Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Freezin' off my meats

Freeze Yer Buns Challenge 2008It's been a while since I've checked in on everyone to see how you are doing with the Freeze Yer Buns Challenge. We've had another cold snap and going outside has been dreadful - I was getting used to warmer temperatures.

Now, it's not like we are having Arctic weather or anything, I'm just mostly unprepared when I go outside. And the strep probably doesn't help. I don't think I'm regulating my body temperature properly right now.

I've still been cheating a little and keeping the temperature (when we are home) closer to 65 during the day (mostly because of the complaints), but at night and when we leave the house, we are still at 58. In fact, I've been overdressing going to bed that I keep waking up completely soaked in sweat. Like last night.

And, if I let my husband control the thermostat during the day, the house becomes a veritable oven at 68 degrees. I can't handle it - it's too hot for me. I honestly start feeling queasy I'm so hot.

If I keep this up, I'll have nighttime dehydration from loss of body fluids. Tonight I'll go to sleep in a t-shirt and fleece pants. I have a down comforter and a wool blanket (that I knit) on my side of the bed that I usually huck off about 2:00 a.m. because it gets too toasty.

So, how are you handling your lowered temperatures? Have you acclimated yet?

44 comments:

Melinda said...

It has been cold! For our wimpy selves, of course - but brrrr. Our story is very similar to yours. Even 65 seems too hot for me now, and I feel queasy. And I also sweat at night. Weird.

Anonymous said...

Most of this winter we can't get to 65 anywhere in the house but the top of the stairwell. When we get up the back section (with still crappy or no insulation ) is in the low 50's then we get the woodstove going and it comes up to a jolly 60-64. This is aided by the constant running of the pellet stove in the basement to keep the pipes from freezing. The front of the house - both floors and 6 bedrooms are heated by one very efficient set of propane logs and better insulation and keeping doors open to allow the flow of heat. The oil furnace has come on only twice all winter. We have 4 tons pellets 2 cord wood and propane, not cheap but better than oil, and it smells nice too. We dress in layers, sleep with the cats and dog and wait for spring oohh in May or so,. Such is life in Maine. I'm baking more just to turn on the oven!!..Alex

Judy T said...

We've been doing BAD, BAD, BAD. My husband got laid off his job so has been home all day and has been cranking the heat to 68! So much for conserving when we're short on money.
Judy

TDP said...

Haven't turned the heat on much except yesterday and today. Temps have fluxuated wildy - in the 80's last week and then yesterday it was cold enough at 11am for the furnace to kick on automatically. I have it set at 60. We had a rare view of the Superstition Mountains - the four peaks were covered with snow! What a site that was.

Thankfully for we Phoencians, spring is almost here.

Joyce said...

I would hate to suggest that those night sweats are caused by anything else....

Sue said...

We heat with a woodstove, and have been trying to keep it a bit cooler. Actually, one of the things I love about wood heat is that it's a good balance of laziness vs cold. If I'm too lazy to go get wood from outside, and am instead playing on facebook, I can't possibly be that cold. Anyway, the other day, we came home and it was about 55 in the living room. I started a fire because I was cold, and it warmed up to about 60 in about 10 minutes. My daughter (who is 4) immediately took off all her clothes and hollered at me for making the house too hot.
The other day, we had a thaw where it was about 40 degrees, but there was still a lot of snow on the ground, especially in drifts. My son ran around for two hours with no coat and no pants, chasing an range up and down the hill behind my friend's farmhouse. I kept asking if he was cold, but apparently not. He seems to have suffered no ill consequences.

So yeah, we've acclimated.

Anonymous said...

I never thought it would happen, but I did acclimatize. We're at 62 during the day and 57 at night. In the beginning it was ridiculous, the amount of clothes I wore in the house, for sleeping too. Sometimes I go back to that, when I'm not feeling well or am tired and can't get the body heat up, but most of the time it's fine.
My husband is the opposite: he was fine in the beginning, laughing at my layers, but lately HE has been the one shivering. Then I need to tell him to put on a sweater, dear. Like it hadn't crossed his mind!

