Another Winter, Another Challenge

Last year, we challenged ourselves to go as long as we could go without the heater. We made it to Thanksgiving with no heater at all. Over the summer, we challenged ourselves to go as long as we could without the air conditioner. I admit, this is more difficult – for me- than the heater challenge. Living in Georgia, I’ve always relied heavily on my air conditioner in the summer. But, we made it until June 23, the first day of summer.. and turned it back off about halfway through August.

So, not that bad after all.

We’re back at it for the winter. I’m posting it, now, because we have a forecast of our first temperature dips into the 50s. The goal is, once again, to make it to Thanksgiving with no heat at all – and then as little as possible, from that point forward. I’d like to be able to make it to the first day of winter, but that’s really pushing it. However, I am better prepared this year – having researched, last year, ways to keep warm without the heater.

You can read some of my posts about the challenges of not turning on the heater from last year.
The No-Heat Challenge: 34 Degree Update – There are some great tips, here, for making it as long as possible without the heater. Like, taking a hot shower and jumping into clothes that are fresh from the dryer. And, waking up to bake something early in the morning, and leaving the over door open after it’s done. Wear fingerless gloves for typing and other work that requires use of your fingers. And, keeping a candle by your side to warm up your frozen fingers.

Keeping Warm in Winter with No Heat – Lots of tips I collected from various places last year, during the challenge to keep the heat off. It’s really worth the read. You can save a lot of money just by employing some of these tips and not running to the thermostat every time the temperature dips. Those of us down south, I’m sure, just aren’t as knowledgeable about keeping warm in the cold months, because it just doesn’t get that cold for that long, down here. So, our heating bill probably isn’t nearly as high as people up north. But, that’s one more reason to join the challenge. We can slice our heating bill by so much money, simply by challenging ourselves for a while.