20 FRUGAL TIPS to SAVE THOUSANDS This Winter ❄️ — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:01Happy Frugal Friday, everyone.
2. 0:04This video is inspired
3. 0:07by my $900
4. 0:11oil bill. Yeah, Slate's offended, also.
5. 0:15To be exact, $896
6. 0:20is the first fill of the season. That's
7. 0:24for about 155 gallons.
8. 0:27And to tell you I was shocked
9. 0:31is a slight understatement. I was
10. 0:32thinking like maybe the first one would
11. 0:34be like 500, and that would be high.
12. 0:38Almost $900.
13. 0:41So, listen.
14. 0:43We can't cry over spilt milk.
15. 0:46Or rather, we should save the tissue
16. 0:48money for the oil bill, right? But what
17. 0:50I can do is I can help you with 20
18. 0:53frugal tips to stay warm and not freeze
19. 0:56this winter. Because guys, I think we
20. 0:58got to buckle in. We got to buckle up
21. 1:01and uh deal with it the best way we can.
22. 1:05I like to stay positive around here. So,
23. 1:07let's get into it.
24. 1:08Tip number one is to dress for the
25. 1:11season indoors, which means lots of
26. 1:14layers. Fuzzy socks, you guys. A lot of
27. 1:17us like to be cozy. Now is the time to
28. 1:20get those layers going, right? We're
29. 1:22going to dress warmly inside before we
30. 1:25reach for the thermostat. Tip number
31. 1:27two, turn the thermostat down by a
32. 1:30couple degrees. Now, remember guys, I'm
33. 1:33not extreme frugal. I'm very practical.
34. 1:36I'm very reasonable. So, start with just
35. 1:38a couple degrees
36. 1:40than you're used to, get used to that,
37. 1:43and see how it goes.
38. 1:45Tip number three is to check all your
39. 1:47doors and windows, and check for any
40. 1:50cold air coming in through the gaps, cuz
41. 1:54you want to seal those drafts so that
42. 1:58you keep all the warm air inside.
43. 2:02Tip number four, use your curtains
44. 2:04appropriately. So, in the mornings, I
45. 2:07like to open up the curtains, let the
46. 2:10sunlight come in, and heat up the place
47. 2:13as much as I can possibly
48. 2:16get it heated, and then at night time, I
49. 2:19like to draw them closed, and again,
50. 2:22keep the cold air out. Use your curtains
51. 2:26to your advantage. It's a small thing,
52. 2:28but it adds up.
53. 2:31Tip number five, and this one was
54. 2:32drilled into me back when I worked at a
55. 2:34plumbing and heating company years ago,
56. 2:37and that is to get your boiler cleaned
57. 2:40and maintained once a year. This one
58. 2:43sucks initially cuz I think it cost me
59. 2:45$275,
60. 2:47but everything's running smoothly. You
61. 2:50don't want to neglect it, it get to a
62. 2:53bad spot, and then stop working, and
63. 2:55then you have to like buy a whole new
64. 2:56heating system, or you know, just have
65. 2:59issues. So, an annual maintenance, just
66. 3:01like with yourself, you need to do
67. 3:03maintenance, you need to go to the
68. 3:04doctor, you know, your home needs annual
69. 3:06maintenance, also, and get that on the
70. 3:09schedule. If you don't have it on the
71. 3:10schedule now, cuz sometimes it takes
72. 3:12months to get in, so get that on your
73. 3:14calendar, take care of your maintenance
74. 3:16so that it avoids a bigger problem
75. 3:19later, and a more pricey problem later.
76. 3:22Number six, invest in a heated blanket.
77. 3:26I think that sometimes when you just
78. 3:27heat yourself instead of the space, it
79. 3:29really helps. I got Cayden a heated
80. 3:32blanket last year for Christmas, and
81. 3:34that thing does wonders. He uses it on
82. 3:37his bed, but we can also use it like if
83. 3:39we're curled up on the couch, reading a
84. 3:41book, watching a show. It's awesome, and
85. 3:44it goes from like one to five, so you
86. 3:47can have it lightly heating, or full
87. 3:50volume if it's cold. It's just an easy
88. 3:53solution and pretty inexpensive and
89. 3:56works wonders.
90. 3:57Number seven, add rugs to cold floors.