Chile said...

Not acclimating to the cold but getting better about layering or just huddling under a blanket inside. Have been pre-warming the bed with a heating pad near my shoulders and a rice bag (from you - thanks!) at the foot. This works out pretty well and I, thus far, haven't succumbed to the strong temptation to buy an electric blanket.

camp mom said...

We're doing okay here...well we had January where we didn't get above zero..all but the last day. We stuck to 60 during the day and 58 at night. Now I have it at 58 during day and 55 at night. The days are still cold out but not nearly as bad as January...only one day was above zero the whole month the average January temp was -3!

MissAnna said...

I've managed to sneak the thermostat down to 56 at night, otherwise I get too hot as well! (For me, the sweating at night is due to the drop in hormones right around a certain time of the month). When we're home, it's 62 now and there's always a blanket on the couch. (I agree that 66+ is entirely too hot in our house) Hope the strep gets better!

Sam said...

Althought I didn't say I was joining, I actually haven't had any heat since we moved to San Diego. Our new apartment that we moved into last weekend has a heater that I turned on yesterday morning to dry my underwear (since we forgot to do laundry). But for the most part its been very brisk like.

Mist said...

We've done well, I think. The only time we turned the heat up was when our son was ill for a month and just couldn't seem to get over it. We turned it up to 67 during the day and his ailment passed in a few days.

I thought I'd be fine with the drop in temperatures because normally I run so hot when I'm pregnant, but my blood pressure has been extremely low this entire pregnancy, to the point of needing extra monitoring, so I have been COLD and grouchy. I'm thankful for the pause in freezing temps we've had here recently. 50 degrees outside never felt so good...

Lisa said...

We have kept to our frozen buns commitment of 60 day/55 night and here in the Upper Midwest that feels very different depending on the outside temps (it was truly Arctic that week we had below-zero temps and is rather balmy now that we've been at or near freezing temps of 32F). The only time we've turned up the heat was for visitors (who are always afraid of our house in the winter because they know how cold we keep it). Then, even after the heat is turned "up" to 68, they shiver and carry on as though they were in a meat locker or something (while I am in short sleeves and sweating it feels so hot to me). It makes me sad, though, because their behavior just shows how warm most houses are and, by extension, how much waste happens just for "lazy comfort's" sake...

Anonymous said...

I have been surviving my days better without raising the heat past 62. Of course we've mostly had mild weather, but 62 inside should be 62, yes? At night I have been preheating the bed but turning off the electric blanket before getting in. But this year, my Reynaud's phenomenon (when skin turns blue or yellow) has moved to my hands instead of my feet ... not pleasant. Maybe my shearling slippers are saving my feet.

Stacey said...

We've been at 65 during the day (and we all are home most of the day) and 58 at night and it is cold. We are managing though and I think it will be more pleasant next year when I get little fingerless gloves.

Green Bean said...

Last year, I was totally adapted by this time. We had a really warm January though - 70s and low 80s - and that threw me off. Now that we're having a normal February, I'm freezing. We're at 65 during the day, heat off (which doesn't mean much because it doesn't get that cold here!) during the night, sleeping with electric blankets for us, hot water bottles for the kids.

m3missy said...

We have been doing good here in Cincinnati. It's been cold but we have been living the Freeze yer buns off challenge for years now. We warm one room in the evening or if we are home during the day (keeping it around 58-60 if it's space heaters and it can get up to 70 if we're using the wood stove). At night we leave the thermostat at 40 and sleep soundly under out down comforter. I know even to this crowd we might sound extreme but it works well for us. Don't worry, we made sure the house is around 60 if we have guests over :) ...now that we've started using cloth TP, I'm not sure what people will start thinking though.

