kids bedroom sets costco image
irobot
I live in chicago area. preparing for winter, a friend suggested to get 2-3 personal heaters, for example one for the bedroom, one for the kitchen and maybe one more for the living room. he said he does the same at his house. they use these personal heaters for targeted areas as long as they are in a particular room and turn the central heat all the way down to 63-64. of course they have to wear a couple of layers of clothes all the time. his claim is that he saves a ton of money on heating costs at the expense of a little inconvenience of not having a cozy warm house all the time.
do u guys think its a good idea? we dont have kids so i thought maybe it might make sense for just the 2 of us. i really dread those winter days when u r hit with 3-digit gas bills.
Answer
I don't live in a climate as cold as yours but I do much the same thing. I turn the heat on in the morning, turn it off while I'm out, turn it on in the evening and off when I go to bed. Your climate is cold enough for pipes to freeze so you must maintain a certain level of heat at all times so you may not be able to turn the heat off but turning it down to low 60s is a big help. There's a lot to be said for heating specific areas more than others. Those oil-filled radiators are quite safe unattended unless the dog knocks them over, unlike heaters with coils which can set fire to nearby things, assuming your electrical system is up to the extra load of plug-in heaters of any kind. I find the bathroom is where I really like heat, so I often plug in a heater for a bit before shower time. The plug-in heater is never on unless I'm nearby.
An electric blanket can do wonders. Many people sleep better in a cool room, but getting into a cold bed is awful. Turn the electric blanket on for a half hour before you go to bed and you won't notice if the room is cool. Turn it off while you're sleeping. Get a down duvet, they're great in a cold room.
If you do this, get something very warm to wear on your feet. Change socks when you get home. If your feet are cold, you're cold. My latest find in slippers: Ugg-style boots with real wool fleece, cheap at Costco. They're so good I don't even wear socks in them, and your ankles stay warm too. You get used to a cool house, too. When I visit people who have the heat cranked to 70, I swelter. Two layers is no big deal, a turtleneck and a fleece vest will usually do it, and a nice fluffy wool blanket is great for when you're watching TV.
I don't live in a climate as cold as yours but I do much the same thing. I turn the heat on in the morning, turn it off while I'm out, turn it on in the evening and off when I go to bed. Your climate is cold enough for pipes to freeze so you must maintain a certain level of heat at all times so you may not be able to turn the heat off but turning it down to low 60s is a big help. There's a lot to be said for heating specific areas more than others. Those oil-filled radiators are quite safe unattended unless the dog knocks them over, unlike heaters with coils which can set fire to nearby things, assuming your electrical system is up to the extra load of plug-in heaters of any kind. I find the bathroom is where I really like heat, so I often plug in a heater for a bit before shower time. The plug-in heater is never on unless I'm nearby.
An electric blanket can do wonders. Many people sleep better in a cool room, but getting into a cold bed is awful. Turn the electric blanket on for a half hour before you go to bed and you won't notice if the room is cool. Turn it off while you're sleeping. Get a down duvet, they're great in a cold room.
If you do this, get something very warm to wear on your feet. Change socks when you get home. If your feet are cold, you're cold. My latest find in slippers: Ugg-style boots with real wool fleece, cheap at Costco. They're so good I don't even wear socks in them, and your ankles stay warm too. You get used to a cool house, too. When I visit people who have the heat cranked to 70, I swelter. Two layers is no big deal, a turtleneck and a fleece vest will usually do it, and a nice fluffy wool blanket is great for when you're watching TV.
My parents think I don't appreciate them?
snowboardy
My mom read my IM and told me I said I "hate my family so much."
I denied this and read through the IM. I never said it. In fact, I talked about appreciating them and understanding their recent actions. I showed this to my dad and showed how I never said I hated my family. He just said he didn't want to read my IMs and stuff. Before this, however, he confronted me about this, asking what he'd done to make me mad. I said nothing, and he hasn't really.
Lately, my parents have been giving me a lot. For my birthday in May, we're remodeling my room and this is still going on now. They're buying me some furniture, paint and floors. I realize that's a lot of money.
My mom took my sister and I shopping the other day. We like to do school shopping early, so she spent like $200.
Also, we've been looking into cars. I get my license a week after I turn sixteen, and we're not rich. We're middle class, so we've been looking at cheaper cars. I was researching some of the ones we were considering and found that they were the ones that people laugh at and make fun of, and this bothered me a little. This caused my mom to yell, and my dad to demand who was laughing at my options for cars.
Now I feel bad, and they're saying how I don't appreciate them at all. I don't know what to do, because I have been pretty bad lately.
I don't think you guys know that I'm actually working for most of this myself. My parents just set the limits on what I get.
And yeah, they're looking at Chevy stuff...
Answer
Just drop the IM business. Seems that's a non-starter. They don't want to go there.
