(The following is something I posted on my personal page as a public service announcement for residents of my city, Daytona Beach Florida USA. We have relatively mild winters here but have experienced a bit of a cold spell for the past couple weeks.)
So sad to hear we still have kids who have no coat. There’s no reason for anyone to be without a coat!
So many clothing giveaways happening all the time. Also, layering is key! Don’t need a big fancy coat just need layers. All I have is nylon jacket as an over layer. It’s more than fine. Think of it as a shell.
Multiple thin layers trap air and keep us warmer than just one big thick layer.
With sweatshirts and shirts underneath. And a scarf around the neck.
A nice stretchy wool hat or other stretchy hat does a lot, as 25% of our body heat escapes through our head. Also socks. Lots of blood vessels in our feet. Take care of your head and your feet and your neck, you’ll be surprised how much warmer you feel.
I’m originally from the north, and also this is probably my 15th or 16th winter doing without heat (it started as an experiment to reduce my electric bill, and just grew from there), so I know all about layers. I walk around all winter like a giant lasagna.😉😂
Hope this helps someone! Layer up, dear people 💚🌏🦋🙏🙏🙏🧤
PS. Anyone got any spare nylon jackets, coats etc sitting around, please post & share with your neighbors group etc — adults and children both! Also hats, scarves, socks. Umbrellas too. Share share share!
PPS. Updated Thursday morning: I forgot to mention how much of a difference a wool sweater makes. Wool (which comes in various forms, such as merino wool, cashmere, etc.) makes a very perceptible difference in how warm the body feels. I was reminded this morning as we are in now in multiple days of 40s weather. I put on a wool sweater and feel much warmer instantly, than I felt yesterday when I was just wearing layers of sweatshirts.
My house is an experimental low-footprint living laboratory, where we test various things out. How to live under various conditions with minimal expense and minimal electricity etc. Today I don’t think the high is getting out of the 40s but I will be relatively comfortable thanks to layers.
Living without heat is feasible if one knows how to layer properly. No, I’m not suggesting that you should have to live without heat! But the fact of the matter is that the power does go out, and we need to know how to dress for such times. As well as be protected when we go outside.
Good-quality wool sweaters can often be found at local thrift shops for somewhat reasonable prices. The prices at thrift shops have been creeping up, but bargains do still exist.
I would like to see at the very minimum, every single child and adult in our city have at least one wool sweater and a nylon shell jacket. Plus wool socks and wool hat. (My socks and hat are synthetic and they are OK, so if you can’t find wool you can get by with synthetic.)
I got my one wool sweater a few years back, at the Derbyshire Place thrift store. It’s made of cashmere, so it’s very soft, and it’s a pretty red. My one nylon jacket was inherited from my father after he passed in 2010, and it’s old-school L.L. Bean so it should last many more years I hope. I also have one black vest made of boiled wool, got that also from the Derbyshire Place shop. I hope that shop is still around; a lot of thrift shops have been closing.
If you can find Capilene or other “performance fabric” long underwear at the thrift shops, grab it! Both tops and bottoms. Silk long underwear is good too.
I used to depend on long underwear back in the days when I was skinny and lived in places where we have colder winters than here in Daytona Beach. But really nowadays here I can get by with my wool sweater and nylon jacket plus regular old sweatshirts as layers.
The reason I keep mentioning thrift shops is
1) prices are still usually good even though they have been creeping up; &
2) the quality of new clothing nowadays (even name brands we associate with quality) is often distinctly inferior to the older garments that can be found at thrift shops.
By the way, sweatshirts and t-shirts can provide warmth but they are often made of cotton, and we have to be careful with cotton in cold weather. If it gets wet (from sweat, rain, humidity, etc.) it actually sucks heat away from the skin, making you feel colder and increasing the danger of hypothermia.
As a bonus, layers can look surprisingly stylish, even when it’s thrift clothes. The combinations of colors and textures can be very cute! Have fun creating your own warm winter look. Stay cozy!