91. 4:01If you've got hardwood floors, tile,
92. 4:04laminate, and you've got some extra
93. 4:06throw rugs that maybe you don't use, use
94. 4:08those strategically cuz sometimes when
95. 4:10you're just stepping on rug, it's going
96. 4:12to keep your feet a lot warmer than the
97. 4:14cold floor. I wouldn't invest in tons of
98. 4:17rugs if you don't have them. I would
99. 4:20wear more socks if you don't have the
100. 4:21rugs, but say you have them somewhere
101. 4:23and you just haven't put them out,
102. 4:24that's an option for sure.
103. 4:26Number eight, use a programmable
104. 4:28thermostat.
105. 4:30This is so helpful and so easy. If you
106. 4:33don't have one, think about it cuz then
107. 4:35you can just program it and not overheat
108. 4:38or underheat.
109. 4:39Number nine, keep your heating vents and
110. 4:43your radiators unobstructed. If you keep
111. 4:46hiding all the heat behind heavy
112. 4:49furniture, that's going to make it
113. 4:51harder to circulate. So, that's
114. 4:53something you might have to consider
115. 4:55in the winter is rearranging your
116. 4:57furniture a little bit so that they
117. 4:59remain unobstructed
118. 5:02and that heat can be accessed more
119. 5:05easily.
120. 5:06Number 10 is to track your oil usage or
121. 5:10whatever
122. 5:11heating method you have. I'm going to be
123. 5:14on that. I have it noted when we just
124. 5:17got it filled and I'm going to see how
125. 5:18long it takes. I can share that with you
126. 5:20guys later, too, how long that one
127. 5:22lasted, that fill. And I have my heat
128. 5:26actually on auto fill so that we never
129. 5:28run out, but I'm very curious
130. 5:31after this first fill,
131. 5:34what how this is going to play out. And
132. 5:36just know,
133. 5:37my son and I had a discussion and we're
134. 5:39going to be just just more mindful than
135. 5:42ever before. We're not going to be cold,
136. 5:45we're going to be reasonable, but I am
137. 5:47going to be tracking it
138. 5:49um to see what's working for us and
139. 5:52what's not. Number 11 is you could
140. 5:54compare local heating companies and see
141. 5:58if there are better prices. I have a
142. 6:00feeling right now
143. 6:02it might be just slim pickings, but
144. 6:04we'll see. You could You could look
145. 6:05around, see if they have certain plans,
146. 6:07but make sure you read the fine print so
147. 6:09you don't get trapped into anything you
148. 6:11don't want,
149. 6:12but that's an option.
150. 6:14Number 12, reduce hot water waste. Maybe
151. 6:18take slightly shorter showers. Maybe run
152. 6:22the washing machine in cold water when
153. 6:25appropriate. Just be mindful
154. 6:28cuz that can help, too.
155. 6:30Number 13, make your bedroom warmer
156. 6:33without heating the whole house. Guys, I
157. 6:36have this mastered. I got that heated
158. 6:39mattress pad that I shared with you and
159. 6:41it has ultimately changed my life. I'm
160. 6:44going to leave the link in the
161. 6:45description because when I just looked
162. 6:48at it, it was literally almost like half
163. 6:50off. It was like $44 off cuz I think
164. 6:52it's $88. So, just take a look at that
165. 6:54link if you want one.
166. 6:57It is so comfortable. So, it's a heated
167. 7:00mattress pad, right? And there's two
168. 7:03sides. So, if you have another person,
169. 7:06you could each have it at your own temp.
170. 7:08What I do is when I'm doing my bedtime
171. 7:10routine, brushing my teeth, all that
172. 7:11stuff, I turn it on.
173. 7:13And then when I slide into that bed Now,
174. 7:15listen, I know some of my perimenopausal
175. 7:17and menopausal women are like, "What?
176. 7:19You want heat there?" It depends
177. 7:20whatever But you've got again, the range
178. 7:22from one through five. I'll crank it
179. 7:25right before I get in and then put it on
180. 7:26a one before I go to bed and my feet are
181. 7:29warm If my feet are cold, I can't sleep,
182. 7:31you guys. And you can If you don't want
183. 7:33to get this heated mattress pad,
184. 7:35although I highly recommend,
185. 7:37don't feel pressured. Go More blankets.
