Thursday 21 October 2010

Essential frugal fashion faux-pas....wearing hats indoors

Hat wearing, when did it become unfashionable indoors?
Maybe with the advent of central heating?

I love hats, often I forget to take mine off indoors when I come in from the garden - but lately with the temperature getting lower - I've taken to put on a hat when I'm inside - normally this would not make me (or the children) bat an eyelid when you live in a cold house on a windy island, you have to keep yourself warm. But for my partner, who is now sometimes working here from home, my 'indoor hat wearing' seems to be a source of great amusement. I've brazened it out, quite happily - I'm not putting on more heating than we need to, I'd rather walk around wearing everything I own and a wear a hat. I know lots of layers may make me look akin to a 'michelin man' but at least I'm toasty! Normal winter (autumn doesn't happen here) clobber includes tights, running trousers, jeans with a vest, long sleeved t-shirt/jumper and maybe a fleece - at least it helps keep me warm and for anchoring us down in the wind!

It's cold here today - snow on the hills - although it's about 6 degrees - I opened the curtains in the living room - as I'm pre-programmed to do (get up/open curtians/make cuppa) - looked out - went BRRRRR and shut them again - no point in letting that room get absolutely freezing just to make sure the world knows I'm awake - beside anything else - our neighbours aren't near enough to notice (nor would they care) if our curtains are open.  As the sleet hits the windows with great gusto I can't see much anyway, they can stay closed for now - the light I have to put on will use less energy than putting on a heater.

We're trying to keep our energy costs down part of our 'not wasting money' frugal dreams, partly to do our bit. The other reason we need to be careful here is because of our climate we need to have our heating on for 25-50% longer than other places in the UK. Alot of people here are in 'fuel poverty' where they spend a significant amount of their income on heating their homes. We go from summer to winter here in a flash with a few autumnal days chucked in for good measure and the opposite is true - we go from winter (day or so of spring) then straight into our version of summer. Don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining (much) about the weather here - but it does impact our need to heat the house. With my dreams of 'good lifing' I'm going to have to keep a 'weathered eye' on our energy costs.

Like many others, I'll have to begin lining the curtains, making fleece blinds from fabric I've been given from friends and digging out the tights, hats and cosy blankets. It would appear for the moment - the winter has arrived! Whilst I've been enjoying looking at autumn colour and heavily berried trees on my trip to the mainland I've returned to my only tree (an elder - it had flowers but didn't have any berries) but now it's almost devoid of leaves (you can see a few left at the top of the poor tree). Winter is almost here.......





4 comments:

  1. After I had finished reading your blog MOH came in for his woolie hat - or his pig hat as he calls it - he wears it when he goes out to the pigs in the cold weather!! anyway he is sat in the other room wrapped in a scarf I knitted him a couple of years ago, with his hat on, doing telephone lessons. Good job we don't do lessons on skype!!

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  2. Nice to see you! I think indoor hat wearing is a true sign of committment! Hope the lessons go well!

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  3. hats indoors are an inspired idea! Our first winter in NZ I pretty much didn't take my (home made) fleece hat off for about three weeks ( the extent of our winter!) I even slept in it. We had no central heating, but a wood burner so it kept my head warm in the mornings. Wear your hat indoors with pride! I do!

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  4. Laura lovely to hear that!! I do think that in future I will wear my hat with pride! I do sleep in it often or wear a hoodie to bed now - hood zipped up to the chin - I hate being cold!!

    Waves hello!

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