Crunchy's New Challenge: Keep the Thermostat Low!

Well, Crunchy Chicken has done it again! (She loves creating challenges and getting folks around the country to participate.)This time, 50 bloggers have pledged to keep their thermostats low this winter. I promised to keep my thermostat set to 60 degrees...Brr!!! This will really be a challenge for me because I'm not used to freezing my butt off (after all, I was raised in Georgia, so I'm still acclimating to Indiana's frosty climate).

But I'm optimistic about this challenge. For starters, now I'm motivated to insulate my windows (I remember someone telling me to insulate my windows when I first moved to South Bend, but I never did it- too much work, I thought.) I'm also going to be sure to bundle-up with extra clothing (I'm mastering the art of layering my clothing - trust me, there's no such thing as layering clothes in Georgia!). And I have two puppies who'll keep me warm this winter. Willy, my fluffy bichon frise, is a veritable hot water bottle, so I'll definitely be snuggling with him throughout this challenge. Jack, my miniature schnauzer, is toasty warm, too. :0)

So why keep the thermostat low? Keeping the temp low reduces my dependency on natural gas. This is important for two reasons: First, consuming less natural gas will reduce my carbon footprint - the production of natural gas contributes to global warming. And second, reducing my use of natural gas will lower my gas bill. I'm fairly confident we'll be hearing news reports about people who can't afford to pay their gas bill this winter - although I don't foresee myself being in that predictament, I don't want to pay $200 (or more, who knows!) for heating my duplex each month.

So, if you're in South Bend this winter and you stop by my place, be sure to wear warm clothing - you're gonna need it! :0)