And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~ Kahlil Gibran



Monday, September 08, 2008

Mr. Barefoot and I Bumping Heads.....Again

I am already prepping for winter here at Burr Oak Inn/Barefoot Manor, and it looks as if the "Furnace Wars" are going to start early.

It has been fairly chilly here in MN the last few days, which for someone like me who hates the heat is a blessing. It has brought to mind the fact that the chill winter winds are on their way, though, and this year the Barefoot Family will actually be paying their own heat bill.

My thought is that we should keep the thermostat lower and make up for it with extra clothing, blankets on the bed, etc. I figure we may have to put plastic on some of the windows. Some were replaced with newer windows before we moved in, but the older ones will most likely be drafty. I really think that it doesn't have to be a hardship to keep the thermostat lower. Some of my best memories as a child are of my parents, Bro, and I all snuggled up under "Snug~Saks" and watching movies or playing games. There is something wonderful about being snuggled into warm blankets with your nose a little cold and spending time with your family. I like warm pj's, too. Call me strange, but I love to snuggle into bed with my flannels on and know that no matter how cold it is outside I am comfy.

Mr. Barefoot, on the other hand, is not as tolerant of the cold as I am. He would much prefer to pay to keep the temps in our home warm enough that he can run around in his comfy shorts and tank even in January.

Hmmm....I foresee a winter of him turning the thermostat up and me following behind to turn it back down.

I really wish that we both agreed on this kind of thing. But I guess I don't wish it enough to change my mind. Isn't that funny? I keep thinking how wonderful it would be if we were both on the same page, but at the same time I am totally unwilling to be the one to give in....so much for compromise, huh?

Anyway, this is your fair warning that as the temps drop in this part of the world you will most likely be dealing with a few rants from me on the subject.

Heh.

3 comments:

Jen said...

I share your pain. I have one DH and 3 teenagers that believe in cold summers and hot winters. I on the other hand believe in reasonable bills.

Wendy said...

That's what happened in my house last year. I was all about freezing our "buns off", and my husband just wanted to not have to wear gloves in the house. But, ultiimately, I won!

I'm home all day during the day, and I turned the thermostat down to some brr-iffic temperature. He'd notch it up when he got home, but (heh! heh!), he goes to bed before I do, and so I'd turn it back down before I went to bed. He gets up first and would turn it back up, but then when he left for work, it went back down.

The result? We spent about 1/3 less on heating oil during the months when our furnace was our only heating source, AND since the furnace blower wasn't burning up kilowatts, we saved about $75 in electricity.

He mentioned it, although he didn't give me credit for freezing my ass off all winter ... but we both know, and that's good enough for me ;).

Gina said...

Another "same thing" here. Dh wears shorts and no shirt in the house during the winter, so he really doesn't like the 55 temp I leave it on. I play the same game as Wendy.

I tell him to keep a blanket in the LR and get under it if he gets cold. My two under 5 kids understand that!!