the other is a floral fabric because you can never have too many flowers. We use these curtains in our home and they really do help with the drafts in our living room.
2. Get Down. Literally. Nothing beats a down comforter in the winter. It will allow you to turn down the heat during the night and lower your utility costs. A good down comforter will last many seasons if laundered properly at the local dry cleaner. If you love the old-fashioned look of a quilt but need the warmth of down, try the Kaleidoscope Patchwork Duvet Cover. It’s a scrappy patchwork duvet that is quite substantial on it’s own. Stuff it with a down comforter and you’ll be toasty even in Alaska.
3. Install a programmable thermostat. These things are handy as a shirt pocket. It’s a thermostat that allows you to program the room temperature you want at specific times of the day. Many of these devices can be set up to seven days in advance. Just set the thermostat to heat up a few minutes before your alarm clock goes off in the morning and you’ll never wake up to a cold house again! This allows you to turn the heater down (or possibly even off) during the night when you’re sleeping under that fluffy down comforter with patchwork duvet. You’ll never know you’re being thrifty because you’ll be asleep. And warm. How cool is that?
4. Insulate windows using foil backed styrofoam sheets. Foil backed styrofoam sheets are available from home improvement stores in 4 ft x 8 ft panels. They can easily be cut to size using a utility knife and then wedged into the rough opening of a window. If you wedge the sheet tightly into the window you’ll be amazed at how much warmer your room will be. If you have a room with lots of windows (like we do) this will actually make a measurable difference on your utility bill. This is an admittedly radical solution to drafty windows because it does render the window useless for the winter season. It will provide total privacy- not even a speck of light will pass through the insulating panel- so this solution is not for every window, but it works great for rooms that are used seasonally. The ugly styrofoam panels can easily be disguised with curtains.
That’s all we have for now. We’re working on a super easy no sew draft dodger project and we’ll share that with you soon. Nothing chases the winter blues away faster than a super easy no sew project!!
