He already thinks 67 is too cold! My husband and I have settled on keeping the house at 18C if there isn’t a fire (a fire in the winter can make it warmer). :-). I usually keep it around 70 during the day. Hi Brittany! Living in the cold has definitely toughened us up! And yes, I live in LA and yes it still gets “cold” here in the morning and evenings. //, I’ve been having weird feelings about the word “frugal” lately, especially after reading great posts by Pretend to Be Poor and Creating My Kaleidoscope about what frugality really means (hint: remember the Great Depression?). We’ll share where we live in two years when we quit our jobs. I am looking forward to sleeping in colder temperatures. Yes, we have a high savings percent, but we also earn more than about 99.9 percent of the planet. Second, and more meaningfully, we’ve learned that we in fact can be frugal when we decide to be, which shocks no one more than it shocks me. Also a mom of 5 kids (one of my identical twins is also named Brittney. We have robes, but we tell everyone to bring slippers. I love being outside. Save 90%. During our short winter, I gradually kept reducing the temperature and started getting complaints in the mid 60s… 56 is impressive! I was just about to say the hot water bottle under the blanket too! :-) And yeah, on most things, we’re about shaving off small increments, but for some reason we just went for the drastic change on this one, realized we could live with it, and are going with it for the time being. I’m doing it tonight, though, because this was the second recommendation. If your ancestors survived without air conditioning, so can you. So in the end, it probably works out to be fairly respectable when all averaged together. In the summer and winter, I like the house at 66 during the day and 65 at night. If you are looking to shed some pounds, then dropping the temperature is an easy way to loose some weight. Keep reading to find out the possible risks and benefits of drinking cold water. ;-). Though it was still cold down there as Dad would let the fire in the wood burning furnace die down through the night. The majority probably sets their thermostat based on average temperatures, or what they’re used to, or what the neighbors do. Now if I could just convince Mr. AR to give up the AC…, That was pretty much our first experience exactly. I recently have had a Millennial family member move in and she is constantly complaining about being cold. Like Income Surfer mentioned, it’s all about intentional living, thereby utilizing your finances to best further your own agenda and goals. Although, I would say that in your guys’ specific case, the amount of work travel that you do, probably lends itself to even longer work schedules. Great way to say it: intentional living. Haha, yes, you’re right about MMM’s fancy cheese! So glad you guys got to UT! SUBSCRIBE NOW. In any calendar year in which affiliate income fully covers the cost of web hosting, photo editing and email list maintenance (currently $150/month+), I will donate all earnings above and beyond expenses to charity directly or to our donor advised fund for charitable giving, for the remainder of that year. And we’re the same way about “frugal” — we don’t feel at all worthy of the title (and truthfully think many who claim it are also not worthy of the title!). No joke. :-) And 60 degrees is still pretty great. We know it’s the parks pipes because once the water starts flowing, there’s sand that comes out the faucets and our metered bill is always approximately $35. You do get used to it. Secondly, I give you serious congrats on being able to acclimate to your thermostat being that low. He’s been known to walk around the house in his parka too…which makes me laugh…. are. Have you read his blog? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That is why many adults don’t know how to manage their finance and debt. I might have to be the oddball commenter. You guys are doing awesome, as well. During the winter here in SoCal my house temperature is about 51-59 degrees when I get up in the morning. :). ), so have to use the furnace some, but we definitely plan to find our own firewood once we’re retired, so we can get it for less than the extortion rates we have to pay in our area. The cold temps made my blood recede and benefit my inner organs. (I do let it go down to 60 in the afternoons during Lui’s nap and at nighttime.) 1. However, if I want to add a few degrees of heat, without turning on the ga$ furnace, I have a collection of about 10 vintage LE Smith glass courting lamps, which take votive candles. Keeping your home on the cooler side, deters these unwelcome guests. And you make such a great point about the unknown nature of the expense — I bet that’s a big part of our aversion to turning up the temperature. Haha — yeah, I just started tweaking the URLs. Think dry skin, chapped lips, and static electricity. We never ever used the heat when we lived in apartments and our condo, and I’m positive we benefited from others’ heat. So our intentional comfort (temperature) level is 68 during the day (wintertime), with polar tech and blankets and gloves in the house no big deal. You actually get used to it — your body adjusts and you don’t feel cold. Haha — I can picture that kind of moment. saved up for. I see no need to shed clothes when I come inside my static caravan; the inside temperature rarely rises above 10 degrees Celsius (I have a thermometer: outside it’s around 1.5 degrees C. I feel toasty: if I get too warm I can unzip, layer by layer down to my thermal vests. In order to keep germs from spreading around your house, you need to know what influences this process. I could do that at night, but I don’t know about the daytime. Light up those babies, and it’s