New Year’s and a House Temperature Question
Happy New Year everyone!
Our family spent New Year’s Eve at the neighbor’s house with our other neighbor and their kids. When you have kids, this is really the best option. Usually, we just all go out to an early dinner and then attempt to stay up to watch the ball drop. In our younger days, we would actually get dressed up on New Year’s Eve and head out to some fancy party or a really late dinner in a nice restaurant. In fact, before I knew my husband, I did the whole Times Square craziness one year. That was back in the day when New Year’s Eve in Times Square was less structured and you could walk around with a bottle of champagne in your hand. I feel so old now…
Last night we had a relaxed dinner. The 6 adults dined on lobster and champagne while the 6 kids had ham with macaroni and cheese. We were all happy with that arrangement! All together, there were four 8 year-old’s and two 6 year-old’s. They all managed to make to midnight to see the ball drop! In fact, they were having so much fun, I don’t think we left until around 1:00 am!
While we were there, the subject of house temperatures came up. The neighbor who used our shower during the power outage was laughing about how warm we keep our house – even while running the generator. It never really occurred to me. Generally, we keep the temperature at 71 degrees during the day and sometimes I turn it down to 70 degrees at night. Everyone thought we were nuts! Both of my neighbors keep theirs in the high 60’s during the day and turn it down to a frigid 58 degrees at night!
Now let me ask you – does that sound insane to you? Or are we the insane ones? I like to be toasty warm all the time, whether I am in my bed or hanging out around the house. I don’t want to freeze to death if I have to go to the bathroom during the night and I don’t want to feel too cold to get out of bed in the morning.
Or course, one of my many New Year’s Resolutions is to not be wasteful and to spend less money. You can guess that my husband is definitely on board with that plan! Anyway, this heating conversation got me thinking. How warm do we really need to keep the house? Maybe I should just throw on an extra sweater during the day and an extra blanket or two during the night…So, even though I absolutely hate being cold, I am going to try lowering the temperature a bit and see how we all feel.
But I am curious…what temperature do you keep your house during the day and at night?
Happy New Year!!! The temperature question is a little different here in the South. We have to run the A/C most of the time. I keep that on around 72 degrees. When we do have to use heat, I keep on 65! Happy 2013!
You southerners sure like it cool! In the summer, I keep my air conditioner between 73 and 74.
Happy new year – your lobster and champ sounds divine!! We keep it at 65 day and night in the winter. xoxo
65 for you too, huh? I can't show my husband these posts…it's like I am just throwing money out the window!
Your kids totally beat me on the midnight thing. Our house is set at 70. And I think it could go up a degree. I grew up in a freezing cold house and I have always said that I will not freeze in my house. I'll give up cable or something first.
Ah…now we're talking! I actually grew up in a cold house too so that is probably the reason I always need it to be warmer!
Sounds like a fun way to bring in the New Year. In Virginia we set our thermostat at 69 or 70 degrees. Here in Florida we have the air and overhead fan going most of the time. Today was shorts and t-shirt weather. Happy New Year! xx, Sherry
70-75 here…I Tried it at 65-70..and it doesn't work for me..I Can't stand to be cold..and refuse to..We live in a very cold state this time of year…my son tries to run the a.c..when it's freezing outside and we go at it alot!! I cannot be cold..I do keep it down to about 60 during the day and use the oven to heat up the house a little but at night theres no doubt it goes up to 70-72..
I have ours on 70 for heat during the day and down to 68 while we sleep. It is better to sleep in a cooler house, but I don't want to shiver when I get up to go potty in the middle of the night. In the summer the air is on 73-74 during the day and 71 at night.
Your new year's eve sounds great, Shelley!!! Lobster and champagne and the kiddos all happily playing, what could be better? We keep our heat around 68 this time of year. We have programmable thermostats and the heat goes down to 65 upstairs (bedrooms) in the day (although I turn it up when I shower so I won't be freezing when I get out!) I LOVE to be warm, but it's amazing how much money you save if you turn it down a few degrees. And I'd rather take that money and go sit on a beautiful beach somewhere when there's snow on the ground here!! 🙂 Happy happy new year my friend!
Happy New Year Shelley! Sounds like the perfect way to celebrate! 🙂 Vanessa
OK, we are the 58 degrees at night people but I truly sleep better in a cold room. I bought a down duvet from The Company Store specific to the temperature range we keep our bedroom. It is heaven! For the rest of the house and the kids bedrooms, and let me preface this by saying we live in a drafty old house in a cold climate and the price of oil here is crazy…we have a thermostat on a timer. It is set to go to 66 degrees at 6:00am (half an hour before the kids get up,) down to 64 during the day, back to 66 in the late afternoon, and at 9:00pm it goes to 62 degrees. Yes, I have OCD, and my husband and kids call me the heat miser. 😉
I live with 3 snow misers so I am sure they won't mind me turning down the temp!
My kids are grown so it's just my husband and me. I'm 53 and still have a hot flash now and then. :o) If I had my way I would keep the house at 68 all the time. My husband wants the temp. at 72 but I would die from heat exhaustion. So we compromise and keep it at 70. Sometimes I flick it down to 69 without him realizing!
Interesting posts going on here. I live in the central US so it gets cold here in the winter, and hot and humid in the summer. I would love to keep my winter home temperature at 71 or 72 degrees, as I like to be toasty and comfortable when it's cold outside. I would like it,…but my budget does not, so the temperature is set at 66 degrees day and night. And yes, I'm too cold. Linda S. in NE
Happy New Year, Shelley!! Lobster & Champagne sounds very delicious… couldn't be better!The temperature question is funny 😉 I like it warm and cozy, 68-71 degrees during the day, but 65 or less while we sleep.~Jutta
While I do not like to be cold, I'm not a big fan of the heat, the smell for starters. Plus when you get up and start moving around, i get hot. My hubby and I battle about this. I keep ours at 64-65. I'll turn it up to get the chill out in the morn if needed. Keep warm! :)Rachel Beal
Well, I'm definitely not a cold weather person! We have propane gas heat so we try to conserve because it is expensive. Luckily we have a wood burning insert for our fireplace and can heat the house with wood. So I leave our thermostat on 65 and we make a fire every evening when we get home from work. So our house stays between 73 and 77 when the fire is going but our bedroom is off the main part of the house so it stays about 68 which is great for sleeping!