Be Prepared.

(I hope that anyone who would read my blog would also hear that title sung by a lion.)
.
When did November get so busy?  It's been a while, Readers, but that doesn't mean we've caved and turned up the heat.  We had a week of pretty gorgeous weather, though, so we all got a little complacent.  It still amazes me that it can be 65 degrees outside, but you still feel like you might lose your fingers if you stay still for too long in the living room.  So in this post, I wanted to talk little bit about preparing for a heatless winter.
.
As I've said before, a big part of why we wanted to do this challenge was to find little ways to lower our cost of living that we would otherwise be too lazy to think about.  But if anyone out there is considering participating in this challenge next year, don't be stupid and let your pipes freeze.  That's a lot more expensive than the few bucks you'll save.  A lot of crazy people who choose to stay cold for this month do smart things like insulating their pipes with crazy things like heat tape or heat cables.  Or, if you're not freezing mastermind, newspaper and tin foil.  Letting the faucets drip overnight is also recommended, but that's on those super-cold nights that we usually don't see this month.  Apparently, you're also supposed to seal any windows or cracks that are near your pipes, because that cold wind coming through your walls is no joke.
.
I didn't know any of this. And I don't have half the motivation it takes to winterize your house.  Luckily, though, I also didn't realize that our landlord has had our basement pipes wrapped in foil since we moved in 2 years ago.  We're not hardcore enough to really risk our pipes bursting, though.  It is a seriously old house, and I don't even want to think about the other problems we'd uncover in the bursting process.  So in addition to our tin foil, we leave the thermostat set at an uncomfortable, but not pipe-freezing temperature.  I figure this isn't cheating because even if the heat kicks in, the level we have it set at doesn't even warm our radiators.  (Which is good, because most of them are covered in all sorts of flammable things right now.)
.
I've read a bunch about what happens when your pipes do freeze, and it sounds like an awful experience.  My advice on what you should do if this happens to you?  Cry.  I won't judge you.
.
Tomorrow, Jes and I are going to cover all of our windows with plastic.  If you've got terrible windows like we do, you should be doing this too!  It's the single most effective way we survive our winters, and it's super easy (unless you're us).  If you're interested, you could read some about this at Planet Green.   
.
It's cold!  Don't be dumb about this ridiculous contest.  All I know is that it's got to be cold, because my hyperactive spazz of a dog is suddenly content to cuddle with me and is acting like it's not weird.