amazing how much warmth you get from small flames. Did you know that bugs prefer warmer temps to breed and live? But yeah, we fully recognize that 56 is borderline crazy. We’re frugal in so many areas these days that this isn’t even a big deal to us anymore, but I do have a theory on why energy savings are so important to us (and maybe to you as well), beyond the obvious (and significant) fossil fuel, earth related issues: we hate the unknown aspect of the bill. And that’s actually a habit we picked up well before we started blogging, before we had our retirement timeline set, before we ever thought we’d admit to the internet that we keep our house so cold. 55 in dry cold sounds almost like heaven! Be goo to the earth since is the only place we can live. I saw how he and his wife suffered over stupid things. With love and thanks for a great book! Why does this one thing in our life have such power over us? Mrs. SSC keeps it around 80 F if she has her say about it and I crank it way down to 78… On the occasion I turn it to 77 or 76 F, then she starts complaining about it “being cold”…. Turning your thermostat down 2 degrees can save 2000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year. 5 Tips To Keep Your House Warm During Extreme Cold Temperatures. Taking pictures when the light is good is what elevates a snapshot to a quality picture. I don’t think you are crazy at all, saving money does make sense and it is good to embrace the climate you are living in. And I take really hot showers or I’m cold all day long. I just today tried to explain the reasons for a lower temp. I don’t know if I could stand that, but I’d consider it with those energy prices. My sister will be visiting soon, and my nephew dislikes mosquitoes. Floors can be responsible for up to 10% of heat loss if they aren’t insulated. All rights reserved. We scrimp on certain things, like eating out or trips to the bar, because we don’t enjoy them and we’d rather use the money to invest in our future or travel. Mom hated working in a “hot house” I was off at school and Dad was working out side of the house. Good call. The entire house has steam radiators with oil/steam boiler which is very expensive– I could easily spend $500 a month to keep the house at a constant 68 degrees. I’m so glad that you enjoyed my post about the Great Depression. I keep my place at 80f. Not only does that make a mess, but undetected water leaks could cause mold to grow in your house, which would be quite unhealthy indeed. If you don’t mind bundling up and adapting to that temp, it probably doesn’t seem worth paying $200 extra per month. I also have not been sick at all since doing this. Hahahahaha — perfect. With the cold weather set to continue in may regions, it’s important to know how to keep your house warm when the temperatures drop. Top of the list after retirement is to attack that problem and load up on better insulation! Great reason! I have come home to a 67 degree home yesterday after 6 hours of sun Then we cost to morning. :-), I am impressed by your numbers. In extreme cases, low humidity can even crack wooden furniture. We’ve had issues with “frugal” for a while, a lot along the lines of what you wrote, and are still struggling to put together some big “theory of frugality.” But suffice to say, we are not planning to use the word too much! I used a space heater at my desk, lots of clothes in the kitchen and my usual duvet in the bedroom. Step 4: hang up satisfied knowing you won’t feel guilty about cleaning again. I keep my house at 55 degrees, actually because I feel comfortableand I like it cold, that’s pure biology. Of course, I’d be curious if there were other factors such as what the kids were wearing, what they eat, etc that might factor in because so much has changed in the last few decades. tied up in the triple bottom line concept. So perhaps a cooler home does nothing to germs, but maybe it does; I’d like to think it does but that’s probably just wishful thinking. I had only thought of a few of them. Oh my! :-) Our gas bill was always super cheap when we lived in the city, so in all honesty, we didn’t think it would jump so much when we bought our house in the mountains. In the summertime, though, that’s where I get to flex my frugality muscles a bit. I am a hot box. It accomplishes this by reversing the direction of Freon flow using valves that are electrically operated. Think we’re ridiculous for keeping our house so cold when we don’t scrimp in more frivolous areas? Is it because the cost of all the other things we’re comfortable buying is relatively low (even for a pound of coffee), compared to the extra $200 or more we’d be looking at for more heat? But I agree, it is about personal frugality and understanding that savings comes before spending on the “luxury” wants. During the depression she had to use lard on her chapped hands. The cost wasn’t ridiculous, it cost us about $150 a month during winter. :-) But geez — if that’s how you’re wired, then go with it. Our coldest night in our room was 41 degrees…there has been a few days were you could see your breathe in our room…haha! I really do sleep better in a cooler room ♥. // Almost Year-End Progress Check-In – Our Next Life, When the Crash Comes // Recession-Proofing Our Retirement Plans – Our Next Life, Our Full Financial Plan and Philosophy // + the Mad Fientist Podcast – Our Next Life, What's Your "Selectively Hardcore"? We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Sometime as a child (with painfully frugal parents), I had a Scarlett O’Hara moment, “I will never be too hot or too cold again!” So I make lots of money so I can have heating when it’s cold and a/c when it’s warm. Your body does adjust! I think we are all aware that using the heater less means more money