Between cold wintry temperatures and high energy bills, households across the country are always on the lookout for creative ways to keep their costs down.
One mum, who hasn’t put her heating on all winter, has done just that by using a bobble hat as gloves in one bizarre hack.
Vicki Alderman, 58, has kept the heating off for the last three months because she can’t afford the high bills.
Due to an underlying health condition, an underactive thyroid – Vicki’s hands get cold to the point that they hurt when temperatures drop.
Vicki’s tried and tested all kinds of gloves to keep her hands warm when using her computer at home.
Now, she has discovered that putting her computer mouse and pad inside a woolly hat is an ideal way for her to stay warm.
Vicki, a self-employed artist, said: “I tried fingerless gloves, thin gloves and thick gloves.
“It’s very hard to type. I would have to take the thick gloves off to type. But thin gloves are not warm enough.
“I spent a couple of days trying a couple of gloves, but you can’t type when your hands are cold.
“It just came to me, I just tried a woolly hat and it was brilliant.
“I just posted it thinking it would be quite funny and quite cool – I had no idea it would go so viral.
“So many people really liked the idea.
“It’s not great but it’s doable. I wrap up and get on with it.
“It’s unpleasant but it’s not an impossible situation.”
The artist shared that she rarely turns on her heating since she has a limited budget of £3-day.
Vicki is on a key meter meaning she will be without electricity if she uses the heating too much.
She received a £300 crisis payment in November 2023 but says it only paid for four hours of heating up until December.
She says the daily electric cost went up from £3 to £9 – for just four hours of heating – and hasn’t turned the radiators on since Christmas.
Vicki said: “When I put the heating on for five hours a day it nearly doubled my electric costs. I have a key meter so I’m not able to run up a bill to pay later.
“I’m on a tight budget and have to be careful that I don’t run out of electric so I use the heating very minimally.
“I’ve had no heating on at all since Christmas. And can not afford to put it on again until I receive next crisis payment, sometime between Feb 6th and 22nd.”
Vicki also shared another hack that she used to stay cosy when working from home which involves an oversized dress as well as thick socks to keep her feet cosy during the day.
She said: “I’ve got this long, neck-to-floor dress, oversized, and I wear it over my clothes and it’s like being wrapped in a cosy blanket.
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“I also wear on my feet, welly socks. They keep my fight nice and toasty.
“I work from home so I can’t afford to put my heating on all the time, I’m here 24/7.”
After releasing the video, she was gifted a ‘Cozyclic’ – which is a hand warmer that uses “advanced heating technology”.
She said: “I was gifted a mini fan heater called a Cozyclic, it’s a little heater, like a horseshoe, and it’s designed to go over your hands – but it does use electric.”
