12 "Poor Woman's" Ways I'm Getting Ready for Winter — And Proud of Every One

Oct 6, 2026

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12 "Poor Woman's" Ways I'm Getting Ready for Winter — And Proud of Every One

Discover 12 thrifty winter habits, from towel draft stoppers to sunlit curtains, that keep a home warm for less and prove old-fashioned methods still work.

Each winter, the author carries out a set of twelve practices to keep a home warm and reduce heating costs. Some people regard these methods as cheap or old-fashioned. The author states that all twelve are deliberate choices that reduce waste and lower energy use. The methods range from draft-proofing doors to changing how heat is used across the home.

12. Draft-Proofing Doors With Rolled Towels

The author stuffs rolled towels under every door in the house instead of buying foam door sweeps.

Cost of foam door sweeps: about $6 to$ 8 per door
Durability of foam sweeps: they compress and crack, and they need replacing every few years
Cost of towels: nothing, because the author already owns them

The author has five doors that let cold air through. Five towels stay rolled beside those doors from the first cold morning of the season until spring. The author states that the towels perform as well as foam strips and last longer.

11. Wearing Extra Layers Before Adjusting the Thermostat

The author puts on a sweater before changing the thermostat. The author notes that every degree of heating raised increases energy costs, while a wool sweater carries no added cost once owned.

A cardigan hangs on the hook beside the author's favorite chair for this purpose. The author reports that reaching for the cardigan has become a routine response to a chill, not a deliberate decision.

The author's daughter, visiting during a January, wore a T-shirt indoors and reported that the house felt cold. The author gave her a cardigan. She put it on about four minutes later.

10. Sealing Windows With Plastic Film

Each November, the author covers windows with plastic insulation film. The film is taped to the frame and shrunk tight with a hair dryer until it becomes clear and taut.

Cost of window insulation film: about $10 for a roll that covers every window in the house

The author reports a clear difference in how rooms retain heat. The living room window faces north and once produced a draft that could be felt about 6 feet from the window. The author previously avoided that side of the couch during some winters. The author states that the draft no longer occurs.

9. Heating Only Occupied Rooms

The author closes off rooms that are not in use and heats only the rooms that are occupied.

A guest bedroom is used about six nights a year. For decades, the author heated it along with the rest of the house every day. The author now keeps that door closed from October through March.

The author notes that this habit was not questioned for a long time. It changed only after the author examined it.

8. Using a Hot Water Bottle Instead of a Space Heater

The author uses a hot water bottle in bed instead of running a space heater through the night.

Space heater running for 8 hours: costs considerably more than boiling a kettle once
Method: the author fills a hot water bottle, wraps it in an old pillowcase to prevent direct contact with the feet, and places it in bed

The author reports that the bed is warm by the time sleep begins. The author describes this warmth as more pleasant than the dry heat of any electric heater the author has owned.

7. Hanging a Quilt Over Doorways

The author hangs an old quilt over the doorway to a back hallway, a less-used part of the house. The quilt is too worn for use on a bed but remains functional. It hangs from a curtain rod the author already owned.

The author states that the quilt blocks a significant amount of cold air from entering the rooms the author uses most. This method reflects a practice used before central heating became common.

6. Drying Laundry Near the Radiator

The author dries laundry on a rack near the radiator instead of using the dryer for every load.

The method has two effects in winter:

Moisture released into the air makes a dry, heated house feel more comfortable.
Heat from the radiator, which would otherwise warm empty air, dries the clothes at no added cost.

The author reports a noticeable monthly drop in the electric bill. The author states that sheets smell at least as fresh as those dried in a machine and do not carry the synthetic scent of dryer sheets.

5. Cooking Large Batches of Soup and Stew

The author cooks large batches of soup and stew. A pot simmering for about three hours on the stove warms the kitchen while the food cooks. The batch also provides meals for three additional days.

The author notes that on the coldest days, the decision to make soup was partly a decision to warm the kitchen. The author regards the stove's heat as an added benefit of the meal.

4. Wearing Wool Socks to Bed

The author wears wool socks to bed instead of raising the bedroom temperature. The author's feet are usually the first part of the body to become cold.

Cost of a pair of good wool socks: about $10

The author previously heated an entire bedroom, measuring 12 by 14 feet, to warm the feet. The author describes that approach as heating a large area of air to solve a problem confined to one part of the body. A pair of socks addresses the problem directly.