Try doing some little things. When your mom's busy in the kitchen, just walk up and give her a peck on the cheek. When your dad is headed out the door to work or running an errand, just holler "Bye dad, love you!" Chip in whenever possible. Chop the onions or clean the paint brush, be involved, but do it well. Bad help is worse than no help. Clean the paint brush until it's really clean, ask how small the chop the onions. If you don't know how to chop onions, ask if she'll show you how. Parents love to bestow their knowledge on their kids. Follow their direction then ask "Is this good?". Those kinds of thing will make them feel worth-while, and proud of you.
Some parents try to hide the financial side of life from their kids. I find that odd. You should have some idea of the family budget at your age. Maybe not exact figures, but about what the family income is and what the necessary expenses are, like the mortgage or rent payment, the electricity bill, the cable bill, phone bill, how much a set of tires cost or how much the a/c repairman hits them for when the air conditioner breaks down. These are things we all face and must balance. One day you will too and it's good to know the worth of things and how much work it takes to pay for everything. Rule #1, don't charge it! Debt is your worst enemy. If you know how much a can of paint is and that 2 coats of cheap paint costs more than one coat of better paint, or that the CostCo matress is just as comfortable as the Sealy that's $300 more, you can be a much more responsible person with your parents money, and be better prepaired when it's your own money. That way you can be more involved in the purchasing decisions that effect you. How much are they spending on your new bedroom floor? $4.30 a square foot for a pretty laminate? Go with them to the store. Watch, listen. See what they spend, how they decide. Suppose your mom's leaning toward that $4.30 a sq ft one, but you see one that's on sale for $1.99 a sq ft you'd be just as happy with. Ask them what they think.
About what price range are they looking to spend on your car? $2000? $3000? $5000? Find out, then do some looking on your own for something your friends won't laugh at. Don't tell your parents. Just look through the classified ads, stop at used car lots, search on line for a model that intrests you and learn what you can get for the amount you have to spend. You'll soon be able to spot a "sweet deal" when it crosses your path, then mention it to your folks when you think you've got a lead on "The car". Let dad check it out. He may feel it has too many miles on it for that price. You can learn even more from seeing what he looks at. I'll bet yall can find something that everyone can be happy with, dad's wallet and your pride intact!
They will feel good when you ask their opinions and that you are mature enough to take into consideration what it cost them. And when you do that, they'll know how much you really do appreciate them. They will even appreciate you more right back!
Just drop the IM business. Seems that's a non-starter. They don't want to go there.
Try doing some little things. When your mom's busy in the kitchen, just walk up and give her a peck on the cheek. When your dad is headed out the door to work or running an errand, just holler "Bye dad, love you!" Chip in whenever possible. Chop the onions or clean the paint brush, be involved, but do it well. Bad help is worse than no help. Clean the paint brush until it's really clean, ask how small the chop the onions. If you don't know how to chop onions, ask if she'll show you how. Parents love to bestow their knowledge on their kids. Follow their direction then ask "Is this good?". Those kinds of thing will make them feel worth-while, and proud of you.
Some parents try to hide the financial side of life from their kids. I find that odd. You should have some idea of the family budget at your age. Maybe not exact figures, but about what the family income is and what the necessary expenses are, like the mortgage or rent payment, the electricity bill, the cable bill, phone bill, how much a set of tires cost or how much the a/c repairman hits them for when the air conditioner breaks down. These are things we all face and must balance. One day you will too and it's good to know the worth of things and how much work it takes to pay for everything. Rule #1, don't charge it! Debt is your worst enemy. If you know how much a can of paint is and that 2 coats of cheap paint costs more than one coat of better paint, or that the CostCo matress is just as comfortable as the Sealy that's $300 more, you can be a much more responsible person with your parents money, and be better prepaired when it's your own money. That way you can be more involved in the purchasing decisions that effect you. How much are they spending on your new bedroom floor? $4.30 a square foot for a pretty laminate? Go with them to the store. Watch, listen. See what they spend, how they decide. Suppose your mom's leaning toward that $4.30 a sq ft one, but you see one that's on sale for $1.99 a sq ft you'd be just as happy with. Ask them what they think.
About what price range are they looking to spend on your car? $2000? $3000? $5000? Find out, then do some looking on your own for something your friends won't laugh at. Don't tell your parents. Just look through the classified ads, stop at used car lots, search on line for a model that intrests you and learn what you can get for the amount you have to spend. You'll soon be able to spot a "sweet deal" when it crosses your path, then mention it to your folks when you think you've got a lead on "The car". Let dad check it out. He may feel it has too many miles on it for that price. You can learn even more from seeing what he looks at. I'll bet yall can find something that everyone can be happy with, dad's wallet and your pride intact!
They will feel good when you ask their opinions and that you are mature enough to take into consideration what it cost them. And when you do that, they'll know how much you really do appreciate them. They will even appreciate you more right back!
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Title Post: Saving on heating costs in winter?
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Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
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