saved and I’ve shared how to keep warm without cranking up that thermostat but there are actually a few other reasons to keep your home thermostat set just a bit lower this season! Hi. Aren’t you kind of cheating if you have all that electric heat? Then repeat, this time standing on your right leg and lifting your left. (Plus reburns the smoke so it doesn’t pollute so much! Last week, a super special thing happened here: we had our first 100 comment post. I love how the url for this post is “cold” – you guys are hilarious! :). Our best advice for feeling less sadness about not going to the movies is to move to a small town with no movie theatre. All photos are original and copyrighted by Our Next Life unless clearly noted. It’s pretty pleasant. A roaring fire exhausts over 20,000 cubic feet of heated air per hour to the outside. I don’t think you’re crazy in the least. What’s an even more interesting question to us is: What will this habit lead to? Does that make me a moocher for taking advantage of the radiant heat of surrounding units? :-). But as you noted, there are lots of examples of people coming out of the depression with a great sense of what’s truly important, and spending accordingly. How high? And we continue to have the same habits in retirement. But on the flip side, if it’s warm at night, I’ll have a horrible night’s sleep. 55 is too low and we have a well insulated home with a high efficiency furnace. :-) And hey, if temperature is important to you, then YES, pay for it! :-), I and my brothers can’t handle the cold well as we grew up in a tropical country. But it warmed up the little bathroom, to finish the rest of the daily routine and dress for the day. Then we would all convene in the kitchen which was the warmest room in the house as Mom always would have something cooking in the oven for later that day, (Come to think of it that would explain a lot of my waist line as a kid.) Haha — that’s why PF is personal! It was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least, and made it an easy choice for us: pay through the nose or learn to deal with the cold. If you are pregnant, nursing, have a medical condition or are taking any medication, please consult your physician. And after your post about living in the cold, I bought a water bottle, and it has CHANGED MY LIFE. Here’s my theory: maybe this is (subconsciously?) :-) Plus our water is priced flat fee, so we wouldn’t save money going your way. Of course her idea of extravagance was buying a fresh peach out of season or paying extra to get a really good mattress so her back didn’t hurt. Haha. Cutting out alcohol and soda? You won’t see much help for a sprained ankle by living in a cool house (you’d still want an ice pack for that) but it should still help if you deal with inflammation on a more broad level. PS: I highly recommend getting a hot water bottle to sit with under a blanket. You can save 3% off your heating bill for each degree you lower your thermostat! We’ll never get sick of that! There are MANY gaps, allowing cold air/wet/moisture in. I wonder what the neighbors would think, if they saw us bundled up and huddled under blankets, like paupers, while watching Netflix on our decidedly unfrugal home theater? Lower your thermostat and it will keep the bugs and rodents away. Running the heat in SoCal?! We do keep winter temps cooler than most people and summer temps warmer (and dress and layer appropriately even indoors), but certainly not 56 degrees cool. lol, Everything is going to vary based on a million different variables over the coming decade. By the time we pull the plug, we will have been saving for 6 years, and while we earn quite a bit more than average which makes things easier, I have a pretty good feeling you won’t end up needing 16 years to save enough. Maybe one cold and have been doing this for 15 years. I DO prefer a colder bedroom, but I keep my temp the same at all times and do not mess with it ( turning up/down) for a few reasons: My home was built in 1945, with no insulation, and no way to ADD it as it is just boards and sheetrock (or plaster/plaster board, etc.). Unfortunately nothing will be done. But for some reason we don’t apply this same logic to the thermostat. The we turn it down to 60 degrees, with the thermal mass of the brick home it helpa us cost till the sun is up then our large windows let in the heat. As it is, we pay about $200 a month in the winter to maintain 56, with occasional bumps up to 60 (15º C) when we’re in a treat yoself mood. I’m kind of anti-fireplace because when I was little, my bedroom was at the top of the stairs and when the fire was going, it sucked all the heat out of my room and it was FREEZING! Nothing contained here or in the book Work Optional implies a consulting or coaching relationship. But then we’d be fine spending on things that would bother other people — it’s all so personal. We have a woodstove and do that sometime, but don’t want to buy enough expensive firewood to keep our house toasty. I’ve slept deeply and well under several layers of blankets, and feel so rested; no aches in my joints at all. I would drop it a few degrees, except the dozen days or so it is below -40C where we live. I do not like the cold. Like Pete I love to be outdoors in the winter (walking, cross country skiing) but my house is almost as cold as our Michigan winters . Many things our cold house most of the list after retirement is to attack that problem and load on. In all aspects of their Life been sick with Bronchitis for a lower temp is plenty! Places keep the house in cold temps made my blood recede and benefit my inner organs allow... To suffer just because we really aren ’ t think you guys though – that is a HUGE waste energy! 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