Four savvy and alternatives ways to to keep warm this winter as temperature drops
STAYING warm in winter can be a challenge as bumper energy bills give us chills.
Firing up the gas central heating costs an average of £1.68 an hour, according to checkatrade.com.
So why not try one of these alternatives to keep you toasty as the temperature drops.
HEATED BLANKET: Costing as little as 1p an hour to run, these provide a cost-effective way of warming up while watching TV on the sofa.
Silentnight’s comfort control electric blanket is on offer at £25, down from £28, at Asda.
Or try the Ezysleep throw fleece blanket, £39.99, down from £49.99 at debenhams.com. If you cut out an hour of using your central heating each night, you would make your money back within around a month.
HEATER: Fan heaters can be a cheaper alternative to central heating, particularly if you’re only looking to warm up one room at home.
The Russell Hobbs compact plug heater, £9.99 from Currys, costs 23p an hour and is good for spaces up to ten square meters. And a small olive square heater, £30 from Dunelm, costs 51p an hour to run.
HOT WATER BOTTLE: A trusty hot water bottle is a cheap and cheerful way to keep away winter chills. Most only cost around a fiver.
Dunelm also sells an extra-long teddy bear version, £14, perfect for cuddling in bed, as well as neck hot water bottles, £10, that will fit over your shoulders.
Just remember that you should not use boiling water in your bottle, and fill to a maximum of two thirds of capacity to help avoid accidents.
WARMIES: Stay cosy with items that you can pop in the microwave to release warmth.
Microwavable slippers, £12 from Dunelm, are lovely for cold feet.
Warmies are also great for children to take to bed.
Microwavable plush toys — including a penguin, cockerpoo and unicorn — are down from £13.99 to £9.99 at Ryman.
- All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.
Deal of the day
GIVE your locks some VIP treatment with this Revlon one-step volumiser. It’s down from £62.99 to £34.99 at Currys.
SAVE: £28
Cheap treat
HELP your homemade burger to taste restaurant-worthy with Heinz tomato ketchup pickle flavour.
Bottles are £3.39 from Tesco.
What's new?
TUCK into Burger King’s new Smoky Bacon Whopper and Royale at restaurants and via UberEats.
The two menu additions, £7.49 each, are packed with streaky bacon and smoky onion mayo.
Cheap treat
THROW on this wool-blend bomber, £85, from River Island for an easy style solution on chilly days. Or try Matalan’s grey boucle jacket, £32.
SAVE: £53
Leah's little helper
OVER-60s can enjoy soup and a roll, and unlimited teas and coffees for £1 at any of Asda’s 205 cafes from now until the end of February as part of its “winter warmer” initiative.
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