Always cold when indoors

So is all this indoor coldness something to do with the kinds of properties that some people are living in? I live in a 30's style semi detached house and its toasty warm! I am wearing a tank top now! Whats up with that?

We've lived in a Victorian mid-terrace which was a bit warmer, but we also had a gas fire I could put on in the front room.  I was always cold in that one and often had the gas fire on rather than a blanket.  Now, we live in a modern semi-detatched which never seems to get warm.  The windows are also quite drafty despite being new Upvc double glazed ones. 

I get cold at work so I have a couple of tricks I use.  One thing for sure is I wear sweaters nearly everyday and always have an extra cardigan around that I can throw on.  Also, I've found a pair of tights or pantyhose on under my slacks keep me much warmer than you'd think and it doesn't make me feel all bulky.

One trick I can't live without is my two small rice bags.  They are just small fabric squares, filled with uncooked rice and stitched up on all four side to make little pillow looking things.  I have two that are both just the right size to fit in my coat or cardigan pockets.  I pop them in the microwave for about a minute and they stay warm for an hour or so.  It's perfect if I have to walk anywhere in the cold as my hands stay toasty warm in my pockets, but even at work at my desk, just having those little bags of warm is lovely. And when they stop being warm, I just pop them back in the microwave. they last forever.

I know you can buy similar things at most hiking/outdoor stores, but the rice bags are super simple to make and cost almost nothing since it's just rice and a tiny bit of fabric.  I also have larger ones I can use in place of a heating pad and they work a treat!

I do the tights thing when it gets very cold here.  I also always have a sweater with me!  I do have a rice bag that I can heat in the microwave, but it's a big one for my neck.  I never thought of keeping some in my pockets.

They work great for pockets! 

So is all this indoor coldness something to do with the kinds of properties that some people are living in? I live in a 30's style semi detached house and its toasty warm! I am wearing a tank top now! Whats up with that?

Freak! 

We live in a '60s bungalow. They're notoriously cold. Before that, I was in an ancient detached cottage - at the time I never thought of it as lovely and warm but, in retrospect, it was!

begun the thermostat war has....

I lived in a 5 year old house- but the boiler was cheap rubbish and it was always cold in there, despite being new

Then, another winter I lived in a 115 year old stone cottage built into flats which was always frozen- seriously had to scrape ice off the windows and hit the toilet bowl to rid it of ice- and I was spending so much on heating for it to not work and the mould and damp was just incredibly awful

Now I live in a lovely,warm, efficient, 4 year old flat and I love it. But I am still just a cold person- my basal temps are consistently 35C (96F) so I have layers, many layers and a hot water bottle in my bed most nights (except for when J is over, as he's a hot water bottle himself!!)

I think I will need to use the warm rice idea- I have a reusable hand warmer (crystals) that I love as well

I have no problem at home as my house is very well insulated and I can turn the thermostat up as high as I want.

It's when I am in other people's homes or at work or in the pub, and everyone is walking around casually with short sleeves or sleeveless and I've got a jumper on and I'm still freezing. The dampness doesn't seem to bother British people at all. Will I ever get used to it?

It's when I am in other people's homes or at work or in the pub, and everyone is walking around casually with short sleeves or sleeveless and I've got a jumper on and I'm still freezing. The dampness doesn't seem to bother British people at all. Will I ever get used to it?

It does bother some British people! You've just described me to a T! Layers are definitely the key. I work from home and often sit at my desk with a hot water bottle on my lap. Unfortunately I think some people are just more susceptible to the cold and damp than others.

My DH laughs at me because I can be cold even in hot weather (which I agree we don't get here in the UK very often!) Even on holiday in a hot climate I always take cardigans because I *know* as soon as the sun goes down I'll be freezing again!

That sounds like Raynaud's syndrome - you may want to get it checked out by your GP

Seconding this - my grandfather died of this when my dad was very young (though it was also the 1940s and he worked with vibrating heavy machinery, which also contributed).

I was always on the colder side of things, but nothing was EVER as bad as the winter of 08/09 when I was ill and continually low on blood, living n transfusions every week that never take you anywhere near normal levels. Poor circulation is terrible, but poor circulation plus not enough blood to go around meant my fingers and toes would go yellow and numb and I could never make them pink again, even after heating and rubbing and warm water. I remember sat on buses with my husband massaging my fingers to bring the blood back to them, even when it was relatively mild out and I'd been wearing gloves.

One good thing to come out of my transplant is that I'm much warmer now than I was even before I got sick. I like to joke that it's because I've got Man Blood in me now (my donor was male), ha!

My DH laughs at me because I can be cold even in hot weather (which I agree we don't get here in the UK very often!) Even on holiday in a hot climate I always take cardigans because I *know* as soon as the sun goes down I'll be freezing again!

Mine laughs at me as well.  When it's 65 degrees here people dress as though it's 95!  I dress the same as I would back in the US on a cool 65 degree day--with long sleeves or an extra layer on hand, *not* shorts, sandals, and a strappy top!

I have no problem at home as my house is very well insulated and I can turn the thermostat up as high as I want.

It's when I am in other people's homes or at work or in the pub, and everyone is walking around casually with short sleeves or sleeveless and I've got a jumper on and I'm still freezing. The dampness doesn't seem to bother British people at all. Will I ever get used to it?

Insulation is something that is usually left out of this conversation.  It's the damp, for sure, but it's also a lot to do with the lack of insulation.  I come from an area of the States where we have cold winters so even most older homes have been retrofitted with insulation.  I've also lived in Scandinavia where I was never cold inside a home and rarely inside a business.  In fact, the only time I remember being cold inside a building that wasn't an outbuilding was inside a church.

Growing up we used wood heat so layers and blankets during the winter are the norm for me.  I am still cold most of the time in the winter here.  Compounding it is when you dress in layers and walk into a business where they have the heat to at least 95 and usually blowing on you for the first ten feet near the door (instead of having a double door).

I made a rice bag using a small hand towel, just stitched up the sides, it goes to bed with me every night.  And I filled a sock with rice, stitched the end closed and it fits perfect on my neck or other aching parts.  But little ones that fit in my pockets, that's a great idea!!   

I take it all back! I am absolutely freezing today and have been in the lounge all morning using my baby as a hot water bottle. I am now going attempt to cook lunch.

Only another month until I go to Florida...bring it on.