186. 7:39More blankets. More pillows. Whatever
187. 7:41you got to do. There's layers in your
188. 7:43bed. Make your bed warm or however you
189. 7:46want to sleep and then it will just be
190. 7:49uh just so much more cozy and I feel
191. 7:51like that's half the game, right? Cuz
192. 7:52half the time I'm home, I'm asleep. Not
193. 7:55really, but you know, I'm at work and
194. 7:57then we're home, we're busy, you know,
195. 7:58and then at night time is uh when you
196. 8:01want to make sure that that bed is nice
197. 8:03and cozy and that mattress pad, woohoo,
198. 8:0710 out of 10.
199. 8:09Number 14, eat warm meals. Oh, when it's
200. 8:12time to eat, crock pot, stove top, oven
201. 8:17made, whatever you got to do, but have
202. 8:19warm meals to warm you up.
203. 8:22Number 15, sometimes it doesn't even
204. 8:24have to get to the food level. A hot
205. 8:26drink, hot coffee, hot tea, hot
206. 8:29chocolate. So simple, right? But
207. 8:32sometimes when you just have that warm
208. 8:34liquid, heats [snorts] the whole body,
209. 8:36it's so great. Have a warm drink to warm
210. 8:40up.
211. 8:41Number 16, I don't do this designated
212. 8:44for this, but what you could do is you
213. 8:46could have a dedicated
214. 8:49heating/oil sinking fund if that makes
215. 8:51you more comfortable, so you can kind of
216. 8:54estimate, although in this case, I was
217. 8:57way off with my estimate, right? Way
218. 8:59off, but you can have a sinking fund. A
219. 9:01sinking fund's purpose is you're saving
220. 9:03for a particular thing, knowing you're
221. 9:04going to sink it, you're going to use it
222. 9:06and start thinking about that to
223. 9:09deal with your oil needs or your heating
224. 9:11needs. I'm stressed about this for
225. 9:13people, guys, because
226. 9:15I'm a single parent, right? And I budget
227. 9:18well, that's what I
228. 9:20that's what I do, but even for me, this
229. 9:22is like that's up there, right? But
230. 9:24people that don't budget well and people
231. 9:27that just don't have it right now,
232. 9:30this is an essential. Like you've got to
233. 9:32be
234. 9:33you've got to be warm and it's stressing
235. 9:35me out just thinking about families that
236. 9:37are going to struggle with this or just
237. 9:39um
238. 9:40that might be an idea.
239. 9:42Prepare a sinking fund. Start like
240. 9:45designating that money for the heat.
241. 9:48It's going to be tough, guys, but we can
242. 9:50do it. Number 17 is to look for energy
243. 9:53assistance and weatherization programs.
244. 9:55Depending what state you're in, there
245. 9:58are some programs available and there
246. 10:00are some eligible households that may
247. 10:02receive help with heating costs,
248. 10:04insulation, air sealing, or heating
249. 10:06system improvements. So, check your
250. 10:09local, state, and federal programs
251. 10:10before paying for major improvements
252. 10:13yourself cuz there are
253. 10:15programs available out there. You just
254. 10:16have to look for them. Number 18, if you
255. 10:19need to create one cozy living zone. So,
256. 10:24say
257. 10:25it's the living room. Say that's where
258. 10:27your family spends the most time. Try to
259. 10:29make that spot like the heat spot.
260. 10:33That's where all the throw blankets are.
261. 10:35That's where maybe the
262. 10:37Maybe that's where all the pets snuggle.
263. 10:39You know, just try to
264. 10:41not have it so overwhelming throughout
265. 10:43the house. Like and that would be like
266. 10:44the place that everyone kind of like
267. 10:46migrates to to be warm. That might be an
268. 10:49idea. Kind of a cozy spot, a central
269. 10:52location that you can kind of uh
270. 10:54capitalize on while we're trying to stay
271. 10:57warm this winter.
272. 10:59Number 19, you might have to get moving
273. 11:02to get your body warm. So, clean your
274. 11:04house, declutter, do some chores. I know
275. 11:07that sounds so exciting, but nothing
276. 11:09makes me sweat faster than having to run
277. 11:11up and down the stairs with the vacuum,
278. 11:14mopping, dusting. Next thing I know,
279. 11:17woo, I'm so hot I got to take off
280. 11:19layers. So, uh stay moving, clean your
281. 11:22house, tackle some chores.