3. Making Draft Snakes From Old Sweaters

The author cuts up worn sweaters that can no longer be worn and converts them into draft snakes. Each snake is a fabric tube filled with one or two cups of rice or dried beans. The ends are tied off, and the tube is placed along the bottom of a drafty window.

Time required: about 20 minutes and a needle
Cost: nothing beyond the materials already owned

The author states that a draft snake blocks drafts as effectively as commercial products. The method also reuses sweaters the author would otherwise have discarded. The author describes this as the most economical measure on the list.

2. Managing Curtains by Sun Exposure

The author keeps curtains closed during the day on the north-facing side of the house, which receives little sun. The curtains on the side that receives direct sunlight are opened.

The author avoids treating every window the same way. The author states that opening the correct curtains at the correct time of day provides free heat from sunlight. The author notes that many people do not consider sunlight a heat source because warmth is commonly associated with a vent.

1. Understanding Where Heat Is Needed

The author identifies one principle as the basis for the other eleven methods: warmth depends on where heat goes and how much of it escapes into unused spaces and hours, not on the number on the thermostat.

The author states that a higher thermostat setting was previously equated with a warmer house. The author now holds that a home can be maintained at a lower setting and still feel warm if the available heat reaches the places where people are. Heat that spreads across every room and every hour of the day is lost in unoccupied areas.

The author describes the methods on this list as a form of precision rather than deprivation.

Summary of Methods

Method	Reported Cost	Reported Effect
Towel draft stoppers	Nothing (existing towels)	Blocks drafts under doors; performs as well as foam sweeps
Foam door sweeps (comparison)	$6 to$ 8 per door	Wear out and need replacing every few years
Wearing extra layers	Nothing (existing clothing)	Reduces need to raise thermostat
Window insulation film	About $10 per roll	Reduces drafts; covers every window
Closing unused rooms	None	Avoids heating unoccupied space
Hot water bottle	Cost of boiling a kettle once	Warms bed without running a space heater for 8 hours
Quilt over doorway	Nothing (existing quilt and rod)	Blocks cold air from less-used areas
Drying laundry near radiator	None	Lowers electric bill; adds moisture to dry air
Batch cooking soups and stews	Ingredients only	Warms kitchen; provides meals for three extra days
Wool socks	About $10 per pair	Warms feet without heating the bedroom
Draft snakes	Materials already owned; about 20 minutes	Blocks drafts at window sills
Managing curtains by sun exposure	None	Uses direct sunlight for free heat

Conclusion

The author regards all twelve practices as part of a single approach to winter heating. The approach centers on delivering heat to occupied areas and reducing heat loss, rather than raising the thermostat for the entire home. The author states that the methods were adopted through a gradual process of examining habits that had gone unquestioned for many years.

Intro: The Towel Under the Door

A neighbor sees the speaker stuffing a rolled towel under a front door and suggests buying foam strips. The speaker explains the towel is free, works as well, and is reusable.

The speaker was stuffing a rolled towel under the front door when the neighbor visited last week.
Foam door strips cost about $6 to$ 8 per door and wear out every few years as they compress and crack.
The house has five doors that let cold air creep underneath.
Five old towels are placed rolled up beside the doors every winter, as soon as the first cold morning arrives.

12 (Number 11): Wear Another Sweater Before Touching the Thermostat

Instead of raising the thermostat, the speaker puts on a sweater or cardigan first. This is the habit most mocked by younger people.

The speaker's daughter visited last January wearing a t-shirt indoors and asked why the house felt chilly.
The speaker handed her a cardigan instead of answering, and she put it on about 4 minutes later without complaint.
A cardigan hangs on the hook by the speaker's favorite chair for this purpose.
Every degree raised on the thermostat costs real money, while a wool sweater costs nothing once owned.

Number 10: Cover Windows with Plastic Sheeting

Windows are covered with plastic insulation film every November and shrunk tight with a hair dryer. The look is makeshift, but the warmth difference is significant.

Window insulation film costs about $10 and covers every window in the house.
The film is taped up and shrunk tight with a hair dryer until it is clear and taut.
The north-facing living room window used to produce a cold draft felt about 6 ft away.
The speaker avoided one side of the couch in some winters, but no longer does, and notices the difference the first cold night.

Number 9: Close Off Unused Rooms

The speaker closes off unused rooms and heats only occupied ones. A guest bedroom used about six nights a year was previously heated daily out of habit.

