These frugal ways to keep your house warm are so easy to put in place…but they’ll save you a ton of cash!
Fall is something to get excited about, especially when life seems so crazy and otherwise unpredictable.
There’s hot cups of tea to look forward to. And warm cozy sweaters you haven’t seen in months.
And those surprisingly enormous heat bills coming in the mail.
Ok, so maybe you aren’t looking forward to that one.
But that’s ok. Because today we’ll talk about a few simple things you can do to save money on that bill. So maybe we can make it not-so-enormous this time.
Ready to learn how to stay warm at home?
Cheap Ways To Keep Your House Warm This Year
A lot of these will be easier than you think. And we’ve discovered a few secrets in our home that have made a BIG difference in our bills.
1. Energy Audit
A good place to start is by asking for a free energy audit from your electric company.
They’ll come into your home and show you places you might be leaking air. Sometimes they’ll even give you a free kit to help you get started on energy savings.
Then…
2. Caulk All the Things!
Luckily caulk like this doesn’t cost much, and you can use it all over the place. Fill holes and gaps around windows, doors, baseboards, and more.
(If you’re a beginner at this, make sure you grab a caulk gun to use, too!)
3. Seal All the Things!
To be perfectly honest, we’ve tried a lot of door draft stoppers over the years. (Like this. And this.) And none of them ever work for us.
So we started stuffing rags and old towels under the door. It can be a pain, but it works.
4. Hang Blankets
You can block off a doorless room by hanging a quilt or blanket across the doorway. That way you can keep more heat in the room you spend more time in.
Hang more blankets over drafty windows for the same reason.
5. Invest In Drapes
Ok, so we only have so many blankets in our homes, and sometimes we’re better off using them on our beds.
So maybe it’s time to invest in some heavy drapes?
Grab some insulated curtains like these and draw them whenever it’s dark or cloudy to keep more heat in your home.
6. Flip the Ceiling Fan
I didn’t know this, but luckily my Hubby did. 😉
Ceiling fans have a small switch to make the blades run backwards. Using that switch will make your ceiling fan move around all that warm air that has risen to the ceiling.
Run it on a low setting (which will save you more money).
7. Wall Heaters
This one has been BIG for us.
We’ve been using this wall heater in an upstairs bedroom (we live in an old Cape Cod with no heat or cooling source upstairs) for a couple of years now and we love it!
If you tend to spend most of your day in one room, you could install one in that room and lower the heat in the rest of the house.
8. Beware!
Don’t turn the heat down too low! You could have much more expensive problems like burst pipes and frozen things.
9. Baking
Use your oven. You can warm your home while making a good meal.
10. Cozy Time
Get some cozy blankets for the living room. Our family loves cuddling under blankets while we watch a show, read books, or play games together. This one is luxurious (but super affordable). Bonus, make them Christmas gifts!
11. Bedding
While you’re at it, add some extra blankets to the beds. Science shows most people sleep better in a cooler room, anyway.
12. New Rule At Home
No one is allowed to feel cold if they aren’t wearing a warm hoodie or sweater and thick socks or slippers. (I would be lost without my favorite slippers!)
13. Give It Time
It’s our natural reaction to feel cold and immediately head for the thermostat.
But instead, give your body some time to adjust to the cold.
If you make it a game to not turn on the heat in your home until November 1st (or whatever is reasonable, but a small stretch, in your area) that makes it a little easier. You have a goal!
14. Programmable Thermostat
Try a programmable thermostat. Back when I was a working mama, we had one that would lower the heat while we were all away for the day, but warm the house back up an hour before we got home.
At $40 (at time of writing, anyway), you’ll make that money back pretty quickly.
Or you can set an alarm on your phone to remind you to lower the heat when you leave and just accept that you’ll be coming home to a cold house.
15. Lock In Your Rates
This is a big one if you use propane (and maybe natural gas works the same way).
Call your propane dealer in the summertime, or at least as early as you can (before winter hits). Ask them what rate you can lock in your propane for.
This will give you a much better price than when you, say, call them in January and find out that propane is scarce and expensive.
16. Maintenance
Get a tune up on your furnace to make sure it’s running efficiently. Have your chimney cleaned if you use a wood burning stove.
Maintenance makes things last longer (saving you money!).
17. Eat A Hearty Meal
Maintaining your equipment is important. But don’t forget to maintain yourself!
If your body is in good shape, it’s also more likely to run efficiently. So eat good foods and get plenty of water to drink.
18. Drink Warm Things
Now is the perfect time to break out that tea collection! They make it in so many different flavors.
Coffee, hot chocolate, and warm apple cider are all great choices.
19. Exercise
Not only will it help your body to be more efficient at handling the cold, but the exercise alone will help you warm up!
20. Invest In Your Home
Create a plan to make your home more efficient.
Maybe you need a newer furnace. Or you want to try a whole new heat source, like a heat pump or a wood stove.
Do research to see what works best in your area.
Then, start saving your tax returns, bonuses, and whatever money you can come up with to make it work.
Because in the end, you’ll save a lot of money winter after winter.
21. Pay Less For Electric
If you use any form of electricity to heat your home (and even if you don’t), it’s a good idea to see if your state allows you to choose your energy supplier.
If you live in Ohio (like we do), you’re in luck! Go here to shop for cheaper electricity.
These tricks for saving money on your heat bill will help you save your budget this winter.
I can tell you are a savvy saver. Why not try out the 30 Day Money Challenge and see if you can boost that savings account a little more?
How do you save on your heat bills?
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
Wear a hat indoors! It’s amazing how much this helps.