Informal Poll

Monday, October 06, 2008


Anyone else have a mental block about turning the heat on before the end of October?

I know I did.

I didn't care if our fingers were turning blue in the last place we lived.

I Would Not Turn On The Heat.

'Go put on another pair of socks,' I'd tell the boy. 'Look at you, you're in a T-shirt! Of course you're cold! Put on a sweater! P-p-put on t-t-t-two.'

::teeth chattering::

How I longed for Halloween, not for the candies and chocolate; oh, no! Because it meant I could finally give myself permission to turn on the heat.

I can't honestly lay this at my mom's feet either, (she of 'the turn off the light when you leave the room', and the water-swished-around-the-empty-dishwashing-liquid-bottle-to-get-the-last-bit-of-soap move. "Look at that! You were able to wash 2 more saucers and three tongs on that fork, with what was left in the bottle!").

Nope, this was my own doing.

Although living in an apartment with baseboard heating just helped along my insanity spurred frugality. (or is that frugality inspired insanity?)

There was that one time (mid-January, the coldest time of the year, when you had to bring the huskies and sled indoors for fear they'd be frozen stiff by morning and extra care was needed when snowshoeing home because of the dangers of wandering polar bears... ahem.)

So, yeah, anywho, I decided I was sick of coming home to an icebox and left the heat on (low) all day while I was at work. How wonderful it was to come home to a nicely warmed hovel.

Then I got the bill at the end of the month. It was more than my rent! I panicked, thought there must be some mistake. But the mistake was mine. Never to be repeated.

This house has forced-air heating/cooling. If I put it on 'auto' the heat will stay on until the prescribed temperature is reached, then it turns off until the temp drops to a certain degree and the cycle starts over again. I could keep it on 'fan', so it continuously blows heat, but it gets way too hot that way, and more expensive.

Still, it's hard (really, really, hard) for me to turn the heat on before the end of the month. I did it this weekend because I felt chilled to the bone and couldn't shake it. Considering the kid was complaing about how hot it was inside, I made a wise decision, since I was obviously coming down with something (which I managed to fight off, thanks goodness). I turned it off again this morning because it's warmed up some.

A couple of weeks ago when the weather was turning I got into this conversation with a co-worker. He rents so has no say when the heat goes on, it's strictly up to the landlord (and the landlord hasn't blinked yet.) But he remembers his father being tight when it came to the official date of turning on the heat. Essentially they'd have to see their own breath and break the ice layer in toilet before using the bowl, before pop's put on the heat. This patriarchal cheapness made no sense to my friend because they had 5 cars in the driveway. Go figure.

Today another coworker asked if I'd turned on the heat yet and I admitted that I had just for the weekend. She said she just couldn't. She had a fast rule about turning it on before the end of October. When her kids complained about the cold floors on Sat/Sun, she told them to put on another pair of socks. lol.

So what about you guys? Absolutely hate turning on the heat before the end of the month? Or you a bit of a backslider like me? And where did this unspoken rule come from?
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12 comments:

B.H. Dark said...

I keep the heating off as long as possible, and wear multiple layers of socks. And I hate being cold.

It's partly because I'm cheap, partly because it's ingrained in me, partly because it's *for the environment, you know* and partly because the central heading exacerbates eczema.

Julie C (posting as B. H.)

vanessa jaye said...

Julie I'm with you all the way, but I've found that the cold has been settling into my bones a little more easily the past couple of years. :-/ For the most part I do keep the heat low, though. I don't like the cold, either, but I hate being hot worse.

btw, love the new cover!

the author said...

Being a native of the tropics and a big girl with plenty of natural insulation, I enjoy cold weather. I love bundling up and wearing my extra-thick socks and having an excuse to serve hot tea with dinner. I love cuddling with my guy on cold nights. It's the novelty that will never wear off, I guess.

I let the kids decide when it's too cold and we should turn on the heat or I'd probably never turn it on. Both of them are sensitive to temperature and chill easily, and I'd rather pay a few more bucks to the power company than have them feel uncomfortable in the house.

Dee Tenorio said...

Will you kill me if I admit I still have to have my A/C on?? I've had 200 electricity bills every month since spring and I can't wait until we can bundle up instead of swelter. The air just won't come in our house, but the flies sure will. With the babies, I have to keep a regular temp or they go insane.

In the winter, it's all warm soups and drinks and lots and lots of socks. My FIL was like your co-worker. Our bedroom at that house would dip into the low 20s and he never turned it on. Ever. But yup, five cars. The neighbors referred to our house as the Parking Lot.

Oh, and my cheapness comes from my Brokeness. I'm pretty sure I'd be just fine with the bills if I could afford to pay them, lol.

Dee

vanessa jaye said...

Cuddling sounds nice, Lynn. But at the mo the only thing I'd be cuddling is my pillow. :-P

vanessa jaye said...

You still have air on?! gggrrrrr *gg*

Understandably about the babies, though. Absolutely brokeness comes into play. I've got a little more room in the ol' budget these days, plus forced air is waaaaaaaaay cheaper than electrical baseboard heating. I could crank the heat up and open all the windows and I suspect it would still cost me less to than it did to heat the old apartment.

Gennita said...

Umm. Will you kill me too if I tell you Oct is the month when it's the nicest in Central Fl.? Balmy seventies. No humidity. No need for air even, if you so incline.

;-)

vanessa jaye said...

Will you kill me too if I tell you Oct is the month when it's the nicest in Central Fl.?

Yes. Yes I will. You and Tenorio are going down, Low.

Dee Tenorio said...

*scratches head* Is it possible to take me down when I already live in the gutter?

Oh, did I tell you. My crown as Hot Guy Finder is more secure than ever. I can officially identify the hot guy delivery man by the sound of his truck!

Snore, can you get lower than that?
Dee

vanessa jaye said...

'k, you've earned youself a reprieve, Dee. I might be in need of your Hot Guy stealth skilz in the future. ;-)

B.H. Dark said...

Vanessa, you should know that I turned the heating on last night. Finally.

Dee, can you send the hot guy and his truck over here? It's coooooolllllld.

vanessa jaye said...

HA!

'K, not 'ha!'. I've had the heat on and off in the past couple of weeks. The days are warm/spring-like, but the nights are chilly.

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