The cheapest ways to keep warm this winter, without blowing your budget
Winter has this quiet way of making everything more expensive, Especially if you live in a cold estate, I'm looking at you, Melbourne. The power bill creeps up. Getting out of bed becomes a personality test. A blanket that actually keeps you warm starts feeling like a luxury purchase you have to mentally justify.
Good news: staying warm really doesn't need to wreck your bank account too much. A lot of the best tricks are cheap, slightly boring, and probably already somewhere in your house.
Here's what actually works according to the internet and us. (yes we read every forum and surveyed the girls in the office)
1. Heat yourself, not the whole room
This is the rule that saves the most money, full stop.
Warming an entire room is wildly more expensive than warming your body. So before you reach for the heater, try the layers, the thermals, the thick socks, the slippers, the hot water bottle. If you're in the Gold Coast or WA half the time you'll realise you didn't need the heater at all.
2. Buy thermals once, wear them on repeat
If you're going to spend money anywhere this winter, spend it here. Thermals are the closest thing winter has to a cheat code.
They trap body heat and quietly upgrade every outfit you already own. Your normal jeans. Your hoodie. Your knitwear. Your work clothes. All of it suddenly works harder.
Uniqlo Heattech is the go-to for a reason. Tops, leggings, long sleeves, socks, layering pieces, all way cheaper than buying chunky winter clothes you'll wear for three months and then shove in a tub.
Other spots worth a look: discount department stores, outlet centres, end of season sales, online clearance.
Stick to black, grey, or nude so they slide under everything you own.
3. Use a hot water bottle
The hot water bottle is criminally underrated.
Cheap to grab, basically nothing to run, perfect for warming up the bed before you get in or living on your lap while you work from home. One small upfront cost, then just the price of hot water.
Safety bit: hot water, not boiling. And check it for cracks or leaks before you fill it. Mine split on me once. Did not love that for myself.
4. Electric blankets and heated throws can save you hundreds
This one's the actual money mover.
Running a portable electric heater through winter can add around $400 to your power bill. An electric blanket might cost you under $50 for the whole season. Some heated throws come in at $12 to $15 for the entire winter.
That gap is wild.
You're not paying to heat a whole room. You're paying to heat the only bit that needs warming: you.
Flick it on before bed, warm up the sheets, then switch it off once you're cosy.
5. Stop heat escaping your home
Sometimes the cold isn't the problem. The warmth leaking out is.
Cheap fixes that genuinely help:
Close curtains before sunset
Shut doors to rooms you're not using
Roll a towel along the bottom of draughty doors
Throw rugs over tiled or wooden floors
Move your bed away from cold windows if you can
None of this is glamorous. All of it works.
6. Layer your bedding properly
One sad doona fighting for its life is not enough.
Build it up. Sheet, blanket, doona, throw on top if you're really committing. Layers trap warm air better than one heavy thing, and you can kick a layer off when you inevitably overheat at 2am.
Flannelette sheets, fleece blankets, wool throws, thick socks. If you already own them, even better.
7. Warm your feet first
Cold feet trick your whole body into feeling frozen even when it isn't.
Socks before bed. Slippers indoors. Hot water bottle by your feet under the covers. Tiny effort, huge payoff.
8. Use heaters strategically
Portable heaters are easy, but they're one of the priciest ways to stay warm for any real length of time.
If you do need one, blast the room for a short burst, then switch it off and lean on layers. If your place has reverse cycle aircon, that's usually cheaper and more efficient than a plug-in heater anyway.
9. Eat and drink warm things
A hot drink. A soup. Porridge. Dinner straight off the stove. Warm food genuinely lifts your body temperature and makes the whole day feel less brutal.
Cheap comfort still counts.
10. Your cheapest winter game plan
If money's tight right now, attack it in this order:
Wear thermals indoors
Pile on layers and socks
Use a hot water bottle
Block draughts
Swap the heater for an electric blanket or heated throw
Only run the heater when you actually need to
That combo alone can save you a few hundred bucks across the season.
You do not need a fancy winter setup to be warm. Most of the time, warmth comes down to layering smart, owning a few decent thermals, and reaching for cheaper heat sources before the expensive ones.
Start with the low-cost stuff. Spend where it actually makes your day-to-day easier. And don't pay premium prices just to feel your toes again.
***Please remember our blogs aren’t intended as financial advice - they’re intended only as a starting point to give you a little extra info! For more in-depth advice catered to your personal financial position, please see a certified financial advisor.