We've never had to live off of loan money before, thankfully, but it is quite stressful! Plus, living in a new place you're not quite sure or comfortable that you know or can maneuver the new expenses adequately. Plus, you of course hear the horror stories of $300/month heating bill! So what did we do? Never turned on the heat. For, seriously, the first month. It was TERRIBLE!!! It's amazing how unproductive you decide to be when you're freezing. It makes EVERYTHING 100 times worse.
Taking a shower? I don't really need to take one today...do I...
Making food. Oh, I'm not THAT hungry...
Getting dressed. I'll be putting my pajamas back on tonight anyway...let's just leave them on all day...
Really, any reason you'd have to get out of bed was seriously debated and criticized.
I did so much research on how to stay warm without a furnace:
On this website: http://www.wikihow.com/Stay-Warm-at-Home-Without-a-Heater is said that too keep the house warm I should:
Close all of your windows properly.
Use cheap clear shower curtains over the windows that receive sun light.
Put up curtains.
Seal your doors.
Let as much sun hit your house as possible.
Close off any unused rooms.
Put down a rug or carpet.
Cook.
Light a candle.
Turn on some incandescent lights.
Then to keep myself warm I could:
Drink warm beverages. Thank goodness the Scottish LOVE their hot chocolate:D
Dress warmly. It's sad when you look forward to going outside because it's warmer than your apartment:(
Use smaller rooms. There are only so many rooms...and the kitchen is the smallest.
Exercise. This is always the answer :P
Find a friend or pet to snuggle with. I'm sure I can capture one of the rampant foxes somehow...
Sit on a 50 watt heating pad. That and heated car seats make me feel like I've peed my pants.
Buy a thick bathrobe or dressing gown. Um...
Go visiting/vacationing. A-ha! The answer to "how to stay warm when not using the furnace" is to be somewhere else. Genius!
So, why not put on the heat? Well, because we decided to live on the ground floor flat with single glazed windows (because I was, secretly, pregnant) instead of the 4th floor flat with double glazed windows (which do a much better job of trapping the heat).
I love the architecture here with the tall rooms and large windows but they really need to upgrade the quality just a bit. When talking to the hardware store keeper he said that for some buildings they are restricted from doing any kind of upgrades to improve insulation. It could "damage the historical integrity of the building"?!?
Guess it's not a big deal that we don't have a freezer because our whole apartment IS a freezer!
We have since started turning on our furnace and it has made such a difference! I actually don't mind getting out of bed to cook or clean or ANYTHING!!! I love being WARM :D
Oh, and we're still not sure what the actual cost of the heating is because what they do here is guesstimate the average usage for the following month then charge you before you've used it...? After 3 months they finally come and check your meter and reevaluate your monthly average for the next three months. If you've overpaid you just don't pay the next however many months and if you've underpaid, they'll add that onto the next month's bill.
I used to be overly anxious and worried but I have since learned to relax. We'll be okay...no matter what.
ps. okay I do still worry about it...I'm a woman. I can't help it!
Spring
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