It has been COLD! We took a trip to New York City from Raleigh last week and the sad thing was I didn’t notice a real temperature change. In fact, I think for at least two days New York was a couple of degrees higher than Raleigh! I can’t wait for spring weather to come. I can’t imagine how expensive heating bills are for people living  in the Northeast and other places.

If you’re a college graduate and you moved into your first apartment, it can be a real wake up call to get your electric bill.  Winter is here and you’ve noticed that your electric bill has skyrocketed and the sweet deal you thought you found for your apartment is sucking your dry. How can you reduce your heating bills this winter? I’ll share some tips on minimizing your electric bill; hopefully it’ll help you out this season.

Frugal Tips to Stay Warm

Here are some practical tips on cutting your heating expenses.

• Use your oven more. There’s another reason that learning to cook can save you some money. Having the oven on to get your meals done can warm the place up as well.
• Master curtain and blinds. Believe or not, you can inexpensively warm your place up a bit open the curtains when the sun’s out and closing them when it’s no longer direct sunlight.
• Insulate your water heater. If you have an old water heater, get an insulation blanket to reduce the heat loss.
• Get a good space heater. If you have a small place or you like to stay in a certain room in the apartment, it could be worth it to get a space heater.
• Layer up. If you’re only a little chilly, try putting on a sweater or wrapping yourself in a warm blanket.
• Close vents. Redirect the heat to rooms that you’re in by closing the vents in rooms you don’t use often.

These are just a few tips we’ve done personally or heard our friends do to stay warm.

Thoughts on Heating Bills

I’m curious to see how cold-weather GPT readers have adapted for the winter. How have your heating bills been so far this cold season? What has helped you to warm and toasty this winter?

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