Yup, smart thermostat. I basically only know how to turn it up or down but never figured out how to get it to work on a schedule. It just goes back down to 60 degrees periodically until I turn it back up to 70+, which I'm learning that I shouldn't do.

A heavy curtain works amazingly well.

I took an Uber from the beginning of Hanover street to 3/4 of the way down Hanover. It was 2014 when we have mountains of snow and it was very cold. We split it. It was well worth $2.50

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Fresh Pond is also a great 2 mile loop in that area. Hit the cemetery in springtime, it's amazing

I'll check it out, thank you!

Many seniors do live with family or with roommates in a "retirement home." Those are things that already happen.

The lighting really makes the veins pop

The door is the culprit. Either rearrange things so you can sit further away (hard in a small floorplan, I know), or insulate it somehow. Try hanging heavy curtains across it, for example.

This.

My thermostat is downstairs (single family home). I dial it to 64 during the day, and it hits ~70 upstairs. At night, I turn it down to 50, and it's still 55-60 upstairs.

If I get cold, I put on a sweater or a light jacket. If I'm STILL cold, then I'll go turn the heat up 2 or 3 degrees.

Mass Save sells discounted weatherization products. Just by adding some insulation to your windows would help keep your heat from escaping a bit. Also, second the humidifier suggestion. And, turn your thermostat down overnight. Ours is set to 58 overnight and that will save money as well.

Lol, have you ever tried asking a homeless person camping on public property to move?

- Brookline is absolutely a must-do. Head to Coolidge corner to grab a coffee and check out some of the local shops, but absolutely head off of beacon street to walk through the stunning streets full of historic homes.

- Similarly, I highly recommend heading to Harvard Square and then walking both along the Charles and down Brattle street. If you make it to the Mount Auburn cemetary that is also beautiful. another beautiful, historic area that's great to just enjoy on foot.

- Salem is a great day-trip. Fun activities like the peabody essex museum and historical sites, but another great area to spend a day exploring on foot. I'd avoid October and go from now through summer.

- Jamaica Plain! Go walk around Jamaica Pond and then down and through some of the surround streets. Very pretty, nice historical homes, and some great local businesses.

- You can take the Amtrak downeaster line to Portland, Maine. It's a little bit longer of a trip but certainty doable for a day trip. IT's beautiful and the food there is incredible. I'd recommend waiting til it's a little bit warmer.

- Concord is beautiful and the site of lots of US history! An easy trip on the train.

- Charlestown near the bunker hill monument is great to explore. A bonus if you go to the top of the monument for some fantastic views and/or do a tour of the USS constitution.

- Not one specific neighborhood, but in general the Emerald Necklace chain of parks is a really beautiful area and you could spend all day just walking down part of it.

- Arnold Arboretum in the spring! when things are in bloom there it is one of the most stunning places in the city. They have an app that does guided tours of both the history and all about the plants and trees there.

Unless you're homeless. Then you can just remain perpetually vertical until the day you're perpetually horizontal, I guess.

Got it, thank you.

Ahh thank you! This is what I needed.

Totally fine to freeze.

Or have their adult kids move in with them to help pay bills.

No, but I sold that house at the end of 2020. It has not appreciated 50%.

I bought it for 375k, did a DIY renovation and spent 20k, listed for 470k, sold it for 500k. But it was a hoarder house when I bought it, there were dead mice all over the house.

Since I sold it I think it’s worth slightly less. And the person who bought I from me had an insanely low interest rate like 2% with no down payment so they didn’t care they were paying more.

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I'm working with two realtors at the moment. They keep sending me homes that were assessed at 350k to 400k.

The owners want, typically, 100k more than that.

This market is outright bullshit.

Get a temperature sensor and do quick temperature audit of the house when it is cold outside. You can get a cheap temperature laser online and it will tell you where the heat is leaking out the most. Then you can get some things to mitigate the leak. Like draft stoppers for doors or even the plastic wrap for windows if its really bad.

Try a humidifier. It may make it feel warmer without having to increase the temperature. Also, visit your city website to find out if you can get a municipal aggregation rate. (Boston and Cambridge both have such a program, but not all cities do.)

Try insulating that door better or sitting somewhere else. You can't heat your house to 73 degrees and not pay a ton of money.

Do you have a smart thermostat? Is it on a schedule and do you change the temperature when you are not home?

Apologies if my post comes off complainy, probably due to my lack of experience with these sorts of things, but I really just am looking for suggestions as to how to not freeze to death but also not pay beyond what I'm comfortable.