Alternative living.

If I have cold feet when I get in bed, I simply won't be able to fall asleep until they warm up- which can take quite a while on the really cold nights, so hot water bottle in bed rather than electric blanket or mattress pad- I always got too warm with those. Even the hot water bottle usually ends up at the bottom of the bed about halfway through the night. Once I'm warmed up, the blankets are all I need (I've even been known to take off the nightgown too if I get too warm). I've found that the longer I live with low-tech, the less I miss it. We use cotton or linen sheets, a heavy wool blanket, and a down topper.
 
i sleep much better when it is a little cooler in the room so i can burrow under the blankets. i may stick a foot out from under if i need a radiator for the extra heat. :)
 
I have a 90 pound heater that guards me everywhere. She'll happily lay on top of the blankets beside me or on my feet and add her extra warmth. Even the 45 pound aussie cross won't come under blankets though. He happily tries to become one with my chest if he's beside me. He also will gladly warm my lap if I'm in my chair.

I miss my 12 pound schipperke. She was a little portable furnace and preferred under the blankets and tucked against me. On very cold nights we used to put her between us to share the warmth.
 
I have a little electric "lap robe" that I keep on the foot of Dad's bed. He's living here for hospice care. His circulation is so poor that his toes are often blue. However, he says the electric blanket kicks out too much heat, even on low. What works best for him is his "lap cat". She sleeps in his lap while he's in the living room, in his recliner. When we get him up to go to bed, she jumps down, runs to his bedroom and waits there for him, so she can do her night time job! When he gets up in the morning, his toes are toasty warm, thanks to his lap cat.

I prefer wood heat, and generally we use that. But, with Dad's needs, we can't use wood heat 24/7 b/c the bedrooms get too cold. So... oil most of the time. Moving forward, when things are back to normal for us, I intend to build at least 1 DIY solar space heater to mount under the W and S facing bedroom windows, to vent heat in through the windows or through a vent installed at floor level.
 
Animals are so perceptive and devoted! I love that cat.

A tiny poodle I had made herself the official hearing aid for my late DH. If phone rang, door knock, or I called him to eat, she'd give him a look -- if he answered she was fine, if not she would go bark at him and run to the noise, several times if needed. :love she did chew up a hearing aide he dropped once...😢
 
I have a heated mattress pad. But I turn it on when I get in the house in the evening, and turn it off when I get into bed. I get too hot with it on, just need it to get the bed warm, then I'm good. I also use flannel sheets. House temps are 60's. I feel the cold more the last couple years. No ac so don't feel bad about a little more heat in the winter. Probably going with an outside wood furnace to run the baseboard hot water heat that is already in the house I just bought. Furnace is bad so have to do something different. Expensive to put in, but we have alot of wood from fence clearing around the pastures and such. I'm seriously looking at it. Got to get the rest of the stuff moved into the house so that I can eliminate the dual rent/mtg payments.
 
Lazy Gardener said:
I have a little electric "lap robe" that I keep on the foot of Dad's bed. He's living here for hospice care. His circulation is so poor that his toes are often blue. However, he says the electric blanket kicks out too much heat, even on low. What works best for him is his "lap cat". She sleeps in his lap while he's in the living room, in his recliner. When we get him up to go to bed, she jumps down, runs to his bedroom and waits there for him, so she can do her night time job! When he gets up in the morning, his toes are toasty warm, thanks to his lap cat.

I prefer wood heat, and generally we use that. But, with Dad's needs, we can't use wood heat 24/7 b/c the bedrooms get too cold. So... oil most of the time. Moving forward, when things are back to normal for us, I intend to build at least 1 DIY solar space heater to mount under the W and S facing bedroom windows, to vent heat in through the windows or through a vent installed at floor level.
Click to expand...

Are you able to use wood and a space heater in his bedroom? Just thinking how warm wood is where it can be used. My once SIL put a vent in ceiling over a wood stove and heater runs to the bedrooms. Worked well. Helped keep from being too hot in living room, too.
 
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