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Cold Weather Coming ...

Being cold is a weak spot for me. When I was a little girl, my mom and dad kept the air conditioner set high in summer and the heater set low in winter. I can remember my sister and me sitting on our bedroom floor, stretching our shirts down over our legs to get a little extra warmth. (In retrospect, we probably would've been better off putting our robes on over our clothes, but it didn't ever occur to us to do so.)

Years later when I had my own place, I cranked up the heater whenever I got cold. And make no mistake, I got -- and still get -- cold often. I kept the thermostat set at 81 degrees in winter because that was where I was most comfortable. And boy, did I pay for it when my electricity bill came.

Nowadays, my husband and I keep it set around 67 degrees in winter. That's mostly his doing. If I lived alone, I don't think I'd be willing to pay the bill that comes with an 81-degree setting again, but I'd likely still have it set above 70, and I'm not sure I'd be comfortable at that setting.

As the winter approaches, I plan to bundle up even more than usual this year.
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