CAMBERWELL Guardian editorial copy 2012 Page 1 of 2 GUARDIAN MONEY SECTION: Personal effects column 1 image required.

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My tight-wad/pseudo-green husband wont let me put on the heating until the end of October. Even then, he insists the thermostat stays at 18C. Am I condemned to a life in thermal underwear or do I have to boot him out to warm up? * Where on earth are you?! Here in Cardiff I still have to sleep with the window open and just a sheet over me. Perhaps you should get checked out for poor circulation because, I promise you, its not cold enough for heating yet. elmsyrup at guardian.co.uk * Has your writer got an open fire to burn wood in? It is a wonderfully cosy option. Does she wrap up well? Too many people wander around in light clothes and wonder why they are cold. And, finally, is she some sort of Victorian, submissive woman who cannot say: Sorry darling, I am cold, I contribute to the household finances, so I am switching on the heating. Sharman Finlay, Ballyclare, Co Antrim * I could have asked this question until recently. My husband doesnt feel the cold much and is afraid of heating bills. I suffered at 18 degrees in a house that never felt warm. Last year, I finally got him to realise that turning up the heat to 21 for two hours in the morning, and three in the evening, made for comfort. It worked, and the bills have stayed reasonable. I rarely have to put on the sitting room fire, as I sneakily did previously. When needed, as on these September evenings, candles and tea-lights on the hearth give a glow and warmth. Tina Lukey, Mold, Flintshire * Maybe installing thermostatic radiator valves could save your marriage! Setting each rooms temperature should save money, as well as making each space suitably comfortable. Fiona Cobb, London * You dont mention why the heating is your husbands domain. Does he dispense loo roll by the square and make you turn away while he fiddles with the lock on the fridge? Having said that, I completely agree with him about the heating and cant stand hot, stuffy rooms September (often a warm, sunny month) seems very early to be thinking of heating. Have a bath, do some exercise, have some friends round and light a bonfire. Becky Davidson at guardian.co.uk * Buy yourself a top-of-the-range electric blanket (your side of the bed only) and kick him out into the spare room if he cant stand the heat. We have a similar argument (our kids once asked if it was normal to see your own breath in the kitchen) but, as our heating is oil-fuelled and very expensive, Ive had grudgingly to agree - and invest in thermal underwear. Name and address supplied * Several years ago we discovered wed paid pounds 1,000 over the course of a year to heat a two-bed flat. We decided this was ridiculous and made a concerted effort to bring our bills down. Now we never

CAMBERWELL Guardian editorial copy 2012 Page 2 of 2 GUARDIAN MONEY SECTION: Personal effects column
spend more than pounds 35 a month, not even during the coldest months of last winter. We do this by wearing thermal underwear and double or triple layers of socks, putting hot water bottles in bed and under our feet if were watching TV, wearing huge fleeces over our clothes and, if necessary, turning the heat up for just five minutes. Five minutes of exercise helps warm you up too. If you dont build up some tolerance to the cold it will end up costing you lots of money in the long run. LondonPenguin at guardian.co.uk * Central heating on: 29 October. First night when a winter coat is necessary: 5 November. Winter coat off: 14 March. Central heating off: 31 March. These are the immutable laws by which life must be lived. The actual weather on the dates specified is essentially irrelevant. Hope thats cleared things up. ecranto at guardian.co.uk winner of this weeks pounds 25 National Book Token * More worrying than your thermal underwear dilemma is the phrase: My husband wont let me. Are you sure the Guardian is the paper for you? Kate Dickens, Spalding, Lincolnshire * Tried and tested for warmth: A brisk walk on return, don tights, thermals, fleecy bottoms, polo top, woolly jumper and finish the look with dressing gown, slippers, hat and fingerless gloves! Come the spring, when the layers come off, everyone thinks youve lost a stone. Trust me, Im an expert! Karen McMullan, Ballyclare, Co Antrim * Pay the gas bill yourself and tell him to stuff it ... Mish Varney, via email ----ends----