I’ve found an easy hack to stay warm without putting the heating on – it’s not elegant but you’ll stay toasty all day
A SAVVY homeowner has revealed how to keep warm this winter without it costing a fortune.
Klaire De Lys has brought together a series on “how to keep cosy without using any central heating.”
Taking to TikTok, she shared her top tips and tricks to help others save money this winter.
In one video, she says: “I’m gonna start off with the basics, layers.
“Now, there are a few things which are really obvious, which everyone always mentions, like wear socks, wear gloves, wear hats.
“But there is one really important thing that I want to talk about when it comes to layers, because a lot of people are going to hear about things like a Marino Underlay.”
A Merino Underlay is a wool designed to cushion the whole body, relieving tension whilst you sleep.
It also can maintain warmth, and help to regulate your body temperature while you sleep.
Klaire continues: “Don’t get me wrong, Marina is really good at keeping you very, very warm.
“Also very expensive.
“And to be honest, and I know this is gonna be controversial, I don’t think they’re worth money.
“If you are going to spend that money and you have that money available, then what I would say is I would get one size up or even two sizes up.
“Ideally two sizes up.
“And the reason for this is if you’re moving around a lot, which you really should be if you’re cold anyway.
“If you do a lot of manual work, like I do, what I tend to find is that they would last maybe two months, sometimes three, or if I was lucky, before the underarm chest ripped.
“Because when you’re doing a lot of lifting and digging and all that kind of stuff, there’s an awful lot of friction that goes on underneath the arm.
“But if it’s baggies like this, there’s just a lot more given the fabric, and it lasts a lot longer.
“So if you do have the money to invest in something like that, try and get one or two sizes bigger.
“Is it gonna look like the most elegant thing? No. But if the priority is staying warm, then that’s what you want to do.”
Klaire’s next money saving hack is to think of the fabric that is directly against your skin.
She says: “Now, anything that’s right up against your skin.
“The reason why you want this to be a natural fabric is because if it isn’t a natural fabric, it doesn’t tend to let anything past it.
“That means if you sweat, that sweat stays directly on your skin.
“And that’s a bad thing, because when you’re cold and you’re shivering, that sweat stays there, and then things start to fester, for lack of a better word.
Important thing is that it’s a natural fabric
Klaire De Lys
“And then you are going to get a cold rash, which, let me tell you, is extremely painful.
“And when you don’t have the option to turn on the heating, it’s not like you can go and have a shower and dry off and warm up all the way down to your bones.
“So anything which is directly against your skin, make sure that it’s just regular cotton.
“These are just £5 men’s shirts from Matalan. I don’t like the women’s ones.
“They’re £8 and they’re crap.
“They fall apart in three weeks, if you’re lucky.
“But the men’s ones are better quality, they’re cheaper, and they last literally for years.
“I think I bought this one three years ago, and I wear it a lot, and you can tell because I have paint on it.
“So it doesn’t have to be expensive.
“But the important thing is that it’s a natural fabric.”
The video attracted lots of attention, with many rushing to the comments section to share their thoughts.
One wrote: “I so appreciate this. I’m in debt to my energy company that I can’t repay so turned off the boiler at Christmas. We don’t have hot water or heating.”
To which Klaire replied: “Ooooof. I’ve been there (not having hot water. I’ll cover washing without hot water too in this series.”
Another said: “Good to see this series again. It’s already down to 15c in my house. I’ll use heating when really needed but want to hold off as long as possible.”
Others expressed concern for the cost of living, with one writing: “So saddening that this is life now, I get so worried about the state of my house being cold and damp.”