Winter can do a number on the utility bills. Keeping your home and you warm can be a bit of a challenge when a cold winter rolls through. After a few cold winters, you may have discovered you need some creative ways to help keep warm this winter.

An electric fireplace is a great way to keep warm in the winter. While we can not all have a beautiful real fireplace almost anyone can find room to put in an electric one. These used to cost a lot to run but with the advance of inferred technology electric fireplaces are economical and powerful for helping with zone heating in the winter. Even if you have the heat off, the fire going on its own is a great way to help trick the mind into feeling like it is warm and cozy in the room.

Keep throw blankets around the house. This will give you something to snuggle up with on the sofa or chair or just in bed after a long day. Soft cozy blankets can go a long way in feeling warm and cozy after a long hard day or while snuggled up with a good book. Add a few throw pillows around to make it even cozier.

Get everyone in the family slippers to wear around the house. Even if you place rugs around on hard floors to help stop the cold from working its way up from the basement you can still find some areas that are colder than you would like. Slippers give your family something warm on their feet that won't get ruined and cold like a pair of socks on the floor where spills can soak them.

If the humidity drops too low in our homes they can feel colder. Growing plants indoors in the winter is a great way to improve the humidity in your home. You can also use humidifiers or just take advantage of simple things like placing a wet rag over heater vents or simmering a big pot of water and spices on the stove to raise the humidity in your home.

Take advantage of the cold weather for baking and even running the self-clean cycle on your oven. Running the oven heats your home up a good deal leaving most people skipping oven-baked dishes in the summer. Take advantage of the cold to make casseroles, pies, homemade bread, and sweet treats. Not only will you have great food to enjoy, you will help make your home feel warmer. Leave the oven cracked after shutting it off to let the heat escape.

Take the insulation up a notch. From adding plastic over windows to replacing the weather stripping on your door there are several great things you can do to improve the warmth of your home this winter. Look for drafts and make a plant to help keep cold air from getting in and reduce how much heat escapes your home. Close off rooms you are not using and hang thermal curtains over the doorways to help keep your home warmer.