Living in a cave?

**shoiji** · 12-20-2009, 09:55 AM

Decided not to open up the windows since the sun is not out. Hopefully this will keep the place warm. But boy, do I feel like I am in the batcave Robin. Personally I love having the windows open to let the light in.

All last night and early this morning the heat was constantly going on. I keep the temp set at 62 degrees in the evening and morning and 58 degrees when I am sleeping. The only thing I could think of was dollar signs going off in my head. lol

So anyone else living in a cave to help keep the warmth in and drafts out?

Am enjoying the underarmor I bought at the thriftstore during the summer. Really works well. Will be buying more during the summer.

**Lady_V** · 12-20-2009, 10:00 AM

We live in a cave -- but for a whole different set of reasons.

Our condo lacks light! Livingroom has a slider (with black curtains since we are on the ground floor and I don't like being spied on in my jammies). No windows in kitchen or bath. Diva's room has 2 sets of windows - one faces the parking lot and a car is usually parked 6" away, the other faces in to an 8 foot azela bush. My bedroom has a window, facing the parking lot.

The condos were built with only overhead lights in the kitchen and bath. We have a lamp in each room, but I can not say it's ever been LIGHT in here.

**hotprincesscm** · 12-20-2009, 10:09 AM

I have no direct sunlight in any of my windows. I do open the shades during the day though, to let light in, so that I don't have to turn on all the lamps and waste more elec. But everything gets closed up in the evening, and I have thermal drapes to keep the heat in over night!

**sabrelvssammy** · 12-20-2009, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by shoiji

All last night and early this morning the heat was constantly going on. I keep the temp set at 62 degrees in the evening and morning and 58 degrees when I am sleeping. The only thing I could think of was dollar signs going off in my head. lol

that's funny coz i too have been laying there in the bed listening to the furnace kick on (set @ 56) and everytime i hear it -- i cringe....i too envision the dollars flying all over the room and right out the windows (even though they aren't open...and the coverings are so thick nothing can get out, including probably us..lol).... i have become 'nuts' i think....haha....

**nuisance26** · 12-20-2009, 10:25 AM

~I do the cave thing too. I have window quilts in the bedrooms and the living room so they are dark rooms. I haven't figured out a suitable covering for our slider yet so we get in tons of light(when there's sunshine anyway)through it and it reaches the living room.
I cringe when I hear the heater kick on too. We lost power sometime early this morning and it was restored around 9am. Although I was happy to hear it turn on when the power restored(56* in the house!) I was secretly thinking how much money we must have saved by having everything in the house 'unplugged' for a few hours.~

**akolb** · 12-20-2009, 11:03 AM

man, am i ever thankful to live in the deep south! we might pay for it in the summer by sweating our a@$es off, but it sure is nice to have the $30 heating bill in the winter since we have a gas furnace!

**Debbie-cat** · 12-20-2009, 12:07 PM

I open the blinds during the day when the sun is out to help and it does help as the furnace kicks in very little during the day. We have ALOT of windows. At night all the blinds are closed to keep the cold out but I plan on making window quilts to add to keeping the cold out.

**sabrelvssammy** · 12-20-2009, 12:40 PM

we have lots of windows too and even though they are 'brand new, high-efficient, dbl pane, blah...blah...blah.... windows'... i can still stick my hand between the heavy curtain and the window pane and i see no difference between them and putting my hand in the refrigerator.... just goes to show you that the 'insulators' (meaning curtains, blankets, quilts, plastic...whatever we are throwing up there)...really do work....the more layers between us and the outside...the better....

hm.....which leads me to a thought...OH NO....haha... i could just install shelves inside the curtains and move all the food from the fridge there...then i can unplug the fridge....hahahahaha.....(keep thinkin sabre...right...????).....

**frugalfranny** · 12-20-2009, 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by shoiji

So anyone else living in a cave to help keep the warmth in and drafts out?

I just CAN NOT leave my drapes pulled during the day - cold or not.

I have to have what little light we get. The last few days, that hasn't been much!! Our snow is gone, and it has been rainy/misty/gloomy for last two days. This time of year with such short days I feel like I am living like a MOLE anyway ----get up, open drapes, eat, shut drapes. Roughly 8 hours of daylight!! UGH!

The days start getting longer next week!!!

Though this doesn't mean we won't have MUCH more snow - just the thought of longer days makes it more bearable!

**sabrelvssammy** · 12-20-2009, 01:00 PM

i just allowed dh to open one curtain to be able to look out here in the FR....now he and the two cats are lined up at the window looking out.... until i run up and pull it all shut again.....(i'm such a big bully...)....

**shoiji** · 12-20-2009, 01:01 PM

Well the sun is shining so the bedroom windows curtains are open. Cat quickly found a patch of sunshine and was rolling around. The livingroom is still dark. May open curtains in there around 3:00 when the sunshine comes in.

As I get older I am completely realizing the practicallity of moving to a warmer place.

**Debbie-cat** · 12-20-2009, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by sabrelvssammy

hm.....which leads me to a thought...OH NO....haha... i could just install shelves inside the curtains and move all the food from the fridge there...then i can unplug the fridge....hahahahaha.....(keep thinkin sabre...right...????).....

You just crack me up SS!

We have a freezer in the old farmhouse and it is now unplugged, thank to the cold which helps with the electricity!

**sabrelvssammy** · 12-20-2009, 01:09 PM

hm.... can i turn my deep-freezer in the garage down to the lowest setting (coz its freezing out there anyway)....?

**WV_mom_of2** · 12-20-2009, 01:13 PM

This is what I love about my outdoor woodstove! I can run the heat as high as I want and it doesn't really make the electric bill go up much! My bill differs only about 15.00/20.00 from summer to winter. Definitely one of the best investments we ever made!

And I can't stand the blinds/curtains closed! I am a little claustrophobic and it makes me want to climb the walls to be all shut up!

**Josephhgoins** · 12-20-2009, 03:17 PM

I get no diect light, but I hate the curtains open anyway. It always feels like I am being watched. Even when I lived in the country and there was no one around I left the blinds and curtains closed. Now that I live in the city I leave the blinds closed as well as the heavy drapes. I Have the cfl's so artificial light isn't too awfully expensive.