282. 11:24Number 20 is to kind of ritualize this
283. 11:28cozy
284. 11:30warm
285. 11:32habits that we are creating. So, when
286. 11:35you get up in the morning, right? Like
287. 11:37kind of like the idea of opening the
288. 11:39blinds, letting the sun in, being aware
289. 11:41of it. Uh the ritual of coming home and
290. 11:45putting on the cozy clothes, heating the
291. 11:48blanket, heating the mattress pad,
292. 11:50whatever whatever it is. Kind of like
293. 11:51enjoy the ritual and the routine of it.
294. 11:55And even though there might be some
295. 11:57tough times this winter, try to stay
296. 12:01focused on that routine and that
297. 12:04knowledge that you're doing some steps
298. 12:07to make sure that you're staying warm
299. 12:10within a reasonable budget. And I just I
300. 12:12think sometimes some things are out of
301. 12:15our control. Some You can do your best
302. 12:17and that's what this video is about, but
303. 12:20there's some things that we can't
304. 12:21control and we've got to just manage it
305. 12:24to the best of our ability and we can do
306. 12:26that.
307. 12:28Before I get to my book of the week,
308. 12:31guys, let us know down in the comments
309. 12:34what is your favorite frugal tip to stay
310. 12:36warm when it gets cold outside. Guys,
311. 12:40let us know below. We need to know all
312. 12:42the tips so that we can capitalize on
313. 12:44them and do the best we can with what
314. 12:46we've got, especially come cold season.
315. 12:51Okay, before I go, for my fellow book
316. 12:53lovers, guys, you know, I was reading
317. 12:55this and I read it and I loved it.
318. 12:59Frieda
319. 13:00is one of my favorite authors. In fact,
320. 13:03not only did I read The Witch, I read
321. 13:05Brain Damage and Do Not Disturb this
322. 13:08week. And they were all fantastic. In
323. 13:11order, I would say which was best, then
324. 13:14Do Not Disturb, then Brain Damage, but
325. 13:18uh For this
326. 13:20Guys, I know we shouldn't judge a book
327. 13:22by its cover, but I mean, this is
328. 13:23gorgeous and it was great. But I got to
329. 13:26tell you, I might do I have to do a
330. 13:27separate video on all the books I read
331. 13:29cuz I read a lot, but I'm going to tell
332. 13:31you the best book that I read for spooky
333. 13:34season.
334. 13:36I mean, like I recommend this to
335. 13:38everyone. It's called We Used to Live
336. 13:39Here.
337. 13:40It's about this woman who moves into
338. 13:42this spooky house with her partner.
339. 13:46And this family shows up and says they
340. 13:50used to live here. And I know you've
341. 13:51heard about this happening, right? You
342. 13:54It might have even happened to you.
343. 13:56They come and they want to show the
344. 13:57family the house that they grew up in.
345. 14:01And
346. 14:02she decides to let them in cuz she feels
347. 14:05bad and she wants them to have this
348. 14:07experience, but
349. 14:09they never leave.
350. 14:12>> [laughter]
351. 14:13>> What? How, right? It's so good. This
352. 14:17one, I was reading it and doing the
353. 14:19audiobook, which was so creepy. Like if
354. 14:21you're looking for an October fall
355. 14:23creepy read, oh my gosh, I had such a
356. 14:26blast with this one. It's so good. When
357. 14:29you get to the end, you're going to be
358. 14:30like, "What did I just read?" I feel
359. 14:34like I want to talk about it, but
360. 14:35obviously I can't tell you I read it.
361. 14:36So, uh guys,
362. 14:38We Used to Live Here by Marcus
363. 14:41Kliewer?
364. 14:42So good. So good. And as always, if
365. 14:46you've got a book that I need to read
366. 14:47next, please leave it down in the
367. 14:48comments. I love psychological
368. 14:51thrillers. They're my favorite, but if
369. 14:53you've got a good one, let me know. All
370. 14:55right, guys. I will see you in the next
371. 14:57video. Have a great week. Stay warm.
372. 15:00Bye.