The guest bedroom is used perhaps six nights a year.
For decades the speaker heated the guest room every day out of habit.
The guest room door is now closed from October through March.
The habit was not questioned until the speaker pointed out its oddity to themselves.

Number 8: Hot Water Bottle Instead of a Space Heater

A hot water bottle wrapped in a pillowcase replaces a space heater left running all night. It is cheaper and feels more pleasant.

A space heater left on for 8 hours costs considerably more than the few cents needed to boil a kettle once.
The hot water bottle is filled and wrapped in an old pillowcase so it isn't too hot against the feet.
The bed becomes warm in a way the speaker finds more pleasant than dry electric heat.
The speaker's sister jokes that the speaker sounds like a character from a novel set in 1890.

Number 7: Hang a Quilt Over Colder Doorways

An old, worn quilt hangs over the doorway to the back hallway on a simple curtain rod. It blocks cold air from drifting into the living areas.

The quilt is too worn for a bed but still functional.
It hangs on a curtain rod the speaker already owned.
The quilt keeps a real amount of cold air from drifting into the rooms the speaker lives in.
One visitor commented on the quilt, and the speaker replied that it was doing more work than her curtains.

Number 6: Dry Laundry on a Rack Near the Radiator

Laundry is dried on a rack near the radiator instead of in the dryer. The moisture adds comfort to a dry house, and the radiator heat dries clothes for free.

Drying laundry near the radiator adds moisture to the air, which helps a dry, overheated winter house feel more comfortable.
The radiator heat that would have warmed empty air is used to dry clothes instead.
The electric bill drops noticeably every month with this habit.
Sheets smell better than dryer-dried sheets, without the synthetic smell of dryer sheets.

Number 5: Cook Big-Batch Soups and Stews

Big-batch soups and stews are cooked for hours, warming the kitchen while feeding the household for several days. The speaker realized they chose soup partly to warm the kitchen.

A pot simmering for 3 hours warms the kitchen and provides food for three more days.
The speaker realized over years that on the coldest days they chose soup partly to warm the kitchen.
The kitchen smelling of onions and broth on a gray afternoon is described as ceremonial.

Number 4: Wool Socks to Bed

Wool socks are worn to bed instead of raising the bedroom heat. Feet get cold first, and heating a whole bedroom to warm them was wasteful.

The speaker's feet get cold before any other part of the body.
The speaker previously heated an entire bedroom to a temperature meant to warm the feet.
A pair of good wool socks costs about $10.
The bedroom in question is 12 by 14 ft.

Number 3: Draft Snakes from Old Sweaters

Old, worn-out sweaters are cut into draft snakes filled with rice or dried beans and laid along drafty window sills. This is described as the most "poor woman's" item on the list.

Each draft snake is a fabric tube filled with a cup or two of rice or dried beans, tied off at both ends.
The project costs nothing but about 20 minutes and a needle.
It stops drafts as effectively as store-bought options.
It uses up a sweater the speaker would have felt guilty throwing away.

Number 2: Use Curtains to Follow the Sun

Curtains are closed on the cold north-facing side during the day and opened on sunny sides. The grandmother kept her house warm without a programmable thermostat.

The north-facing side of the house gets little sun and should have curtains closed during the day.
Curtains should be opened on whichever side gets direct sun.
The speaker's grandmother never owned a programmable thermostat but kept her house warmer in the daytime.
Opening the right curtains at the right time of day is described as free heat.

Number 1: Direct Heat Where You Need It

The overarching principle: warmth depends on where the heat goes, not on the thermostat number. A lower setting can still feel warm if heat is directed to where the body is.

For most of the speaker's life, a higher thermostat setting was confused with a warmer house.
A house can run at a lower number and still feel genuinely warm if heat goes where the body is.
Heat spread thinly across every corner of a home is less effective.
Understanding this turned the habits from deprivation into precision.

Conclusion: The Neighbor and the Grandmother's Advice

The speaker reflects on the 12 habits and recounts the neighbor texting about window film after a large heating bill arrived. The speaker also recalls the grandmother's saying about welcoming guests and preparing ahead.

The neighbor texted the speaker to ask where the window insulation film was bought after her heating bill arrived.
The speaker sent her the leftover roll and the name of the hardware store.
The speaker did not say "I told you so."
The grandmother said a warm house and welcome depend on thinking ahead so the cold never matters.