When every year autumn comes to an end, the days get shorter - the nights get longer, and the temperature drops more and more, until summer comes again the same question arises in all of us:

How will our little home warm up this year?

My dear reader who is reading this article, with the occasion of the outrageous prices in electricity, oil and natural gas, I will not suggest what air heater, heater or air condition to buy for this year. Neither a gas, oil boiler nor which heat pump. I am addressing you who have (or will buy) something from all of these, but also have a pocket that can't afford all of these.

Alternatively, what I have to suggest to you are very economical but honest ways, to have a warm home for these cold winter nights, to get through this year, and move on with our lives until the next one comes.

So let's go together to see in more detail what solutions I have found for you!

1. Dress up your home!

And when we say dress up, we mean wherever you can! Rugs (preferably with high pile) on floors and walls, heavy curtains on doors and windows, wallpapers, fabrics, decorations, shelves and paintings on the walls. Dress up your home wherever you can, so that no surfaces remain uncovered, as those are the first ones to freeze inside a house. Even in spaces you think may not need it, such as the walls in the living room and bedroom, the hallway or the foyer, the bathroom, dress up, dress up, dress up!

2. The magical electric [blanket | heating pad | mattress pad]

Do you belong to the category of people who do not have at least one of these magical devices? It's time to join the other club, and I promise you that you will never feel the coldness of the bed hugging your whole body again, or have your frozen feet hanging on the desk where you sit. The warmth and comfort will make you not want to get up from sofas, beds, chairs, and armchairs until the heatwave comes back.

You can choose between a mattress pad that goes on top of the mattress and under the sheet, a blanket to feel the warmth embracing you when you sleep or when you relax on the couch, or an electric heating pad for general use. The power consumption is minimal, and no matter how cold it is around you, you will feel a nice warmth!

3. Insulation (without a handyman)

Does it sound difficult to you? It's not. We're not talking about a technician coming to fix your roof, nor about external thermal insulation. We're talking about small cracks, for example in windows and doors, where cold air comes in. You locate where they are and you put draft stoppers, insulation tape, draft excluders, or whatever else can "seal" so that the heat doesn't escape from your home!

4. Dehumidifier

Yes, you read that right, dehumidifier. Besides removing excess moisture from the atmosphere in your home, this also results in more efficient heating. In simple terms, high humidity creates a sense of intense and penetrating cold, so by reducing it, you burn less to warm up your home. There are also dehumidifiers with a clothes drying function, so you win there too!

To help you choose a dehumidifier, you can either check out the best ones currently available on the market, and if you want more details, you can also read the detailed buying guide!

5. Warm up your bathroom

If your house is cold and you want to keep only selected areas warm, don't forget your bathroom. As an economical solution, I suggest using a towel radiator. Here you have 2 options; either one that needs to be connected to pipes like a central heating system, or you can choose an electric one that simply plugs into an outlet. Whatever you choose, besides keeping your bathroom warm, it also warms up or dries your towels!

Alternatively, you can install a fan heater or a halogen heater, as long as it is suitable for the bathroom.

6. Candles (without incense)

In addition to creating atmosphere, candles are also a source of heat. Of course, they are not a solution to go through a whole winter without any heating, but they can sweeten the space and "break" its rigid cold feeling in various ways. Their lighting calms you down, if you choose an aroma it offers relaxation, they produce minimal heat which you can increase a little if you choose to accompany them with a closed type ceramic or stone candle holder.

Just make sure not to put too many candles in small spaces that are not well ventilated, and never forget to extinguish them before going to sleep! You don't want the neighborhood to catch fire!

7. Programmable Thermostat

If you have an installed heating system (e.g. oil or gas boiler), you can invest in buying a thermostat that you can program according to your needs. This way, the radiators will not operate unnecessarily, it will maintain a stable temperature in the room, and if it also has Wi-Fi, you can control it remotely!

Alternatively, there are thermostatic heads that can be adjusted to your radiator and you can set their operation yourself. And of course, they can also have Wi-Fi!

If you want to learn more about thermostats, check out the guide!

8. Ceiling Fan

Not all, however, many ceiling fans have a winter mode, meaning they give us the option to change direction. So the blades rotate in the opposite direction from summer. This practically means that the warm air is directed upwards and is distributed evenly in the room.

Do you get it? You can get a ceiling fan more economically in winter since it is off-season, to enhance the warmth in the room during winter, and have it to cool you down in summer. Win-win!

9. Bubble Wrap on Windows and Doors

If you are unfamiliar with both of the above words, let me explain! It is this transparent plastic with round, air-filled bubbles that we wrap fragile objects in to prevent them from breaking. Do you want to pop all of them until none are left?

And if you still wonder why it is on the list, I inform you that it is a very economical way to keep the warmth inside the house, and this trick is also used in greenhouses. Place it preferably on windows where you don't care about the view, because since it is transparent material, the sun will enter and illuminate inside. It will also make the space a bit more artistic as it will appear on the glass!

How to install it:

• Cut the bubble wrap with a scissors to the size of the window or balcony door you want to install it on.
• Spray water on the glass with a sprayer.
• While it is still wet, spread the bubble wrap on the glass and press it to make it "stick".
• The surface with the bubbles goes on the glass.
• To remove it, simply grab it from a corner and pull. You can keep it for several years and install it every autumn. It doesn't leave stains or damage your windows!

10. Reflective Panels

We continue with difficult words, and now we have a roll that looks like aluminum foil. Instructions for use: simply stick it behind your radiator. And what does it do? Instead of heat spreading into the wall and disappearing outward, it reflects it back into the room, resulting in better heating of the room. It's that simple!

11. Did you cook? Leave the door open!

I mean the oven! After you finish cooking the food in the oven and close your eyes (and as long as you don't have children - dogs - cats at home, so they don't get burned), leave the door of your oven slightly open until it cools down. This way you will warm up your kitchen and the oven will cool down faster!

+1 Thermal clothes

Ok, our +1 on the list doesn't exactly concern the house, but more you. At worst, an extreme solution is to buy thermal clothes. They will keep you permanently warm, and you can of course wear them everywhere. No matter how cold it is inside the house, it will always be colder outside, so they will never go to waste!

Let me be the first to tell you, drinking alcohol is the worst thing to do in cold weather. Hot soup is the best because the process of digesting food helps to warm you up.

- Morgan Freeman