The temperature that is.
I know others do the no-heat challenge, but for me, having no heat when it drops below 50 is passing that point where I can not sleep well. And if I can not sleep well, everything else in my life is going to suffer. So, that's why I don't personally do the no-heat challenge. For the rest of you that do, you're better than me!
However, what I do do is the 50 degrees experiment. I don't call it a challenge because, to me, a challenge would basically boil down to sheer willpower. While I could do that, I'd much rather figure out a way to live comfortably while staying at the lower temperature.
50 degrees is kind of pushing it though. You know it's borderline when even your eyeballs are a little bit sore due to cold....
But it's been an interesting experiment nontheless. I bought a sleeping bag from Walmart a while back. It's nothing fancy or expensive, and I use it more like a comforter. Rated for 40 degrees though, this alone has been enough to keep me warm at night!
My face has been a particularly interesting challenge. My nose, eyes, and ears get uncomfortably cold when I am trying sleep. I've tried several different things, but eventually settled on putting a toboggan over my face. Yeah, you know I'm nutty like that. The fabric is quite breathable though, and the toboggan also helps to trap some of the warmth from the breath and spread it around my face.
As for when I am up and about, I double up on the sweat pants and hoodies. The outer layer is extra large so that it can also cover over my hands and feet if necessary.
Overall, I have to say that this is actually... quite workable! There's no way I'm going to impress any woman with this, but nevermind that. Have you seen my gas bills recently? Well, they're still climbing because I still have them on to maintain 50 degrees, but the cost so far seems to be roughly the same as when I was sleeping in the closet. Except this way, I can go all over the house and even go outside!
Another peculiar benefit is that I've actually been sleeping slightly better? Because it's cold to be up and about, I'm not as tempted to stay up late. In fact, I've actually been looking forward to going to bed early just to get warm.
Ah, but even my frugal mother is starting to voice her concerns that I should turn the heat up. I don't know though. I'll bet I can do this the entire winter. I do turn the heat up when the kids are with me though. It's amazing how much of a luxury and joy that something as simple as heat can be when you normally go without it....
Experimenting with 50
December 31st, 2009 at 01:47 am
December 31st, 2009 at 02:12 am 1262225526
I's consider myself a cold weather wimp and draw the line around 60 during the day. (Usually my home is much warmer than 60!) But at night - 50 doesn't bother me in the least. Though it does suck to get out of bed when it is that cold. Anyway - not that it matters - I just found it interesting that maybe I am not such a whimp at night. I suppose my face doesn't get very cold.
December 31st, 2009 at 03:12 am 1262229144
December 31st, 2009 at 03:21 am 1262229697
Zetta, it's alright. Gotta keep the babies warm and toasty!
December 31st, 2009 at 04:29 am 1262233767
December 31st, 2009 at 05:10 am 1262236228
December 31st, 2009 at 05:29 am 1262237385
December 31st, 2009 at 01:20 pm 1262265637
You are hardy.
I am a wimp.
When I saw the title for this post I thought "50 what?" Like, $50, 50 years, etc. Now I know.
December 31st, 2009 at 02:16 pm 1262268990
December 31st, 2009 at 02:17 pm 1262269060
December 31st, 2009 at 03:28 pm 1262273322
December 31st, 2009 at 03:54 pm 1262274878
December 31st, 2009 at 04:52 pm 1262278325
I've looked into ski masks, balaclavas, and similar gear, but they were not really suitable for me because um I guess they were made with what I had in mind.
Yeah, I know I'm goofy. What can I say?
December 31st, 2009 at 08:33 pm 1262291586
Oh and I thought a toboggan was kind of a sled, you can imagine the picture I had in my head of you sleeping with one on!
December 31st, 2009 at 09:16 pm 1262294204
January 1st, 2010 at 12:51 am 1262307114
And no, the pipes indoors anyways won't freeze. It's the pipes that run through the crawlspace without any heating that's be the problem....
January 1st, 2010 at 05:19 am 1262323159
January 1st, 2010 at 02:37 pm 1262356668
January 1st, 2010 at 04:08 pm 1262362119
January 2nd, 2010 at 07:51 am 1262418685