One great treat we have is we both have a little heating pad that we turn on before we brush our teeth at night. This makes the flannel sheets so warm and toasty to crawl into! It helps sooth the body after undressing in the cold! :) Fun, fun!

The last couple days have been so warm (in the 60's) here in Cinci, I've been opening a window to let fresh air in the house and help warm the temp up inside too, what a gift since we all know winter isn't over yet.

Anonymous said...

I have Raynaud's Syndrome and I just cannot bring myself to turn my thermostat down lower than 68 degrees. I have been trying to remember to do other things to save energy like turning off lights, unplugging small appliances, etc. I just can't be cold!

Unknown said...

I have opted for a hot water bottle at my feet under the down comforter--heavenly! If my feet are warm, the rest of me is warm. As for household heat, we have a few baseboards running at 25%, meaning that when we wake up the house is around 59 degrees. In the evening when we return from school and work, my youngest son's job is to start a fire, and my job is to start cooking. Works for us!

Unknown said...

We're doing well. We have the thermostat set for 45, which means the heat doesn't come on until the office hits 45. With the pellet stove running all day, that doesn't happen until about an hour after we turn the stove off at night. I like to make sure the heat comes on at least a couple times at night because we had our radiators freeze a couple of nights in the colder rooms. It's gotten to the point that my family can't go to the store without turning beet red and shedding clothing. Regrettably, my toddler has taken to stripping down naked in the indoor playground we go to when it gets too unbearable to play outside.

If you have issues with temp regulation, I'd like to recommend wool. Wool is very insulating in that it keeps you warm in cold temps and cool in warm temps, it also will still feel warm even when wet, so if you sweat, and then go into a colder room, you don't feel cold like with cotton. There are some lightweight (like t-shirt weight) wool garments out there that are like heaven. I wouldn't want to do winter in New England without them.

Chile said...

FOO - why wait until next year for gloves? I made fingerless gloves last year the cheap and easy way. Took a $1.99 pair of plain cotton gardening gloves and cut the fingertips off. Works great at the computer which is in the coldest room in my house.

A Lady Reveals Nothing said...

I'm at 55 while I'm sleeping and at work and 60 during the evening hours. It's cold! But I love the challenge. I use a corn bag warmed in the microwave to fall asleep. I let my oven door sit open after I'm done using it, and I stop the dishwasher at the drying cycle and open it up to let the dishes air-dry. I'm not home very often so it works.

I have a gas fireplace, and if I feel like cheating I just turn that on and warm up.

Recently I had a roommate move in and she can't bear it so for the month she's with me we're at 62 and 66. I wonder when I can turn it off completely? April 1st? I didn't turn it on until November 1st.

Red said...

Unfortunately I found your website too late to play until now. Growing up, we routinely kept the heat at 65, and I never had a problem with it, it's so true how you become acclimatized to it! After years of living in apartments without the ability to control our own heat (and thus is being super hot!) I find my childhood home freezing. I'm sad I'm not acclimatized anymore! Soon enough again though, we are moving to our new house in april and will finally be able to control our own heat.

Anonymous said...

We've had a warm winter and hadn't even lit the gas pilot until this weekend when it suddenly got very cold and my husband and I both came down with nasty colds. So now, no heat during the day or while sleeping, but we turn on the furnace to 70 during the getting ready in the morning hour and in the evening 7-10pm. Of course, the one heater doesn't get our whole apartment warm, but it gets it comfortable.

Anonymous said...

I don't think I ever joined in, but here in Northeastern NY, I am keeping my thermostat at 45 during the day and sitting in the sunniest room (which I do anyway) and on the coldest nights go to bed early and use a down comforter.

It's been a lot easier than I expected it to be. I used to have it at 55. And at a second home my parent's have, it's at 50 in the winter to stop the pipes from freezing, and I discovered I don't mind 50. (When my parents are there, they use the wood stove.)

Ellen said...

62 during the day, 52 at night. No complaints here...the kids run around half naked anyway. we sure pile on the blankets at night though! This is perhaps the ONLY challenge I'm good at!

