This one’s from when it was actually snowy and stuff, i.e. before Christmas.
Our house is pretty chilly, and has a bit of a damp problem. So, started by my housemate H and I, here’s a list of things we could do to stay warm.
- Wrapping ourselves in blankets and drinking a lot of gin, thus wearing the alcoholic garb of our choice whilst also staying above freezing.
- Huddling around appliances when they’re switched on – even the washing machine gives off a little heat, and there’s at least five minutes’ joy to be had from standing over the oven, door open, after you’ve finished cooking. And whilst you’re cooking, of course, you can sit on the floor in front of the oven with your back against the oven door. The tumble dryer is pretty cosy too, but it is at the top of the stairs to the cellar so there’s no light to speak of and obviously you have to weigh up the benefit of the heat given off by the tumble dryer against the cold draught blowing up from the cellar.
- If we take up smoking we might get some heat off our cigarettes. Possibly. Ditto candles.
- A full gym membership would mean we could just stay in the sauna until ten at night. And probably sleep over there. I bet they turn the heating on at night too.
- Ludicrous layering – thermals, pyjamas, onesie, jumper, bedsocks, sleeping bag, duvet, blanket. Or in my case an electric blanket. These are our current solutions. Also I somehow acquired a massive cloak/pashmina thing, like you imagine really posh ladies wearing to the opera. It’s very warm *and* you can get your hands out and use them, which is harder with a blanket.
- Be ill. Encourage fever. Running a temperature has to mean I’ll get vaguely hot. I seem to be accomplishing this one quite effectively too.
- Illicit drugs. They may not make you warmer, but if you pick the right drugs and the right quantities you’ll probably be tripping so hard you don’t notice when frostbite kicks in.
Alternatively I suppose we could just be a bit less stingy/environmentally smug about turning the heating on, but come on, that would be ridiculous.
O.T.B. 
Can I suggest 8. Have sex ?
Of course, heating works as well. As do hot water bottles, I hope you’ve finally managed to purchase one!
I have managed to buy a hot water bottle, yes :).
As for no.8, yes. Good plan. It’s amazing the difference it makes…!
Or maybe 9. Get a pet and snuggle it constantly? That might just work, and has the added bonus of being an extra companion/entertainment/something cute.
If only pets were allowed in my house…! Or rather, I don’t know, they might be, but if you’re only living in a place for a few months, and then going home, and then moving again, it doesn’t seem terribly fair to the pet really :(.
Also my housemate’s allergic to cats, so presumably furry things in general are actually out 😦 and I don’t think amphibians tend to be very cuddly!
Yep, same problem over here – furry things don’t go with student housing. Not so much the not-being-allowed/living with someone allergic issue, but the logistics would be a nightmare every holiday.
All my sympathy has been drained out by the sheer horror of living in Montreal in winter.
-25 is NOT an acceptable temperature for humans to have to wait for a bus in.
When we had the snow in January last year, I was in Cardiff revising for my exams. The house was *freezing*, so I spent much of my time sat at my desk revising, whilst dressed in several layers of clothes, with a fan heater pointed at me and a blanket wrapped round me, and *still* feeling cold.
Yeah, it probably wasn’t as bad as Montreal is, but meh.
Equally they’re probably better at insulating houses in Montreal…! But I feel for you Laura.
It’s thankfully a bit warmer here now although it’s still a case of, in the morning, not wanting to get up not because you’re still sleepy so much as becuase you’re convinced that removing your arms from the warmth of the duvet will cause them to drop off with instantaneous and severe frostbite…