Jennie said...

I've kept our thermostat at 63 all winter. It was noticeable during the 2 weeks of negative teens last month, but otherwise very comfortable. My DH isn't complaining anymore, so he's either acclimated or tired of me ignoring him, one of the two! :D
My parents know to open the window in the bedroom when I come to visit. They keep the place at 68 or 70 or something and I can't hardly stand it.
I am guessing we'll have no trouble keeping it low for the last month of nastiness.
Next winter I definitely want to make some bed warmers though.

Farmer's Daughter said...

It's been warming up here, it was in the 60's yesterday!!! Don't worry, it's cold again today. We've been keeping the furnace set on 55 (I pledged to keep it at 60 when we were at home... but decided there's not a lot of difference between 55 and 60) and we supplement with the wood stove. Mostly our inside temp has been around 62 when the fire's going. Yesterday, when I got home from work, it was so warm I opened up the windows in the front (sunny side) and the temperature went up by two degrees inside the house. Plus I got rid of some of that yucky winter air. I also sat outside in a lawn chair in a T-shirt and no socks! It was great, but I'm sure my neighbors thought I was crazy, since it wasn't that warm... but really, to us it was great! We've definitely acclimated.

Carmen said...

We ended up buying a radiant heat space heater. This way, I have no problem keeping the house at 58 degrees when I work from home. Other than that, unless we have guests over, we've been good.

The problem... Our electric usage was still SO HIGH in January. It was an exceptionally cold January here on the East Coast, but I expected our usage to be down much more :(. Next step - look at how the warm air is leaking out of the house.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone found that they feel colder when the heat gets higher? We use a wood stove on weekends, and I find I wake up - house at 58 - a little chilly. Get the fire going, get under blanket. Soon I feel just right - not cold anymore (but not warm) and usually the thremostat is at 63. Then I'll start to feel colder and shivery - and when I look at the thermostat it says 68!

My theory is that as I get too warm, I start to sweat, and overcool. Anyone else experience this?

Lisa Nelsen-Woods said...

I'm doing well. I'm still sticking with the preprogrammed temps in my thermostat 58 during the day and 62 when we sleep. We had subzero temps in January and I work at home so I compensated with long underwear and layered clothing. I was fine.

Yesterday we had some unseasonable warm weather - 59 degrees! It felt so warm I almost ran around in my bathing suit. Almost.

Katie Z. said...

It's 55 in our house at night and 60-62 during the day (unless we have guests). When we warm up the house for guests, I start sweating from being too hot. I love it! (Although I want to make it colder at night!!!)

Robj98168 said...

No I have not acclimated to cooler temps- but if I get chilly I just think of Jimmy Carter telling the US of A suring the oil embargo to put on a sweater! THen I get out my Mr. Rogers sweater and I feel warm again. I have to admit while battling the mother of all colds a few weeks ago I did turn up the heat a bit.

Anonymous said...

We keep the thermostat at 55 during the night and while we are at work, and 66 during the evenings and weekends. I wear lots of layers and blankets but my daughter seems to be fine with a t-shirt. However, I was devastated to see our natural gas consumption is greater this year than last year-our electrical usage is way down though! I think the gas consumption is due to we were away from home most weekends all last winter and turned the heat down and less showers taken because we weren't home. Hmmm, I wonder if my family would notice if I turned the thermostat down another degree or two....
Andrea

Anonymous said...

We crept up to 62 quite a bit - 64 when my goddaughter stayed overnight with us, because she doesn't have any longjohns & was cold in the evening.

But right now we're at the part of the winter where it's not -20 anymore - in fact, last weekend it was 40 degrees and the porches were as warm as the house in the afternoon! This morning it was 20 above and it felt like spring.

So, yeah, we're acclimatized.

Anonymous said...

Since I'm new around here, this is the first I've read of your challenge! I was so inspired by your readers who have been keeping their cool, I decidd to turn the heat down here as well. Yesterday I went from 68 to 64... brrr! But I plan to continue!

Usually the thermostat is set to 65 during the day and 60 at night here in our drafty old Colorado farm house. But I plan on going lower. A few degrees at a time, of course! I'm a wimp!

Anonymous said...

We do 62 when no one is home during the day and at night when we're sleeping, and my bedroom is always warm. For a few hours at night when we're all up, I'll put it at 64. Our gas bill is still $200 a month even with it this way.

Anonymous said...

We had a decently cold January (for NC), but I think I've acclimated. I was quite comfortable with my heat set at 59 overnight/62 while home. The only times I tend to feel cold seem to be the slightly warmer, less humid days when my gas heat doesn't turn on at all. My family came by at Christmas and I turned the heat up to 68 for them - ugh, too warm & stuffy!

I don't wear a ton of layers, I've got my flannel lined jeans and usually wander the house in a long sleeved knit shirt, topped with a t-shirt and one of my favorite sweat shirts. I haven't worn gloves in the house, nor hid under blankets (except while sleeping), but I do need my knitted/felted fuzzy slippers.

February's been warming up and I find I've been waking in the morning overheated, so I've set the heat at 59 during the day now too.

CoCargoRider said...

We are at the end of a warming trend here in MN with highs in the 30's when it should be in the 20's. Overall our Winter has been cold, nut not overall. We have been successful in keeping the temps at 50 ant night and 57-60 during the day

Allie said...

We haven't turned the heater on a single time this winter; whether it was in the 30s or higher. In fact, we're not even sure it works. When it's super cold we use one very small space heater. The rest of the time we don't do anything.

Anything above 60 feels too hot to me now.

Anonymous said...

We're just coming out of summer here - I'm starting to feel a cool chill in the air at 23C (73F). I can't imagine feeling hot at 65F! We don't have central heating/cooling where I live, so I can't participate in the Freeze Your Buns challenge, but I'm not terribly upset about that, to be honest! I commend you for managing being cold!

If you want to avoid sweating in the middle of the night, the best way to do it would be to try to warm up the bed before you get in it. My partner loves cool sheets even in winter, so she just hops in before me and warms up my side of the bed. If you're not that lucky, you could try just reading a book in bed before going to sleep to warm it up. Using heat wheat packs or hot water bottles also works. Layering blankets instead of clothes is better too - they're easier to toss off when you're half asleep.

Best of luck not freezing your buns off!

Melodie Ramos said...

Here in Manitoba, it can get pretty cold: -40C and Fahrenheit! A plumber told me that in these extreme temperatures, you should not set your thermostat back lower than 68. (I had been setting it to 60 at night and when we weren’t at home) He said that it can be very dangerous for the pipes, and it is bad for the furnace as it needs to work extra hard to get the house back up to room temperature. Any ideas?

Anonymous said...

Our heater's relay is broken, so our heat is off 16 hours of the day, or something like that. The rest of the day, it's "on" as in, I can't regulate the temp and we are going to get it fixed, because I have no idea how bad this will hurt us.
At night, we have small space heaters in each bedroom that have temperature regulation, so they turn off when they hit the temp. I don't know if this is doing us any good at all. But a couple of warm days last week the heat was only on for a few hours to get up to 65. With two little ones and really low temperatures at night that I can't handle, I need it to be somewhat warmer at night. (I actually had a really horrible night when my husband forgot to bring the small heater upstairs and it was around 50 in my bedroom.)
I originally had our heat set at 65 all the time, because during the day it would shut off, but when it broke, :( I had to make adjustments. Thank goodness for tax refunds!

scifichick said...

We've been doing pretty well with keeping our hands of the thermostat. I turn the heat on in the bathroom when we get home from work. That is set to about 68, but I really don't think it warms up that much. But it makes it nicer running off to the bathroom in the morning. Other than that, the heat is off. I'm looking forward to spring though!